Sweet Violet

Viola odorata

Historical tradition – not medical advice, and no health or healing claims. more

Historical botanical drawing: Sweet — Sweet

Tradition (Hildegard's writings)

In Hildegard's tradition, sweet violet was associated with skin and eyes.

Ingredients

Flowers and leaves are used; the pressed juice takes in the roots as well.

Note

The sources name sweet violet explicitly in the context of legislation protecting wild plants, so anyone gathering it in the wild should observe the conservation rules in force.

Botanical background

The sweet-scented violet (Viola odorata) belongs to the violet family (Violaceae); the wild pansy is a close relative put to similar use. It is an undemanding, low-growing spring plant whose violet flowers announce themselves by their scent; the name runs back through Middle High German viol to the Latin viola. In the Physica the violet holds chapter CAP. 1-103, where Hildegard places it between warm and cold and writes that it grows out of the air – out of the mildness with which the air begins to warm again after winter. For the preparations handed down, juice is pressed from leaves, flowers and roots, or the herb is steeped in simmering olive oil; the tannins and saponins held in the roots serve as a natural preservative. The essential oil carries the characteristic violet scent, and in earlier centuries it was fashionable to wear a posy of violets at the breast.

Sources & references

Hildegard von Bingen: Heilsame Schöpfung. Die natürliche Wirkkraft der Dinge (Physica). Hrsg. von der Abtei St. Hildegard, Eibingen. Beuroner Kunstverlag 2012 (4. Auflage 2024). CAP. 1-103.
Strehlow, Wighard: Die Hildegard-Naturapotheke. Heilmittel und Rezepte von A bis Z. Knaur Verlag 2014.
Strehlow, Wighard: Der Hildegard-Kompass. Die wichtigsten Heilmittel und Anwendungen. Knaur Verlag 2014.
Strehlow, Wighard: Die Hildegard-Heilschätze. Schafgarbe, Veilchen, Galgant, Bertram. Knaur Verlag 2018.
Heepen, Günther H.: Das Heilwissen der Hildegard von Bingen. Gräfe und Unzer Verlag 2015.

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More preparations using Sweet

Violet Balm Violet Elixir Violet Flower Water Violet Oil Violet Salve

Historical tradition. The above describes how this preparation was recorded and used in the tradition of Hildegard of Bingen. This is cultural-historical information, not medical advice and not a health or healing claim, and it is no substitute for advice from a doctor or pharmacist. If you have health complaints, please consult your doctor or pharmacy.

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