Herbal Dye Processing

Herbal dye and its properties

Herbal dyes can be defined as dyes derived from medicinal herbs, plants, leaves, roots, barks etc. or from any natural resources such as minerals, algae, fungi etc. without the use of any chemical during the entire extraction process. Herbal dyes, therefore are chemical free, detergent free, non-hazardous, eco-friendly, pollution free, having anti-allergic, anti-septic, and anti-microbial functions. Some of the dominant Characteristics are as follows: Herbal dyes which are obtained from plants, insects and minerals are renewable and sustainable bio resource products with minimum environmental impacts. (Shahid et al, 2013) More than 8000 chemicals are used in conventional chemical dyeing some of which poses serious health hazards. Therefore to prevent the drainage of these chemicals into our soil and water bodies usage of herbal dye is one of the best alternatives available as these are produced using onion peels and pomegranate peels thus reducing methane emissions from landfills where the waste is just dumped. It works on the concept of circular economy I.e one industry’s waste acts as a raw material for other industry. Industrial food and beverage production produces huge amount of coloured plant wastes such as pressed berries and distillation residues, pomace, peels, shell, and other residual by products containing considerable quantities of colouring matter which can be utilised as promising source of natural dyes for textile industries after some careful investigation of supply chain system and optimisation of processing variables (Shahid et al, 2013). Thus, herbal dyes do not only use zero chemicals in their production they try reduce waste from other industries thus reducing pollution and waste generation.

Insect Repellent Properties

According to the study done by Shahid et al, 2013 they found that insect damage on textile products was a very common problem incurring economic losses which was encountered by dyeing textile using natural herbal dyes and eight out of ten dyes are found effective in repelling insect manifestations. The anthraquinone dyes such as cochineal and madder, were found to be very effective in protecting wool fabric against black carpet beetles. Madder resulted in lowest weight and the best effect of insect deterrence against black carpet beetles. Indigo a commonly used shrub in dyeing has a property of repelling insects, mosquitoes, snakes and ticks. (J&O fabric stores, 2009)

Aura Changing Properties

Aura is a subject of environment related to quantum physics. It defines the environmental energy of the product. The above image shows aura photography of herbal dye (image 1) and chemical dye (image 2) which were carried out using multi tonal contrast photography by Aatma health and wellness LLP, Ahmedabad. Green colour depicts love for nature, joy of living whereas red depicts emotions of anger. And as seen above image 2 have red line circling it whereas image 1 has more of green colour. Thus, suggesting that herbal dyes work towards improving the aura of its surrounding. Same is true for the product dyed with herbal dyed articles

UV Resistance properties

There have been various studies reported in a paper by Shahid et al 2013 on recent advancements in natural dyes applications: a review. These studies talk about the UV protection quality of natural dyes. According to the authors, the sun rays blocking properties of a textile are enhanced when a dye, pigment, delustrants, or ultraviolet absorber are present in the textile that absorbs ultraviolet radiations and blocks its transmission through a fabric to the skin; thus dyed fabrics protect more than the ones which are not dyed and their protection levels rise with the increase in dye concentration. Authors suggested a positive correlation between the weights thickness and shade depth of the naturally dyed fabric and their UPF values; however thread count appears to negatively correlate with UPF. They found that UPF value of wool fabric dyed using orange peel extract was six times higher than that of the wool fabric dyed with normal synthetic dyes with similar shade and depth of shade, and even after 30 home laundering cycles, the UPF value of the orange peel dyed wool was found 4 times higher than wool dyed with synthetic dyes. Therefore it can be said that herbal dyes have a high UV protecting value as compared to synthetic dyes.

Medicinal Benefits on Clothings

According to Rangari et al 2012, herbs infused and herb dyed organic fabrics act as a healing agent. Each fabric is infused with special herb which can help treat skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis, rheumatism, arthritis, blood pressure, diabetes and respiratory conditions like asthma. Certain fabrics also contain anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Chengaiah et al 2010, highlighted the medical properties on commonly used herbs for dyeing with are follows turmeric has anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, ant-viral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. Saffron has anticonvulsant, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory and antitumor properties. Pomegranate fruit commonly used for dyeing has anti-carcinogenic, anti-microbial and anti-viral components. Henna another commonly used for dyeing has anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic properties. Herbal dyes not only have dyeing properties but also have wide range of medicinal properties thus making their use extra beneficial.

QR Code

This refers to the traceability report of the produce specifying Manufacturing Dates, Herbs Used, Producing Company or Individual, etc. The idea is to keep the transparency of material to the core level and assuring authenticity and visibility at all stages of production. Information can be scanned through the commonly available app on any smartphone.