Herb Dyes

Fabric dyes made from the leaves, flowers and roots of herbs are the oldest form of colouring known to man. The Persians and Pharaonic Egyptians, for instance, used herbal dyes produced from saffron and weld to colour cloth for their dazzling ceremonial robes. By the time of Pliny certain plants were given names that referred to their colouring properties. Genista tinctoria, dyer’s greenweed and Isatis tinctoria, woad, for example employ the Latin tingere, meaning to colour.