New Moon in Pisces — Focus on Wild Violet (Viola odorata)
An herbalist monograph on Violet (viola odorata) for the Pisces lunation.
Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.
This old quote always comes to my mind when working with Wild Violet. Although I am ambivalent about the concept of “forgiveness” as a healing modality (a topic for another day), the quote reminds me to step back and think more broadly about how Violet has long been associated with gentle concepts. Violet is a small flower…
…but her beauty and charm melt the hearts of all who see her. She generates a kind of “awwwww” response. You don’t think “let’s fight” when you see Violet. One of her other names is “Hearts Ease,” and that is exactly right. Seeing her and smelling her, your heart just feels more at ease. This is a kind plant.
Violet’s spirit is calming, peaceful, relaxing, disarming, forgiving. These are also words associated with the astrological sign of Pisces, so I picked Violet for this month’s lunation monograph. In preparation for writing this monograph, I have been drinking a quart of Violet tea every day for over a week.
Materia Medica Details for Violet
Latin Name:
Viola odorata
Energetics:
Cooling, moistening, relaxing
Properties:
nutritive, demulcent, blood tonic, immune tonic, antispasmotic, laxative (mild), expectorant, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antitussive, diaphoretic, sudorific, diuretic, emollient, nervine, sedative (mild)
Planetary rulers:
Venus (Culpepper)—I’m guessing he picked Venus because of Violet’s cooling/moistening nature, and because of her particular affinity for women’s health. (Ancient authors did not always give their resoning.)
Jupiter (Lilly)— I’m guessing because of the purple color and her ability to moisten the lungs.
Note, both of these planets are associated with Pisces—Venus by exaltation and Jupiter by rulership. Interestingly, Violet’s unique flowers first appear as late winter melts into early spring… which is Pisces season!
Constituents:
calcium, magnesium, postassium, silicon, kaempferol, quercetin, salicylates, odoratine, violine, ionone, saponins, mucilage, Vitamin C, vitamin A, rutin, alkaloids, flavonoids, methyl salicate
Parts used:
aerial parts (leaves, stems, flowers)
Taste:
mild “grasslike,” with a slight hint of sourness. (But not astringent. Sour like yogurt, not sour like lemon… I’m not very good at describing taste.) The mucilage coats your tongue but doesn’t seem to add extra taste, the way marshmallow does. (By contrast, I find marshmallow to have a salty aftertaste.) Violet’s flavor is non-assertive. In a blend, it would easily disappear, so if you don’t like the flavor, you can cover it with something you do like.
Ailments traditionally supported:
upper respiratory dryness, scrofula (swollen lymph nodes), pleurisy, sore throat, chronic cough, tumors, cancerous neoplasms, impetigo, scabies, blood purifier, anxiety, heart palpitations, angina, stagnant lymph, fibroids, chest colds, head colds, fibrocystic breasts, cysts, pain, eye inflammations, headache, melancholy, discouragement, sinus infection, insomnia, insect stings/bites, eczema, dry skin, dry eyes/nose/mouth
Preparation methods:
Food! Eat the leaves and flowers in salads, or add to dishes anywhere you’d use spinach or other greens. Violet is highly nutritious.
long infusion in water (over 4 hours) will extract the full mineral content. If working with Violet as a nutritive (to increase your vitamin and mineral intake), the long infusion is best.
water infusion (tea) is excellent as an eye wash for dry eyes, or nasal rinse for dry mucous membranes. Violet tea is also great for a sore throat.
add to tea blends to increase moisture, especially if other herbs in the blend are drying. In addition to moisture, Violet also adds an emotionally-uplifting and anxiety-soothing quality to any blend.
Oil extraction (and/or salves or lotions made from it) can be applied to swollen lymph, cysts, tumors, or other “hardnesses” in the body, for Violet to work her gentle, softening magic. Herbalist jim macdonald recommends Violet oil on fibrocystic breasts or clogged milk ducts. Violet does have an affinity for the breasts and the chest area generally.
