Violet Tricolor, Or Pansy.

Violet tricolor, or Pansy

An annual or biennial plant of the violet family, up to 15 cm high. The root is taproot, thin, weakly branched. The stem is hollow, erect, covered with short hairs.

The leaves are alternate, simple, hairy: the lower ones are heart-shaped-ovate, the upper ones are oblong-elliptic. Blooms from April to late autumn. The flowers are solitary, violet-blue with different shades, located on long peduncles.

The fruit is an oblong-ovoid capsule. The seeds are small, obovate, smooth. Ripen in June.

Tricolor violet is common in the European part of Russia, Western and Eastern Siberia and Central Asia. It grows in dry meadows, forest edges, clearings, in gardens, vegetable gardens and as a weed in arable lands.

The medicinal raw material is herbs. It is harvested in May - July during flowering. The cut grass is loosely placed in baskets or bags. Dry in the shade, spreading in a thin layer and stirring frequently. Store in wooden or glass containers for 2 years.

The herb contains polysaccharides, essential oil, saponins, up to 300 mg% vitamin C, phenol carbonic acids, coumarins, tannins, carotenoids and anthocyanins.

Violet preparations have an expectorant, diuretic, diaphoretic, laxative, antimicrobial, enveloping, sedative and emetic (in large doses) effects.

The infusion has a detrimental effect on protozoa and is a good remedy for acute respiratory diseases, inflammation of the trachea, bronchi, lungs and urinary tract, as well as for urolithiasis. The high content of vitamin C and carotenoids allows violet to be used for atherosclerosis, heart attacks, joint inflammation and rickets in children.

The presence of mucus-like substances and essential oil in the plant has an anti-inflammatory effect, which is used to eliminate inflammatory processes in the gastrointestinal tract and for dysentery.

In dental practice, violet is used to treat inflammatory processes in the oral cavity, periodontal disease and toothache.

To prepare the infusion, pour 1 tablespoon of raw material into 1 glass of hot water, boil in a water bath for 15 minutes, cool at room temperature for 45 minutes, filter and squeeze. Take 1/3 cup 3-4 times a day after meals.

With long-term use or high doses, nausea and vomiting may occur.

Externally, in the form of compresses and lotions, violet infusion is combined with oral administration for various skin diseases - eczema, psoriasis, allergic dermatitis, exudative diathesis, etc.

To treat diathesis in children, people use Averin tea, which contains crushed herbs of violet, string and bittersweet nightshade in a ratio of 4:4:1.

To prepare it, pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture with 1 glass of boiling water and leave until cool. Prescribe 1 tablespoon 3 times a day after meals.

In folk medicine, in addition to tricolor violet, the herb field violet is used.