Sweet Violet

Viola odorata

Family: Violaceae Part used: Flowers and leaves

Key Compounds

• Mucilage
• Ionone (odoratine)
• Salicylic acid derivatives
• Violanthin
• Rutin
• Quercetin
• Tannins
• Saponins
• Cyclotides (peptides)
• Vitamin C

Traditional Use

• Respiratory demulcent and expectorant — mucilage in flowers and leaves soothes irritated mucous membranes of the throat and upper respiratory tract; saponins contribute mild expectorant activity; traditional application for dry cough, sore throat, and bronchitis; *sirop de violette* (violet flower syrup) was a standard French pharmacy product for respiratory complaints into the 20th century; German Commission E reviewed but did not issue a positive monograph; the EMA has accepted traditional use documentation; the mechanism is primarily the mucilage coating effect
• Topical anti-inflammatory and skin applications — salicylate derivatives provide mild anti-inflammatory activity; tannins provide astringency; leaves applied topically to skin inflammation, bruising, and minor wounds; traditional poultice of fresh leaves on painful conditions; mild but consistent in traditional European folk medicine for skin conditions; the topical application uses the leaf more than the flower
• Mild laxative (leaves) — the leaves have mild cathartic properties; saponin content contributes; traditional European folk use for mild constipation; a secondary application, less prominent than the respiratory use; the root is emetic at any dose and is never used internally
• Culinary and flavouring (flowers) — flowers used to flavour and colour confectionery, syrups, vinegars, and liqueurs; crystallised violets as confectionery; violet flavour in sweets, pastilles, and jelly; the French *parma violet* sweet (a British commercial confectionery produced since 1946) is named for the violet's flavour association with Parma, Italy, where the violet perfume industry was historically based

The smell disappears.

You bend over a violet, smell it, and after a few seconds the scent is gone. Then, a minute later, it returns. This happens every time with violets. It is not a problem with your nose. It is the ionone chemistry of the flower: the fragrance compounds saturate specific olfactory receptors, the receptors temporarily desensitise, and then they recover. The smell disappears and comes back on a biological cycle, over and over.

Pliny the Elder noted this in the first century CE. People have been noting it ever since.

The violet was the flower of Athens. Napoleon Bonaparte’s supporters wore them as a political signal after his exile — his code name was ‘Corporal Violet.’ Josephine grew them at Malmaison. When Napoleon died, a locket was found on his body containing violets from her grave. The violet is one of the most culturally saturated plants in Western history. It also made a reliable cough syrup.

Meet the plant

A low-growing perennial spreading by stolons and seeds, with heart-shaped leaves and solitary spring flowers in violet, purple, or white. The flowers are one of the first of the year — appearing in February in mild climates, March–April in colder ones. The fragrance is unmistakable when the receptors are fresh. The plant forms dense mats in woodland edges and hedgerows. Odorata means ‘fragrant.’

The chemistry of the disappearing scent

The primary fragrance compounds — alpha-ionone and beta-ionone — are also found in:

• Iris root (orris root, Iris germanica) — used as a perfume fixative and the source of the ‘powdery violet’ note in many fragrances
• Raspberries — a trace ionone contribution to their flavour
• Red wine — one of the aromatic families present in aged reds

The same compounds explain why violet appeared so prominently in perfumery: the ionone note is pleasant, unusual, and identifiable. The Parma and Toulouse violet perfume industries produced violet extracts commercially from the 19th century.

For medicine: the mucilaginous polysaccharides in the flowers and leaves are the therapeutically relevant compounds. The ionones contribute to flavour and fragrance but not significantly to the medicinal action.

The cyclotide discovery

In 1999, researchers isolated small cyclic peptides — cyclotides — from Viola odorata for the first time. These are protein fragments that loop back on themselves, stabilised by three disulfide bonds (the ‘cystine knot’ structure). They are unusually stable to heat and enzymatic degradation.

Some violet cyclotides have shown cytotoxic activity against cancer cells, antiviral activity, and antimicrobial properties in laboratory studies. The findings are preclinical — laboratory cells, not clinical trials. They do not translate to therapeutic applications from violet tea.

