Witnessed by: Unani
Banafsha violet (Viola pilosa), of the Violaceae family. Small stemless perennial herb of shaded ground, with a rosette of hairy heart-shaped leaves and solitary nodding flowers on slender stalks; native range: the temperate Himalaya from Kashmir eastward, in shaded moist ground and forest floor at 1500–2500 m. Globally recognized as banafsaj in Arabic, banafsha in Persian, gul-e-banafsha in Urdu, banafsha in Hindi, and Himalayan violet, hairy violet in English. The part used is flower (gul), whole herb. Small shrivelled violet-blue flowers on fine stalks, faintly sweet-scented when fresh; the taste bland and slightly slimy, the steeped flowers giving a mucilaginous, blue-tinged infusion.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
BANAFSHA VIOLET
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- banafsha violet
- Scientific name
- Viola pilosa Blume
- Family
- Violaceae
Form
- Part used
- flower (gul), whole herb
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Unani
- bland (faintly sweetish, mucilaginous)
Temperature
- Unani
- cold (1st degree)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Unani
- lungs · brain · intestines
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Unani
- munzij and mukhrij-e-balgham (ripens and expels phlegm), mulayyin (gentle laxative), musakkin (sedative and soothing), daf-e-humma (antipyretic), murattib (moistening)
Cautions
- Contraindications
- cold and phlegmatic constitutions and cold coughs, where a cold, moist drug is unsuited
- Toxicity
- low in the doses used; large amounts of the root are emetic
This is the card. Sign in for the full four-tradition entry — the aligned TCM · Ayurveda · Western · Unani reading, actions, dosing and cautions.