These are quietly confident and beautiful plants, full of inner strength and assurance and immensely talented. They bring splendour to any gathering.
Wild pansies pop up in mythology in most cultures, and in Ireland they were considered a symbol of beauty. Shakespeare refers to them more than once by the common name ‘love-in-idleness’, and in the play Hamlet, as the character Ophelia descends into madness, she hands out imaginary flowers, each with their own symbolism: ‘And there is pansies, that’s for thoughts’.
In Ireland, the plant today is also known as ‘heartease’, and the most common preparation for heart trouble was to boil the aerial part of the plant in milk and drink it – although it is thought in times past that the name heartease was also used for the plant self heal, so there is some confusion over the lineage of the use of wild pansy.
Wild Pansy
Viola tricolor | Lus croí
Planting or Foraging
Wild pansy has good distribution in the wild and is common enough. It is very easy to grow from seed. It is so pretty and vibrant that it stands on its own two feet from a visual and aesthetic point of view too.
Uses
In modern herbalism, the wild pansy is used as an expectorant, diuretic and anti- inflammatory. It is prescribed for use both internally and externally for eczema, psoriasis and acne, and has topical uses on babies with cradle cap.
The plant is wholly edible and makes a vibrant garnish to a salad or decoration for cakes and buns.