| Woad is famous as the source of the blue dye that | | | | pigment soluble. Nowadays, chemicals such as |
| has been used to dye wool and other fibres for | | | | spectralite are usually used to remove the oxygen |
| several thousand years in Europe and the Middle East. | | | | from the vat. |
| The pigment is extracted from the dark blue-green, | | | | Woad and the ancient Brits |
| spinach-like woad leaves. | | | | Woad is native to the Mediterranean, originating in |
| The Woad Plant | | | | Turkey and the Middle East, from where it spread into |
| Woad (Isatis tinctoria) is a native of the Mediterranean | | | | Europe and has been in use as a dye plant since the |
| and belongs to the family Cruciferae, more commonly | | | | Neolithic, 5 to 10,000 years ago. |
| known as the brassicas, and is closely related to | | | | Many people have heard that when Julius Caesar's |
| broccoli, cabbage and rape seed. Woad grows readily | | | | army invaded Britain in 55 BC, the Romans saw Picts |
| and is considered a noxious weed in some states of | | | | painted blue with woad. There is a great deal of |
| the USA. | | | | controversy regarding this statement, as it is unlikely |
| Woad is a biennial plant and grows for two years | | | | that the Roman army, which was mainly in the south, |
| before dying down. In the first year, it forms a | | | | ever came across any Picts, who lived in the north of |
| low-growing cluster of leaves like spinach. The leaves | | | | Scotland. Further, woad is difficult to use as body paint |
| are harvested for dye production in the first year only, | | | | and not suitable for tattoos. |
| because they have little or no colour when they reach | | | | Woad as an anti-cancer agent |
| the second year. | | | | It is not only a blue dye that can be extracted from |
| In the second year, the leaves become longer and | | | | woad; the woad plant has also become a weapon in |
| thinner and the woad plant looks quite different. It | | | | the fight against breast cancer. Recent research has |
| produces tall stems up to five or six feet in height with | | | | found that this plant has 20 times more of the |
| sprays of small, neon yellow flowers. The flowers, | | | | anti-cancer chemical glucobrassicin than broccoli. It is |
| which appear in May, have a wonderful fragrance and | | | | difficult to extract the chemical from broccoli, so woad |
| attract plenty of bees. The black seeds that follow are | | | | provides an effective alternative. Woad can produce |
| winged, resembling small tongues and after producing | | | | even more of this chemical if the young leaves are |
| seeds, the plant dies down. | | | | damaged. Do not try to eat woad though as this plant |
| Woad Blues | | | | is not edible. |
| Dyeing with woad is very exciting. Wool or fabric is | | | | Wearing woad |
| dipped into the vat, left for a few minutes, and then | | | | Have your heard the Woad Song? The last stanza |
| removed. At first the wool is pale yellow, but with | | | | goes like this; |
| exposure to air, the colour gradually turns to green and | | | | March on Snowdon with your woad on, |
| then to blue. This change in colour never ceases to | | | | Never mind if you get rained or snowed on |
| fascinate viewers. | | | | Never want a button sewed on. |
| Woad is also very economical; 10 grams of woad | | | | Go it Ancient Britons! |
| pigment, for example, dyes more than 200 grams of | | | | Today there is enough information available on the |
| wool a beautiful medium blue, and at least another 100 | | | | internet to allow you to grow your own woad, extract |
| grams of wool a light blue. | | | | the blue pigment, dye some local wool and knit a blue |
| Traditionally a fermentation vat was used to dye with | | | | scarf to wear when you are next climbing Snowdon |
| woad, often started with stale urine. The fermentation | | | | (or your local mountain peak)! |
| removes the oxygen from the vat making the woad | | | | |