Viola Odorata appears in 10 of the 13 classic books on Similia. Each was written to do a different job — here is what each adds on this remedy, with the opening of its entry.
- Allen TF — The raw proving record — symptoms as the provers reported them, unedited.
“Viola odorata, Linn. Natural order , Violaceæ. Common name , Violet. Preparation , Tincture of plant in flower. Authority. (Gross, Archiv. für Hom., 8, Part 2, p. 182.) Morbid fantasies; fantasies come to him, he makes an effort to grasp them, but before he can do so they disappear (after eight hours), 3. Sadness…”
- Boericke — The quick clinical read — keynotes, modalities and the conditions it is actually prescribed in.
“Violet Has a specific action on the ear. Affects especially dark-haired patients; supra-orbital and orbital regions; rheumatism in upper parts of the body when on the right side. Worm affections in children ( Teuc ). Locally, for pain due to uterine fibroids. Also against snake-bites, bee-stings. Tension extends to…”
- Boger (GA) — Which general headings this remedy belongs under — the analytical scaffolding.
“TENSION, tightness (Comp. Bursting.)”
- Clarke — The widest entry — sources, provings, clinical uses, relationships and antidotes in one place.
“Sweet-scented Violet. N. O. Violaceæ (an order most members of which contain Emetin, and under which Ipec . is sometimes placed: allied to Cinchonaceæ). Tincture of fresh plant in flower. Cancer / Choroiditis Cough, spasmodic / by day / Hoarseness / Hysteria / Neuralgia, supra-orbital / Otorrhœa; suppressed /…”
- Hering — Graded symptoms, each weighted by how often provers and practice confirmed it.
“Sweet-scented Violet. Violaceæ. The tincture is prepared from the fresh plant in flower. Introduced by Wm. Gross. Provings by Gross, Hahnemann and Stapf, Archiv für Hom., vol. 8, p. 182. CLINICAL AUTHORITIES. Rheumatism , Kitchen, Phila. Jour. Hom., vol. 1, p. 49 ; B. J. H., vol. 24, p. 314 ; Hysteria , P. Pop. Hom…”
- Lippe (KN) — Only the symptoms Lippe considered reliable enough to prescribe on.
“Flying, burning pains, now here and then there, as if it was contracting and burning, as from a small flame. Trembling of the limbs. Relexation of all the muscles. Great excitability and nervous debility. Hysterical and hypochondriacal complaints. Frequent shedding of tears. Great weakness of the memory. Predominance…”
- Lippe (MM) — The strict Hahnemannian reading — the symptom picture without clinical interpretation.
“The intellect predominates over the mind (emotions). Increased activity of the intellect. Hysteric mood with constant weeping. Weakness of memory. Excessive flow of ideas. Vertigo while sitting. Congestion of blood to the head, with pricking in the forehead. The head feels heavy and sinks forward. Tension in the…”
- Lippe (Red) — Keynotes with the most-trusted ones marked as red-line symptoms.
“Common name: violet. Flying, burning pains, now here and then there, as if it was contracting and burning, as from a small flame. Relaxation of all the muscles (Gels.). Trembling of the limbs (Agar., Bel., Gels., Kali-Br., Tarant.). Great excitability and nervous debility (Coff., Nux-V., Tarant.). HYSTERICAL AND…”
- Nash — The comparisons — the remedy set beside the ones it is most often confused with.
“Eczema capitis, cracks, exudes and wets the hair; strong urine like cat’s urine.”