[Herbalist] WODE

[Wes Will]

At 05:30 PM 6/25/02 EDT, you wrote:
>--
>[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
>My friend just gifted me with a baby wode plant. Where do I plant it and when
>does it turn blue and how do I make dye from it>? And how hady is it?
>Thanks a bunch!
>Phillip[a

Depending upon where you live, don't say that too loudly, and don't let the
stuff get loose.  It's considered a "Class A Noxious Weed" (and therefore
cultivation of it a crime) a lot of places.  It spreads incredibly quickly,
and other things don't compete too well....

See:
http://www.wa.gov/agr/weedboard/weed_info/dyerswoad.html
and also the large pdf file at this location:

http://www.icbemp.gov/science/sheley.pdf

From:
http://www.lunehaven.com/woad1.html

>Woad
>
>Plant hardiness - zone 5
>Light requirement - Full sun
>Soil - well drained loam
>Height - 3 to 5 ft.
>
>
>Woad can be classed as a hardy annual, a biennial, or a perennial, depending
>on the local climate. It is native from central Europe to central Asia,
and is
>naturalized in parts of Britain, northern Europe, and North America. It has
>been classed as a noxious weed in some parts of the country, and is very
>invasive, so be sure to keep it under control if you are trying to grow it.
>
>Medicinal uses - Woad is poisonous, do not use internally. Externally, it
can
>be used as an astringent.
>
>Craft uses - Woad can be used to dye fiber in various shades of blues,
>greens, pinks, and yellow, depending on how it is treated. Harvest just
before
>the plant blossoms.
>
>Ornamental - Woad self seeds freely, and can be used as a bed filler and
>background plant. Again, please take care that it does not escape from you.

As for the dye preparation and loads of odd stuff (some of which at first
blush seem that they might not be too relible, so look into other sources -
they might or might be bogus):

http://my.net-link.net/~rowan/crafts/woad/woadpage.html

--
Eoin Caimbeul