Violet Tincture and Syrup

Disclaimer:  The instructions I offer here in this post (and in all my posts about herbs and home remedies) are what I use personally at home. Of course the standard disclaimer goes: I am not a doctor and don’t prescribe medicines or herbs, this is just what  we have done here for generations with great results.  

The violets are blooming and its time to make tincture and syrup. Violets are great for treating upper respiratory ailments and reduce mucous. The leaves can be cooked and eaten. The fragrance of the violets can relieve headaches. Some people make jelly from the petals.

To make the syrup, pick the blossoms, tear off the green sepals and discard, saving the petals. Put the petals in a quart sized mason jar. Cover with boiling water, cover the jar and let sit for a couple of hours.

The largest violet we saw today

Pouring boiling water over violet petals

Strain off the liquid.Measure the liquid into a saucepan and add an equal amount of sugar or honey. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

Bottle up the syrup and cover tightly, store in the refrigerator or in cellar-like conditions ; 52*F and dark.
Use as a mild cough suppressant or to mask the flavor of other unpleasant medicines.

To make a Violet Tincture you’ll need your prepared violet blossoms and some clear alcohol like gin, vodka or everclear.  I use the cheapest vodka I can find.

Making tincture is a bit different procedure than making the syrup. You can use either fresh or dried blossoms, so its possible to pick the flowers, dry them and store them until you want to make the tincture.

Place one half gallon of fresh blossoms (about 8 or 9 ounces by weight) in a 1 quart masons jar, pour 2 cups of alcohol over them and push the petals down into the alcohol. Allow to sit in a dark, cool place for 2 weeks. Strain off the liquid and bottle it up in dark, glass containers.  Use by the drop for cough, mucous and upper respiratory ailments.

Violet Syrup

If you use dried blossoms, use however many you have and pour over enough alcohol to cover them. Proceed as above.

Violets are extremely mild, but if you are using the tincture for children, check with your child’s Dr or herbalist first and consider using Young’s Rule: The child’s age divided by twelve plus the age. So for a 4 year old:
4 divided by 12 plus 4 = 1/4 the adult dose.