A Match Made In Spring

Dandelion and Violets

Ah, spring.  Trees start to show their newly hatched buds, birds joyously celebrate the end of winter, and we get ready to witness another season of growth for many of our favorite herbs!  Spring is a cleansing time and what better herbs to help us through our transition than some local favorites:  the dandelion and the violet.  Though the real concentration on detoxification lies on the dandelion, the violet adds a colorful spring touch that anyone can appreciate.

Violets & Dandelions at MoonMaid Gardens

As we celebrate spring, the season of abundant life, cleansing, and renewal, it is timely to get to know a little more about our herbal friends popping up around us. 

DANDELION (Taraxacum officinale) 

The humble dandelion can be found in yards, pastures, meadows and on waste ground, just about anywhere in the northern hemisphere.  It is easily identified by its signature yellow rosette with tall, jagged leaves that rise up around it as a protective barrier.  Every leaf and every petal is perfectly designed to catch dew and falling rain and guides each drop to its taproot.  Is it often regarded as an annoyance for manicured lawns, but this Old World weed has many properties essential for everyday health.

A member of the sunflower family, the dandelion's name originates in the Greek name for the genus, Leontodon, and the Latin name Dens leonis.  The North American "dandelion" is a derivative of the French name Dent de Lion.  There is speculation that the name originally was named for the similarties between the jagged leaves of the Dandelion and the jagged teeth of a lion, though it has not proven.  The first mention of the use of this herb dates back to 10th and 11th centuries when it was used by Arabian physicians and is mentioned again in 13th century Welsh writings.   

There are many wonderful uses of the dandelion herb with its benefits as a blood purifier and liver cleanser being the most well known.   It is a diuretic and laxative, aiding in the elimination of urine and bile.  It is widely used as a liver cleanser for detoxification and is a bitter digestive tonic.  The dandelion is unique in the fact that unlike most diuretics, its high potassium content is not excreted through urine.  Potassium stays in the body, replacing that which the body loses.  In addition to potassium, the herb is also high in iron as well as vitamins A, B, C and D.  

Every part of the dandelion is used as a medicinal and culinary herb.  Fresh-cut leaves are delicious brewed as a tea, in a salad, or steamed.  In the spring, roots dug from plants allowed to grow a few years are traditionally used in the Appalachians as a medicinal tea and in stews.  In the fall, roots are said to have the best medicine for making tinctures.  Though slightly bitter, the blossoms are a delicacy in beverages, including wine, and on salads and other culinary delights.

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Dande-ade

from Blackberry Cove Herbal by Linda Ours Rago

1 quart fresh dandelion blossoms

2 quarts boiling water

3 cups sugar

2 cups cold water

2 oranges, sliced

2 lemons, sliced

Cover blossoms with the boiling water and set aside to cool.  Combine sugar with cold water and bring to a boil.  Add the sugar syrup, oranges, and lemons to the dandelions and let mixture stand for several days.  Strain and serve iced.  This can be kept in the refrigerator for a week or so. 

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Try putting a dandelion flower in each section of an ice cube tray, fill with water, freeze and enjoy with Dande-ade as a lovely spring treat!

VIOLET (Viola odorata)

The violet, with its sweet-scented flower and heart-shaped leaves, is always a welcome sight at the end of February and is therefore a springtime favorite.   Temperate regions of the world find them widely distributed as herbaceous smaller plants, while the more tropical regions find them in abundance as shrubs and trees.  The flowers are most known to have a deep purple color, but frequently are seen in variations, such as lilac and white, often growing in the same area. 

The violet's name is a derivative of the Latin name Viola, which is the Latin form of the name Ione.  There is a legend about the violet and the Greek god, Jupiter.  It is said that the voilet was sprung forth from the ground for Io, Jupiter's love, after he turned her into a cow in a jealous rage.  Homer and Virgil were admirers of the violet and mentioned the herb quite frequently in their writings.  The Athenians used the violet as a sedative and as a general heart tonic; the Romans made a wine out of the sweet flowers.  The ancient Britons and Celts used the herb for everything from cosmetics to curing hangovers.  Even Napoleon is reported to have mentioned them in a major turning point in his career.

The main medicinal use for a violet is as a demulcent and expectorant in a syrup for sore throat, chronic coughs, and dryness of the upper respiratory tract.  The flowers possess a slight laxative effect and are rich in vitamin C.  The French use the violet for hangover cures and headaches.  As it is a cooling herb, the fresh leaves of the violet are healing and soothing for cracked or sore nipples.  Another use is as a sedative, helping to relieve stress and anxiety.  The flowers are best used dried, while the leaves and whole plant are better fresh.   

Violets are a delicious treat crystallized or freshly picked and put on salads.  Though very expensive to extract, the scent of the violet can made into a sweet-smelling perfume. 

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Violet Syrup

from Blackberry Cove Herbal by Linda Ours Rago

Take a quart of fresh violet flowers.  Mash them in a mortar with pestle.  Add a quart of water.  Mix well and strain.  Put the strained liquid over low heat and gradually stir in two cups of sugar.  Let is just come to a boil and remove from heat.  Bottle and store in the refrigerator. 

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Resources

Grieve, M. (1971). A Modern Herbal: Volumes I & II. New York: Dover.

Mabey, R. (1988). The New Age Herbalist. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Peterson, M. (1987). Nutritional Herbology. Warsaw: Wendell Whitman.

Rago, L.O. (2000).  Blackberry Cove Herbal. Sterling: Capital.

Tierra, M. (1980). The Way of Herbs. New York: Simon & Schuster.