Aug 4 2022
Indigo: a profound shade of blue sourced from nature’s color palette; A coloring that has sparked intrigue, creativity, and even bloodshed. Native throughout the tropics, Indigofera tinctoria and Indigofera suffruticosa are leguminous plants most notably known for the dye produced from their leaves. In fact, most natural colorants suitable for dyeing are formed in plants or micro-organisms (Räisänen 194). An ancient dyestuff in production since at least 2500 BC, this dye process requires caution and special preparation (Van Stralen 112). Throughout history, urine, which contains a high concentration of bacteria, was used to adhere the plant dye to fibers. In a urea vat, bacteria and ammonia reduce and dissolve indigo and after soaking in the mixture for a designated time, the fibers are aired to dry (Gerber 32). This is when the magic of oxidation takes place, in which the bluest color emerges over a 24-hour time frame (Gerber 32). Washing proceeds this process to remove malodor (Gerber 32). Over time, alternative methods have been created to extract and adhere the blue indigo dye, but synthetic dye has undermined this industry completely. In 1897, a German chemical company marketed a synthetic indigo dye which encouraged the rapid demise of a once thriving, but laborious and exploitative industry (“Biotechnology and Indigo Dye”). Its history directly interlinked with the transatlantic slave trade and even the Indigo Revolt of 1859 in India. Indigo has been known as “The Devil’s Dye” and equally revered as “blue gold” (McKinley 3).
So revered for its dyeing capabilities, its medicinal and alternative methods of use are often overshadowed. Indigo has been used as an antiseptic, contraceptive, and abortifacient. Alternatively, it has been used for hair dye, eye cosmetics, tattooing ornately and medicinally at points of arthritis in joints (McKinley, 2012). Indigo overall has a curious, ancient history to be explored and understood, invoking alchemy and the magic of plant sciences.