Natural Dyes By Earthernwear

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Dear customer Welcome to Earthernwear Blog!!! 

 

For our first post we will be talking about Natural dyes. As we love to play and work with natural fabrics, it was for us a continuity to play as well with natural pygments to dyed our clothing. In this post we will see some of the history and properties of the dyed we use at Earthernwear... 

                                                                                                                                                                     Let start with our litlle favourite, Indigofera tinctoria  :)

 As early as more than 5,000 years ago, our ancestors in India, East Asia and Egypt, as well as probably the Maya, used the blue dye derived from the Indigofera Tinctoria plant to dye their clothes. After cross the age and the world, in 1873, Jacob W. Davis and Levi Strauss patented a pair of work trousers that would go on to conquer the world. The jeans made of durable denim with rivet reinforced pockets quickly become fast favourites among the hardworking men, the well known jeans and their blue indigo colours. Thus, indigo blue, which had once been a luxury reserved for royalty and the aristocracy had finally completed its transition into the distinctive mark of the working classes. Even more than 5,000 years after its discovery, we humans are still enthralled by indigo and wear it almost every day. And observe with fascination how the colour changes continuously, fades, ages and wears away.(1) Indigofera Tinctoria has been used as an antiseptic, anticatarrhal, febrifuge,and stimulant purgative. Blue false indigo is thought of to stimulate the immune system to purge any infections. Some ailments it is used for include ear, nose, and throat infections. Native Americans used the root of indigo for purging purposes as well and was most commonly ingested as a cold tea to stop vomiting. Sometimes people would chew on the root to soothe toothaches (6). A formulation of the stem has been used externally as a wash to treat smallpox and other similar skin ailments.(2)

                                                                                                                                                            Let's keep going with the unknown Ebony dyed, Diospyros Mollis :)

  All parts of Eucalyptus may be used to make dyes that are substantive on protein fibres (such as silk, wool and cotton ), simply by processing the plant part with water. Colours to be achieved range from yellow and orange through green, tan, chocolate and deep rust red. The material remaining after processing can be safely used as mulch or fertilizer. Eucalyptus is one of the most important sources of natural dye, yielding several yellowish-brown colorant. As ingredient, it is used to reduce symptoms of coughs, colds, and congestion. It also features in creams and ointments aimed at relieving muscle and joint pain. The oil that comes from the eucalyptus tree is used as an antiseptic, a perfume, as an ingredient in cosmetics, as a flavoring, in dental preparations, and in industrial solvents. Chinese, Indian Ayurvedic, Greek, and other European styles of medicine have incorporated it into the treatment of a range of conditions for thousands of years. 

                                                                                                                                                               Can be surprising but the next dyed we will see is Turmeric: Curcuma longa

  Turmeric has been used in Asia for thousands of years and is a major part of Ayurveda, Siddha medicine, traditionnal Chinese medicine and Unani. It was first used as a dye, and then later for its supposed properties in folk medicine.