New Delhi, Apr 15: Have a skin problem, a shirt dyed in turmeric could give you some respite.
After herbal medicines and herbal cosmetics its now the turn of clothes which are all set to don the herbal colour as Ahmedabad-based Aura Herbal Wear unveils garments hand dyed from medicinally rich herbs at a four-day exhibition here from April 25.
Stating that the organisation had applied for patenting the process, Arun Baid of Aura said the clothes were made of 100 per cent natural fabrics which was chemical free.


Baid, who's exhibition will be inaugurated by leading environment exponent Maneka Gandhi, claims that herbal wear has medicinal properties.

"It is anti-allergic, anti-microbial and has anti-septic properties and dyes used are Eco-friendly," Baid told a news agency.
Stating that herbal dyeing was different from vegetable dyeing which used some chemicals, he said the organisation used herbs such as tulsi, neem, myraballam (harade), catechu (katha), turmeric, henna, pomegranate rind for dyeing while bleaching was done with sunlight laying the fabric on grass. He said after dyeing the waste could be converted into manure and added that three years of research and development had undergone in inventing the process.


While herbal dying was a known concept in ancient India, he said adding that the art of herbal dying had got lost somewhere due to invasion of cheaper chemical dyes of the 19th century.

He said this was just an attempt to revive the rich ancient heritage and free the world from chemical dyes which were not just carcinogenic but also caused pollution.


Bureau Report