Herbs for Dyeing
Dyeing with Herbs
Every mother from anywhere in the world has had to deal with plant stains. We can all attest to the difficulty of removing them from clothing in particular from cotton fabric. Dyeing with herbs has been done by all cultures around the world for centuries. Romans once artificially tanned their faces with the juices obtained from the favorite herb gipsywort. The early Britons were described by Julius Caesar as “blue and terrible” after they had dyed their skin with woad to make their appearance more alarming. This same plant also called dyer’s rocket was used by the Egyptians for its distinctive color to dye imperial garments.
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Selected Plants for a Dye Garden
Part of the creative adventure of dyeing with plants is that the shades obtained can be varied considerably by using different mordants or by the number of times the cloth is immersed in the vat.
- Reds and Pinks – bloodroot, chenpodium, madder, pokeberry, rose hip, sorrel
- Yellowa and Oranges – beetroot, correoopsis, dahlias, golden rod, heather, marigolds, Osage orange, pear leaves, rudbeckia, saffron, turmeric, weld, zinnias
- Black – meadowsweet, walnut
- Blues – blackberries, blueberries, dandelion root, elderberries, indigo, juniper berries, woad, yellow flag
- Greens – braken, dock, lily of the valley, nettles, weld
- Browns – gipsywort, madder, sassafras, sumac, various barks (apple, birch, walnut), willow
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We are so fortunate in modern times, all we need to do is buy the dye we want, instead of all the hard work of our forefathers and foremothers. It’s great to revisit past practices; I am enjoying you’re take on herbs and spices.
You didn’t mention hair dyeing. I used to do this all the time and it is great if you want to have a natural looking red color.
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