Indigofera tinctoria(English)
Indigo Plant
Scientific Name: Indigofera tinctoria
Family: Fabaceae
Local Names: അമരി, നീലിച്ചെടി, നീലയമരി
Habit: Shrub
Habitat: Dry areas as weeds, Cultivated.
Ecological Importance:
. The famous indigo dye is made from its leaves
Economic Importance:
True indigo dye made from its leaves is used for dyeing the fabrics.
Main constituent of Neelabhringadi Hair oil.
Used as medicine for Asthma, Diabetics, Skin diseases etc.
Used in the treatment of millipede, spider and Scorpion stings.
Preparation of Dye:
Dye is obtained from the processing of the plant's leaves. They are soaked in water and fermented in order to convert the glycoside indican naturally present in the plant to the blue dye indigotin. The precipitate from the fermented leaf solution is mixed with a strong base such as Sodium or Potasium Hydroxide.
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| Leaves |
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| Flowers |
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| Fruits |
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| Indigo dye |
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| Fabrics dyed with Indio blue |
Indigo in Indian Independence struggle: The Indigo revolt in 1859 was the strike of indigo cultivators of Bengal against British Planters. Gadhiji first experimented his Satygraha in Champaran, a Bihari Village , against draconian laws related to the cultivation of Indigo plants and exploitation of Indigo cultivators in 1917 which become a mass movement against Colonial Rule.
Champaran Satyagraha
Kerala Forest & Wildlife DepartmentResearch Unit. Peermade
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| Champaran Satyagraha |
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Kerala Forest & Wildlife Department Research Unit. Peermade |