Violets, an attractive flower, edible flower and usefful medicinal herb

The violet, (Viola odorata from France or Viola canadensis from the Great Lakes watershed), is a low growing perennial with heart shaped leaves rising from creeping underground rhizomes. the common names of the violet are sweet violet, heart's ease and violet.

Violets live in moist shady grasslands on the edge of forests in the Great Lakes area.

Violets symbolized Venus and was regarded as... the flowers of love, and were placed on the hats of brides in ancient Greece. Napoleon, Emperor of France made the violet the symbol of his Empire.

Most people today think of the violet as a springtime flower but the violet is also valuable as a edible flower with attractive white, pale blue or light purple flowers, and is also a valuable medicinal herb.

Violets flowers can be candied and were used in colonial days for garnishes and in salads, put in fruit custards, and as fritters, on sauces and the flower petals are still used candied on cakes and on icing for decoration.

To make a violet syrup, take 1 cup of violet flowers, 2 cups of water, 2 cups of honey and 1 ounce of gin. Bring the water to a boil. Add the violet petals and combine them. Let the flowers infuse the water overnight in a non metallic container. strain and add the honey to the water. simmer for 10 minutes at a low heat. Let the fluid cool and pour it into glass bottles or jars. Add the gin to preserve the mixture. the violet syrup can be kept in a cool place for up to 3 months. This is excellent on cakes and as a topping on sherberts. The syrup is soothing on throats and in the intestines.

Used for the medicinal benefits violets were made into a tincture and into a syrup. Tincture of violet flower is used to treat coughs, and the syrup was used as a laxative. The seeds of violet, gathered in the fall, were used as a purgative and as a diuretic, by chewing. A cold infusion made from the fresh leaves of the violet was used to treat sore throats.

The brushed, washed and dried roots can be used in a concentrated decoction (1t in about 1/3 cup water will provoke vomiting in the case of food or alkaloid poisoning.

To preserve the flower petals of the violets, dry the flower petals and pack the petals in a airtight place indoors.

Chicory wild Medicinal Herb

Chicory, also called wild succory has the Latin name Cichorium intybus, and is a common roadside weed in the Great Lakes Area. 

Chicory grows on untilled lands all through the norther hemisphere, on sandy and limey soils, particularly along roads and paths where stones have been dumped.

Chicory is a attractive perennial herb with a thick brownish taproot.   The flowers are a attractive sky blue and appear on the tall stalks rising up to about 4-5 feet and blooming in mid summer. 

Chicory leaves can be used starting in the spring for early salads, and the root of chicory can be dug and in the shortages of WWII was roasted and ground and used as a coffee substitute.

Chicory leaves are prety tasty in salads and are grown as salad greens in Europe while the fresh root can be dried and roasted to treat diabetes.   The salad leaves from the chicory used in a decoction can be used to help clean the blood and gallbladder.

A decoction or tincture of chicory root can also be used as a drink to treat water retention.

Chicory has vitamins, A, C, P, and K as well as the minerals calcium, copper, iron, manganese, potassium and phosphorus and chlorophyll and assorted phytofactors as well.

Chicory has been used as a appetizer, for digestive ailments, as a diuretic, for hypoglecemia, as a vermifuge and as a remineralizing tonic.

A good springtime salad can be made of 15 chicory leaves, 5 endives, 10 black olives and garlic, olive oil and a lemon juice vinagrette.   Wash the salad, chop the leaves finely, and sprinkle with the vinaigrette.  Toss and garnish with the pitted olives.  Serve the salad at the beginning of each meal for several days in a row to cleanse the gallbladder, soften the intestine and deacidify the blood.