CELTIC BLUE

THOUGH ANCIENT BRITONS DYED THEIR BODIES AND CLOTHES WITH WOAD, ITS USE IN BRAVEHEART WAS PURE HOLLYWOOD

Words Jennifer Stackhouse

Woad is an ancient plant originally grown for its use in dyeing fabric, particularly wool. Because of this it is often called dyer’s woad. Although the plant has lush green leaves and bright yellow flowers, it produces a deep blue dye. Woad also has a long tradition as a medicinal plant and has been used to treat urinary tract infections. The plant is native to parts of Europe and Asia and its use as a dye can be traced back thousands of years. Early inhabitants of England, the Picts, used woad as a skin dye and archaeological records reveal the Celts were dyeing cloth with it as far back as the Iron Age. Its use as a fabric dye persisted until the late 16th and 17th centuries when it began to be supplanted by…

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Good Organic Gardening (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue #14.5

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