Herbs & Properties

Coloring matter obtained from natural sources such as plants, excreta of insects and mineral slays are classified as Natural Dyes. These dyes have been in use since antiquity.

Indigo

Is  the first Natural Dye produced from fermented leaves of Indigofera tinctoria plant with reasonable purity.
 The leaves are fermented in fermentation pits. The dye is precipitated by oxidation or by passing the air. The precipitated dye settles down at the bottom. The cake is dried in the air and sun this is a blue natural dye obtained from the leaves of Indigofera tinctoria plant.
The dye converted into leuco from with caustic soda and sodium liquor hydrosulphite in soft water. The dyeing is carried out in the reduced and exposed to air. By oxidation the dye slowly changes into blur on the fabric.
Indigo’s ability to produce an extensive range of beautiful blue shades has made it the most successful dye plant ever known. The commercially available indigo powder is made from the leaves of Indigofera tinctoria, which requires hot, sunny, and humid growing conditions to flourish. The dyed material has good fastness to light and wash ,and Rubbing fastness is reasonably good

GULL NUTS

Red Sandalwood

(Pterocarpus santalinus) is the deciduous tree that yields a red dye.
This yields red, maroon, and brown colour with mordants like aluminium sulphate, ferrous sulphate,
It is suitable for direct application on cotton, wool and silk.
The dye is also used for colouring pharmaceutical preparations and food stuffs and is suitable for colouring paper pulp. The wood is considered astringent, tonic, and diaphoretic.

Cutch

This is a natural dye with reasonable good fastness to light, wash and rubbing.  The dyestuff known as cutch or catechu is an extract usually made from the heartwood of Acacia catechu, a small thorny tree. It yields an orange-brown dye that is rich in tannin, and was used in Indian Calico printing before its introduction to the West. Dye is used as an edible paste and is soluble in soft water and can be applied directly on to various textile yarns and fabrics.Fixation of dye is carried out by treatment with metal salts such as a Copper Sulphate, Aluminum Sulphate or Ferrous Sulphate.The dyed material has good fastness to light, washing and rubbing Myrobalan

Myrobolan

This is a natural yellow and grey dye with good light and wash fastness. The dye is obtained from Myrobolan dried fruits. The fruit is crushed and the nut is removed.The dye is dissolved in soft water and applied on treated fabric or yarns. The treatment may be carried out with metal salts such as Aluminum sulphate or Ferrous sulphate to get yellow or grey shades.Myrobolan is used in Ayurvedic preparations and has therapeutically value. It has been prescribed as laxative.

Annatto

Annatto color is mainly used as food color. It’s chief application is in coloration of butter and cheese. However, it also finds limited applications in other fields like confectionaries and spices.It will give very nice orange on textiles.

Pomegranate

The succulent pomegranate fruit yields an ocher-yellow dye and the skin is rich in tannin, which improves colorfastness. The pomegranate dye lacks brilliance so it is often mixed with turmeric root to make the color brighter. it is used as a mordant and a dye.

Turmeric

Turmeric belongs to the same family as ginger, Sometimes known as "Indian saffron", It is the source of the familiar yellow colour of many Asian curry dishes. Both the culinary spice and the dye are obtained from its root. Turmeric was and is still used for textile painting and printing in India.
Cures  (skin diseases), (obstinate urinary disorders including diabetes), (vitiation of blood), (edema), (anemia) and (ulcer).

Madder

Madder's leafy tops sprawl untidily over the ground and their clusters of tiny yellow flowers look insignificant. Yet to the dyer, madder is a miracle of nature because its roots contain alizarin, one of the most valuable red dye pigments ever known therapeutic usage. Cures (poisoning)), (pain in the eyes),  (diarrhea associated with bleeding), (obstinate skin diseases including leprosy), vitiation of blood, (erysipelas, (ulcer) and (obstinate urinary diseases including diabetes).

Logwood   

Logwood was used for a long time as a natural source of dye, and still remains an importance source of haematoxylin which is used in histology for staining. The bark and leaves  are also used in various medical applications. In its time, Logwood was considered a versatile dye, and was widely used on textile but also for paper. The dye's colour depends on the mordant used as well as the pH. It is reddish in acidic environments but bluish in alkaline ones.

Lac Dye

Lac mud is the byproduct of Shellac industry. The dye is extracted in alkaline medium from the mud cakes.
. The purplish black dye powder gives tones of purple on cotton, wool and silk with the help of metallic salts
Aluminum Sulphate, Stannous chloride, Copper sulphate and Ferrous sulphate are the mordents used in dyeing.
The dyed material has good fastness to light and wash Rubbing fastness is reasonably good.
Shade : Purple
Light Fastness : 2 Dry Rub Fastness : 4
Wash Fastness : 4/5 Wet Rub Fastness : 3
Cochineal
Carmine also called Crimson Lake, Cochineal, Natural Red 4, , is a pigment of a bright red color obtained from the carminic acid produced by some scale insects, such as the cochineal and is used as a general term for a particularly deep red color. Carmine is used in the manufacture of artificial flowers, paints, rouge, yogurt, cosmetics, food additives, and crimson ink.
Cochineal makes beautiful red colors on wool and silk and all natural fibers.