The last blog was about Ayurvastra, an ancient art of making clothes. We all have a special love for colourful clothes. Colours bring out the essence of life in a fabric. Now let’s discuss how those colours are naturally made.
Colours from colourful nature.
Colours play a key role in bringing out the beauty, be it nature or clothes. Nature – it is the source and inspiration for all that is bright and beautiful. Nature itself is a treasure trove for vibrant shades of colour. It in itself is a source of the making of the colourful shades of dye that are non-chemical and non-toxic in nature.
Some of the herbs and plants that gives the bright colours are listed below. Different herbs give different shades of a particular colour. Herbs are all commonly available ones.
- Energy and warmth of Red –
- Red is the colour that brings forth energy, warmth and comfort. It can be made from Rubia cordifolia (Indian Madder), Pterocarpus Santalinum (Red Sandalwood), Prunus Cesanoids (Wild Cherry), and Ventilago Madraspatana (Red Creeper).
- Soothing Green –
- It is made from the Terminalia Chebula (Myrobalan), Phyllanthus Embellica (Indian Gooseberry), Curcuma Aromatica (Wild Turmeric) among others. The colour has a calming effect.
- Stimulating Blue –
- It is known for giving out a cooling effect. The key herbs used to make blue dyes are Indigofera tinctoria (True Indigo) and Hibiscus Flowers (Rosemallows).
- The Timeless Grey –
- The balanced colour is known to be timeless. It is a mixture of black and white, the two extremes. Vetiveria Zizanioides (Vitiver), Terminalia Arjuna (Arjun tree), Vitex Negundo (Chinese Chaste tree), are the key components in making the grey dye.
The herbs and plants used in the making of dyes are known for its medicinal qualities. It is believed that the medicinal qualities of these herbs are imbibed into the fabric giving the clothes a healing effect. Some do say that the Ayurvastra is helpful in preventing some health issues like blood pressure, diabetes and Psoriasis. Research is going on to prove the effectiveness of Ayurvastra in healing. Ayurvastra is a forgotten art from the past revived to save nature from the clutches of chemicals and us from the threats of health issues.
