dyeing with woad

The process of dyeing with woad is similar to dyeing with the indigo plant. The pigment contained in the leaves is not soluble in water, so to be dissolved, it must undergo a chemical change - reduction. First removed from the dye pot, it combines with oxygen in the air and reverts to the insoluble blue.

Is woad a hallucinogen?

"The blue part of the Woad is not any sort of hallucinogen, despite lore to the contrary. The raw sap crushed from fresh Woad leaves sometimes causes surface skin numbness, slight dizziness, and in certain bloodlines, a vague impression of less danger or more confidence.

What Colour dye does the woad plant yield?

WOAD (Isatis tinctoria)

It is closely related to broccoli and cabbage. Both indigo and woad provide us with a beautiful blue dye. The chemical which gives the blue dye is called indigotin.

Is woad the same as Indigo?

Woad was, and still is, the native European source of indigo blue dye. ... This is confusing as the blue colouring matter in woad is the same as the blue colouring matter in “indigo”, but the dye is much less concentrated in woad leaves, which is why “indigo” eventually largely replaced woad in Europe.

What Colour is the dye made from woad?

Isatis tinctoria, also called woad (/ˈwoʊd/), dyer's woad, or glastum, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is occasionally known as Asp of Jerusalem. Woad is also the name of a blue dye produced from the leaves of the plant.

Did Vikings use woad?

“All the Britons dye their bodies with woad, which produces a blue colour, and this gives them a more terrifying appearance in battle.” Vikings may have learned of and adopted this tactic during the period of their invasion and subsequent immersion in Britain, though I haven't seen evidence of this.

Why did Celts paint themselves blue?

So, where did the idea about the Picts painting themselves blue originate from? Julius Caesar once noted that the Celts got blue pigment from the woad plant and that they used it to decorate their bodies. ... It has also been theorized that the real use of woad was perhaps intended to heal the scars after the battle.

How do you dye wool with woad?

Dyeing Techniques

The fermentation removes the oxygen from the vat making the woad soluble. Wool or fabric is dipped into the vat, left for a few minutes, and then removed. At first the wool is pale yellow, but with exposure to air, the colour gradually turns to green and then to blue.

How do you grow woad?

Sow seeds thinly space in March in seed trays. Cover lightly with soil and keep moist. When the seedlings are large enough to handle, transplant them outside, leaving a foot of space between each. Woad likes an alkaline soil, so an application of lime, one week prior to planting, will give them the proper soil pH.

Is Dyer's woad poisonous?

Although dyer's woad is not toxic, it is unpalatable to livestock.

How do you identify woad?

All leaves have a prominent cream colored mid-rib extending the entire length of the leaf, and a bluish-green color. The leaf color and prominent mid-rib are good identifying characteristics of dyer's woad. The weed has a thick, fleshy tap root that penetrates down to 3 feet into the soil.

What is woad used for?

Medicinal use of Woad:

The leaves are antibacterial, anticancer, antiviral, astringent and febrifuge. It controls a wide range of pathogenic organisms, including viruses. It is used internally in the treatment of a wide range of disorders, including meningitis, encephalitis, mumps, influenza, erysipelas, heat rash etc.

How do you make blue dye in real life?

To make a blue food dye, slice up red cabbage leaves and boil for 10-15 minutes. Strain out the cabbage, reduce the liquid until it is thick and syrupy (the cooking liquid from a whole cabbage will reduce to about a quarter of a cup. Now you have an intensely purple syrup.

What Colour is Wode?

Learn more about the Woad plant (Isatis tinctoria), a famous natural dye and source of natural indigo dye, used for several thousand years (see woad history) in Europe and the Middle East. Woad dye extraction produces natural indigo dye from the dark blue-green, spinach-like woad leaves. Buy woad pigment here.

Does woad grow in Ontario?

Woad was brought to North America by the early European settlers. Seeds were imported from Britain for household use. In the 1830's, woad was listed in the seed catalogues in Ontario, as the plant was common in household gardens.

Did Vikings get high?

Elite Viking warriors, known as berserkers, used to imbibe large quantities to induce hallucinations and whip up their battle frenzies. The word 'berserk' is derived from this practice. 'The Vikings would make a drink laced with it and take it before they went into a fight.

Did Vikings tattoo their faces?

Now these may well have been temporary, rather than permanent tattoos. There are references to the faces being painted during rituals, with either blood or ash used to create an ink that was dark blue in appearance, again not permanent, but still further evidence that the skin was marked in special ways.

What did the Vikings use to dye their clothes?

The yarns were dyed using natural sources: yellow and brown were obtained from leaves, bark, roots and lichens. Woad and walnut husks were also used. Only very occasionally was linen dyed. Through trade, the Vikings obtained foreign dyes such as indigo (blue), madder (orange-red) and cochineal (blue-red).

Are the Irish really Celts?

From as far back as the 16th century, historians taught that the Irish are the descendants of the Celts, an Iron Age people who originated in the middle of Europe and invaded Ireland somewhere between 1000 B.C. and 500 B.C. ... The genetic roots of today's Irish, in other words, existed in Ireland before the Celts arrived.

What did the Scots call themselves?

They called themselves 'Goidi l', modernised today as Gaels, and later called Scotland 'Alba'. For centuries historians have debated the Gaels' origin.

Did the Picts fight the Vikings?

In AD 839 the Vikings wiped out the Pictish royal family. ... The Picts and Gaels were encircled. Then in AD 900 Constantine mac Aed (Constantín mac Áed) became King of the Picts. Within four years he had defeated the Vikings at Strathcarron, however, it wasn't the sword but diplomacy that was Constantine's strength.