Tincture in alcohol (40%) will not extract the minerals, but will extract the other constituents. I feel that tincture would be best for situations when you are working with Violet for her emotional support. Hildegaard von Bingen recommended Violet cooked in wine for “anyone oppressed by melancholy with a discontented mind, which then harms his lungs.” (Physica, trans. by Priscilla Throop, p. 54). This speaks to Violet’s powers to comfort the emotional mind, along with her affinity to target the chest area of the body.
Vinegar extraction will extract the minerals, and would be helpful in situations where the patient may not prefer working with alcohol. Vinegar extraction would also be a lovely base for a salad dressing, to keep violet in your life as a daily food!
Honey or sugar extractions (syrups) are excellent for coughs and sore throats, and to deliver Violet’s anti-inflammatory helpfulness to children (as well as the young at heart!) Most books I’ve read on this say to use the flowers to make syrup. I’m not sure, but it seems likely that the leaves would also lend their potency into the syrup as well as the flowers. I’m going to try both, once the snow melts and my wild Violets start blooming, to see if I can notice a difference.
OK, I have to mention one of the funnier preparations I’ve come across. Nicholas Culpepper recommended frying violet leaves with egg yolks and applying them to hemorrhoids. Do with that information what you will! LOL
Sorry, I just had to. It reminded me of Gudetama.
My Thoughts After Drinking a Quart of Violet Tea Per Day for a Week
Physical Shifts
I mentioned in my last post that I have recently undergone a seriously stressful relationship situation that caused panic attacks and other downstream symptoms of high stress. While I have mostly resolved those symptoms, and my body is back into a healthier rhythm, one symptom that remained was a dull pain in my heart area. It was like a sense of feeling vulnerable and raw, and my body held onto residual sadness of the situation, that lingered and caused physical pain. (I believe this symptom would be called mild “angina,” medically speaking.)
When I started my “quart a day” challenge, I wasn’t sure what to expect. My body has a lot of symptoms going on at any one time, as I have several complex health conditions. Would anything change? I knew the herb was gentle, and I wasn’t sure if she would be "strong enough” to deal with any of my stubborn symptoms. And honestly, I didn’t notice anything in my body the first few days. Then at about day 4, my heart pain lifted. It was quite noticeable. I’m glad I stuck with Violet!
Emotional Shifts
I also noticed a subtle but strong ability to be more present and compassionate with my children, to enter their worlds and reach them where they are. As a parent, it is easy to stay at one’s own level and to prod and push the children to become more mature, instead of letting kids be kids. And as someone with a very strong Saturn in my chart, I can become rigid and inflexible in my approach sometimes. “I’m right, everyone else is wrong, and you will do what I say.” (I try to be very mindful of this tendency in myself and not let it take over too much!) I found myself asking my kids about their video games more often (I detest video games, but my kids like them.) I found myself judging others less and connecting more often to my compassionate core.
Spiritual Shifts
Spiritually, I found myself musing on the power of gentleness and surrender. As humans we are vulnerable to all kinds of hostile forces outside of our control. There are lots of mean people out there, trying to take advantage of us in every way possible. There are evil systems that exploit us, crush us, and have no regard for our suffering. In most cases, there’s not much we can do about it, which is incredibly frustrating. It can make even the most cheerful among us become bitter and jaded.
Sometimes we fight…
When we can.
When it’s possible.
When there is enough opportunity, enough knowledge of how to do it, and enough energy to follow through.
But sometimes we just can’t fight, for any number of reasons. Sometimes we have to let go. Sometimes we are the small, weak Violet at the side of the road, powerless to prevent others from crushing us.