They do make Viola one of the most pharmacologically surprising common garden plants in the pharmacognosy literature.

The pharmacy tradition

Sirop de violette (violet flower syrup) was commercially produced by French pharmacies for respiratory complaints — coughs, sore throats, and bronchitis. The syrup is sweet, violet-coloured, and mucilaginous. It was appropriate for children, pleasant to taste, and pharmacologically reasonable in mechanism.

The syrup is still available from French confectioners and some pharmacies, though now more commonly marketed as a flavouring product than a medicine. The violet pastille (pastille de violette) is a distinct product — primarily confectionery — though it carries the respiratory-soothing association.

What people actually do with it

Infusion (cough, sore throat): 1–2 teaspoons dried flowers and leaves per cup, steeped 10 minutes. The mucilage is what matters here — the infusion should be slightly viscous. 2–3 cups daily.

Violet syrup (traditional): Flowers simmered briefly with sugar and water, strained. Used as a cough syrup, a beverage flavouring, or a confectionery ingredient. Medieval recipe; French pharmacy form.

Topical poultice: Fresh leaves crushed and applied to minor wounds, bruises, and inflamed skin. The salicylate derivatives and tannins provide mild anti-inflammatory and astringent action.

Culinary: Fresh flowers in spring salads; crystallised flowers as cake decoration; violet vinegar; violet jelly. A food tradition separate from but consistent with the medicinal one.

Could you grow this yourself?

Viola odorata naturalises easily in temperate garden settings. Plant in partial shade in moist, slightly alkaline soil. It spreads by runners and self-seeds — in a favourable spot it will colonise an area without encouragement. Harvest flowers in early spring at peak bloom. The leaves can be used through the growing season. The plant does not require significant attention beyond the initial establishment.

Sweet violet (スミレ) in Japan

The Japanese collective name for Viola is スミレ (sumire) — from su (nest) and miru (to see), said to describe how a small bird might see the plant’s hidden flowers from above. There are over 60 endemic Viola species in Japan. Violets appear frequently in haiku and classical Japanese poetry as spring seasonal words (kigo).

The European V. odorata is cultivated in Japan as an ornamental and is available through the Western herbal supplement market. Its traditional medicinal role in Japan follows the European tradition rather than Japanese kampo. The indigenous Japanese violet species are not significant medicinal plants in the kampo system.

Things you’re probably wondering

Are all violets safe? The flowers and leaves of V. odorata are safe at culinary and standard therapeutic doses. The roots are emetic (cause vomiting) at any dose and should never be consumed internally. This is a consistent historical warning across violet literature. The roots are used occasionally in traditional preparations as an emetic therapeutic measure, but only under supervision and intentionally. Accidental root consumption can cause significant gastrointestinal distress.

Does violet actually smell of violets in perfume? The ‘violet’ note in commercial perfumes typically comes from synthesised ionone compounds (alpha-isomethyl ionone, methyl ionone) or from orris root (iris root, which also contains ionones) rather than from violet extract itself. True violet absolute — extracted from the flowers — is extremely expensive and is used in only the most expensive perfumes. The violet note most people recognise from consumer perfumes is an ionone-based synthetic that approximates the violet flower’s fragrance without the disappearing effect.

Botanical details

The full compound list

See Also

• Heartsease — Viola tricolor, same genus; anti-inflammatory skin applications
• Mallow — overlapping mucilaginous respiratory applications; comparable mechanism
• Red Poppy — another flower-based cough syrup with similar historical pharmacy tradition

References

• Koehbach, J. et al. (2013). Cyclotide discovery in Violaceae. Peptide Science, 100(5), 438–452.
• Grieve, M. (1931). A Modern Herbal. Dover.
• Bruneton, J. (1999). Pharmacognosy, Phytochemistry, Medicinal Plants (2nd ed.). Lavoisier.
• Croteau, R. et al. (2000). Natural products (secondary metabolites). In Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Plants. ASPP.