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Herbs & Plants

Viola odorata

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Botanical Name:Viola odorata
Family: Violaceae
Genus: Viola
Species: V. odorata
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Malpighiales

Common Names:Wood Violet, Sweet Violet, English Violet, Common Violet, or Garden Violet.(Indian Names) Banafsa, Banafsha or Banaksa

Habitat :Viola odorata is native to Europe and Asia, but has also been introduced to North America and Australasia.

Description:
The Viola odorata is a hardy perennial with violet or white flowers and dark green, heart-shaped leaves.  It typically blooms in early spring and has a subtle scent.  Viola odorata is the only wild violet that is scented.  It inhabits a wide-spread area of the United States as well as many other places outside of the United States.  The Viola odorata reproduces by double fertilization and seed dispersal methods..

CLICK TO SEE THE PICTURES

Medicinal Uses:
In India it is commonly used as remedy to cure sore throat and tonsilitis. Viola odorata were known for their medicinal and antiseptic properties and were commonly used in antiseptics.  Violet tea is a sedative.  The leaves are useful for poultices to soothe and heal wounds.  The liquid extracts from the flowers and roots have expectorant and emollient properties.  It serves as an emetic in quantity, and has been used to treat respiratory disorders, as a gargle, in cough mixtures, and as a diuretic.
Violet flowers contain generous amounts of rutin, which helps maintain the strength and integrity of capillary walls.  A few tablespoons would get you the 100 milligram daily dosage that research recommends is the most beneficial.

Traditional Chinese medicine places violet leaf and root poultices on  hot swelling, inflammation, and mumps, while in the west, they traditionally have been used on swollen or tumorous breasts.

You may click to see  more medicinal uses of Viola odorata : http://www.homeopathyandmore.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=851

Other Uses:
The sweet scent of this flower has proved popular throughout the generations, particularly in the late Victorian period, and has consequently been used in the production of many cosmetic fragrances and perfumes. The French are also known for their violet syrup, most commonly made from an extract of violets. In the United States, this French violet syrup is used to make violet scones and marshmallows.

Disclaimer:The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://wiki.ask.com/Viola_odorata
http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2008/tacke_kati/
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_UZ.htm

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Herbs & Plants

Viola japonica

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Botanical Name :Viola japonica Langsdorff ex Gingius
Family: Violaceae
Subfamily: Violoideae
Genus: Viola
Species: Viola japonica
Order: Malpighiales
Tribe: Violeae.

Synonyms : Viola concordifolia C. J. Wang var. hirtipedicellata Ching J. Wang; Viola crassicalcarata Ching J. Wang; Viola japonica Langsdorff ex Gingius forma variegata (Hatusima) F. Maekawa ex H. Hara; Viola japonica Langsdorff ex Gingius var. stenopetala Franchet ex H. Boissieu; Viola japonica Langsdorff ex Gingius var. variegata Hatusima; Viola metajaponica Nakai; Viola philippica Cavanilles subsp. malesica W. Becker

Common Name: (Japanese common name) ko-sumire [tiny viola],  Arrowhead Grass

Habitat :   Eastern Asia: JapanHokkaido [s.w.], Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku; Korea, South; Taiwan

Description:Viola japonica is a Perennial plant.It’s leaves are about 2-8 cm long. Flowers are pale blue purple petals 1-1.5cm, spurs 6-8mm, flowering in March to May.
click & see the pictures

Cultivation:Wet grassy places in lowlands and hills all over Japan.

Propogation :
Seed – best sown in the autumn in a cold frame. Sow stored seed in early spring in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in the summer. Division in the autumn or just after flowering. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions, though we have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following spring.

Edible Uses: Young leaves and flower buds – raw or cooked. A sweetish flavour. When added to soup they thicken it in much the same way as okra. A tea can be made from the leaves.

Medicinal Uses:
Helps reduce inflammation and detoxifies, cools the blood and alleviates pain.  The conditions that can be treated with this plant are boils, ulcers, abscesses, acute conjunctivitis, laryngitis, acute jaundice and hepatitis and various kinds of poisonings such as by Tripterygium wilfordii. This special preparation of the whole plant can be administer to treat lung and chest troubles as an expectorant and specifically for the treatment of chronic catarrhal accumulations.

The leaves are crushed and applied to cuts, swellings, ulcers and wounds.

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://www.naturalmedicinalherbs.net/herbs/v/viola-verecunda.php
http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~flower_world/Violaceae/Viola%20japonica.htm
http://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Viola_japonica
http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?429806#common

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