Violet tricolor (Viola tricolor L.)

Violet tricolor is an annual or biennial herbaceous plant representing the Violet family (Violaceae). Other names: pansies, brothers, funny eyes, earthflower, triflower.

Description:

A low herbaceous single or biennial plant with erect or ascending stems and thin roots. Leaves of various shapes: basal almost heart-shaped, stem and apical oblong-oval. Stipules are very large, foliate, pinnatipartite, with large, oblong-oval terminal lobes and scab-shaped, smaller lateral lobes. Flowers with a spur, rather large, variously colored: the 2 upper petals of the corolla are lilac, bright purple or blue, the 2 side petals are whitish-yellow or slightly purple, the lower one is sometimes sulfur-yellow or purple. The calyx is much smaller than the corolla, with 5 lanceolate-linear lobes, at the base with oval, downward-facing appendages. Stamens 5, almost sessile, with anthers tightly attached to the pistil. Two lower stamens with appendages protruding into a spur. The fruit is a tricuspid capsule. It blooms all summer. The most common ubiquitous plant found along roadsides, in fields, meadows and lawns. Viola tricolor grows in large thickets on the slopes of highways, where during the period of mass flowering (May) it forms a continuous background. The second species is Viola arvensis Murr. – field violet, similar to the previous ones, differing in smaller and yellow-colored flowers with a corolla not exceeding the size of the calyx. It blooms all summer. It is found very often in crops and fallow fields. differing in smaller and yellow-colored flowers with a corolla not exceeding the size of the calyx. It blooms all summer. It is found very often in crops and fallow fields. differing in smaller and yellow-colored flowers with a corolla not exceeding the size of the calyx. It blooms all summer. It is found very often in crops and fallow fields.

Harvesting, description of raw materials:

In medicine, the herb of tricolor and field violets – Herba Violae tricoloris, is used, which is collected during flowering and dried in the shade. The raw material consists of leafy flowering stems with leaves and flowers of the described structure. The length of the plant is 10-25 cm, there is no smell, the taste is sweetish.

Contains active substances:

Violet grass contains glycosides rutin, violanin, saponins, vitamin C.

Medicinal use:

In medicine, it is used as an expectorant in the form of infusions and preparations for cataracts of the respiratory tract. Violet tricolor is widely used in folk medicine for diathesis, childhood eczema, skin tuberculosis in babies, skin diseases, coughs and as a diuretic. Babies are bathed in a decoction of herbs for rickets, for boils, for colds, they drink for women’s diseases, for bleeding, they make lotions for eczema, for scrofula, for toothache, for chest pain.