Madder Dye

Derived from the roots of Indian madder (Rubia cordifolia) and common madder (Rubia tinctorum), madder dye is a natural red colourant known for its vividness and durability.

Indian madder, a cultivated variety rich in alizarin, the primary red-producing compound in many natural dyes, is recognized for its potency. Common madder, native to West Asia and the Mediterranean, has been employed as a dye in Asia for centuries. The extensive presence of madder plants, along with the historical trade of Indian cotton cloth, has led to various madder types being cultivated and used across Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Mediterranean, and northern Africa.

Madder's usage in the Indian subcontinent traces back to the second millennium BCE, evidenced by remnants of the dye found in Mohenjo-daro textiles. This dye was even discovered on textiles in the tomb of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun, dating to the fourteenth century BCE. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, European demand soared for Indian textiles like chintz and kalamkari, dyed with madder. Madder dye was directly exported to Europe once Western cotton cloth production began. From the first millennium CE onwards, textiles coloured with madder and other red dyes were regularly shipped to eastern Africa, West Asia, and Southeast Asia.

The madder plant's roots are collected when aged between two and five years. They are cleaned, crushed into powder or fibres, and used in dyeing. In pre-industrial India, cloth was placed in warm, soft water along with salt- or oil-based mordants, usually alum. After cooling, the cloth was removed, wrung, and then immersed in a dye bath containing crushed madder enclosed in cotton cloth. Since alizarin's solubility in water is limited, this process allowed gradual dispersion of the red colour, ensuring even dyeing. The dyebath could be reused for lighter shades.

Synthetic dyes supplanted madder dye in the late nineteenth century. Today, the dye is sparingly used in traditional textile crafts.