76. Violarieae.—Violet family.
Botanical name:
Herbs with alternate or radical leaves; corolla of 5 unequal petals, one being spurred; stamens 5, connivent, alternate with the petals; fruit a 3-valved capsule.
359. VIOLA TRICOLOR.—PANSY. HEART'S-EASE. The herb of Viola tricolor Linné. Habitat: Europe, North America, and Northern Asia; cultivated. The drug consists of the herbaceous upper portion of the plant, including green leaves, straw-colored, broken stems, and the variegated flowers. Odor slight, pleasant; taste somewhat bitter. It contains salicylic acid 1 per cent., sugar, mucilage, a bitter principle, resin, and violin (in small quantity). Mucilaginous, emollient; much used in Europe as an alterative in skin diseases, especially eczema. Dose: ½ to 2 dr. (2 to 8 Gm.).
