Day 10: Sweet violet tea

Viola odorata

I know a place where sweet violets grow under a walnut tree. Walnut trees are one of the last trees of the season to produce catkins and then come into leaf. The buds are only ever so slightly opening just now.

This means the sweet violets have got plenty of springtime sunshine over the years and the once small patch has now expanded to cover about 9m3.

I love my annual wild violet tea ritual. I can hardly believe my eyes when the water starts to turn blue, beginning with thin whisps of anthocyanin dye trailing out of each little butterfly wing.

It is mesmerizing.

ID features

These bashful nodding flowers are dark purple/indigo, with white lines to direct insects into the mouth of its spur. They have 6 petals growing in pairs, 2 up, 2 down, and 2 opposite.

They look like little butterflies.

The scent is like Parma violet sweets. Sweet, floral and perfumy.

The leaves are dark green and heart shaped, about 3cm.

I also found some violet-coloured flowers in the meadow which were unscented and known as common dog violet. These had tiny leaves attached to its stem about 0.5cm.

They are related to pansies, both wild and cultivated.

Medicinal uses

Violet is a cooling remedy traditionally used for hot respiratory conditions like tonsillitis. It was made into a blue syrup for children to reduce the severity and duration of sore throat.

It is a salicylic acid containing plant and so offers similar action to aspirin, reducing a temperature and relieving mild pain. It also contains some alkaloids and acts as a mild sedative which aids sleep.

The magical pigments that turn the tea blue are known as anthocyanins which are found in red, blue and black berries. They are powerful antioxidants.

They contain iron as well as other minerals.

How to make a cuppa

The rich essential oil is best enjoyed from fresh flowers. I’m not sure if it’s captured well in its usual form of a syrup, but it certainly was in my tea. I used about 7-10 flowers for my cup. I left them whole because they look like sweet little butterflies.

Apparently, they block our smell receptors temporarily, so you can’t continue to detect their scent. I’m not sure what the point of that is in evolutionary terms.

Taste

They taste floral and sweet, especially if eating the nectar filled spur. I’ve heard them described as a mixture of roses and raspberries. To me they are reminiscent of Parma violets which I loved as a child.

Perhaps there is a little metal aftertaste from the iron content.

 For those Local to me:

My next herb walk is at 6.30pm on Tuesday 15th April. Meet in Peel Park, (on the Community Centre side), in Long Ashton, North Somerset, BS41 9DP. Bring a flask of hot water for a foraged tea. 

There will also be a walk in Ashton Court on Tuesday 22nd April. Meet at the entrance to the rose garden with a flask of hot water. We must be mindful that the gates to the grounds are shut at sunset, (8pm), and so we will finish promptly at 7.40pm.

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£10 cash on arrival, or pre-pay option via: https://www.healthneedsthyme.co.uk/services

 Herbal Medicine Consultations

I am a qualified medical herbalist, trained in much the same way as a GP. However, my medicines are from nature's larder. They nourish and strengthen so that your body can heal itself. I offer consultations via video call and send tonics out in the post. Email me to book an appointment: sarah-janecobley@healthneedsthyme.co.uk