But Violet can show us that there is, ironically, a deep magical power in weakness. We can make the courageous choice to be gentle with others, even when we are angry. We can refuse to let the world harden our hearts. By dissolving into weakness, we unite with the weakness of all other beings, and thus transcend our own weakness. Weakness connects us with the receptiveness of Earth and the flexibility of Water. We become subsumed into the patient power of Mother Earth, and her longsuffering knowledge that ultimately she will prevail over the forces that try to dominate her. With time, persistence, continual growth, continual adaptation… Mother Earth will win in the end.
Many spiritual traditions have recognized and attempted to express this paradoxical truth of strength through weakness. A few examples:
In Tarot, we have the Hanged Man. The figure who has absolutely no power, since he has been hung upside-down by one leg. But this card indicates that a dramatic spiritual victory is on the way, due to wisdom gained through a new perspective.
The Tao Te Ching says in Chapter 22:
Surrender brings perfection.
The crooked become straight
The empty become full
The worn become new
Have little and gain much
Have much and be confused
Christian theology expresses this idea by the sacrifice of the cross leading to spiritual strength. The Christ figure brought himself into the position of ultimate weakness, even death by crucifixion, to birth a powerful spiritual reality.
For Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Apostle Paul (2 Cor. 12).
Buddhism also teaches that surrendering to weakness brings about spiritual power. There are many excellent spiritual teachings in Buddhism about surrender, but one profound quote sticks out to me, attributed to the teachings of Buddha:
It is difficult for the strong and rich to observe the Way.
Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha)
In other words, enlightenment cannot be attained without entering into humility and weakness.
I believe Violet is an excellent herb to befriend, when you feel like your weakness is a hindrance instead of a strength. Just as she helps dissolve hardnesses in the body, she can also help dissolve hardnesses in the spirit. When you need some Pisces power in your life, Violet can help you build the strength that comes from gentleness, peace, and compassion. She can help you stay soft-hearted when the world makes you jaded. She can help you transform “giving up” into “letting go,” so you can find peace.
Working with Violet on this New Moon
The New Moon is a great time to begin a new herbal extraction, such as a tincture, oil, or syrup. Because Violet is such a Piscean herb, I believe it is appropriate to begin some mindful Violet extractions on this New Moon in Pisces.
I am starting an infused oil, (which I will later make into a salve when it’s finished). I’m also starting a tincture.
How to make Violet salve
This salve is gentle enough to use as daily chapstick, but it also can be worked with to soften fibrocystic breast pain, clogged milk ducts, or other cysts or tumors. Violet stimulates lymphatic movement. Combining this salve with a massage of the area also helps support fluid movement. I imagine this would be helpful for edema as well, (as part of a broader protocol.)
1 cup dried Violet leaf and/or flower
2 cups oil (I am using extra virgin olive oil this time. Our herbalist ancestors often used animal fats, but you can use whatever oil you wish.)
1-2 cups beeswax (I prefer the flakes or pearls, as they are easier to work with)
Preheat oven to the lowest possible temperature setting (for most ovens this will be around 170ºF.) Pour the herb into an oven-safe dish, then pour the oil over it. Place into the oven. Let it sit about an hour, then turn the heat off, but leave the dish inside. A few hours later, turn the oven back on to a low heat and let it sit about an hour and turn the heat off again. Repeat this cycle throughout the day for 2-3 days, stirring the oil occasionally. Smell and taste the oil to ensure strong extraction of the constituents.
Strain the oil through a cheesecloth into the top part of a small double boiler pan, squeezing tightly to get as much oil out as possible.
Add water to the bottom part of the double boiler and turn on the heat. Gradually add some beeswax to the oil, stirring and letting it melt completely before adding more. After about 1/2 cup of beeswax, place a tablespoon of the mixture into the fridge for a minute or so to cool it off. Is it the right consistency? If it’s too thin, add more beeswax. When it’s the right consistency, turn off the heat, and pour the mixture into small tins, jars, or chapstick tubes.
Be sure to label the containers with the contents and the date. The salve should remain shelf stable for up to two years.