History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c20.s4.t1.7

v1.c20.s4.t1.7

Brown colour was also used widely in ancient India. This was obtained from the bark of babul (Acacia arabica), catechu (Acacia catechu) and henna (Mehndī). The babul bark produces shades of brown by simply boiling in water. While the water is still boiling, by adding catechu and lime, a somewhat permanent dye was produced. By adding sulphate of iron, a black dye was produced. Both the bark and leaves of babul tree possess tinctorial properties for which they were frequently used in dyeing industry in ancient and medieval India (Jaggi, I p. 203)