Ayurvastra: The Ancient Indian Tradition of Healing Textiles

Overview:

This article deep dives into Ayurvastra and how India's ancient tradition transforms natural fabrics into healing textiles through Ayurvedic herbal treatments. From its historical origins to modern applications, the article explores the creation process, health benefits, and scientific principles behind these medicinal fabrics. While discussing its potential as a sustainable textile solution, we also examine the challenges and opportunities in reviving this therapeutic craft for contemporary use.

Table of contents

• India's Rich Textile Heritage
• Understanding Ayurvastra: The Science of Healing Textiles
• What does Ayurvastra mean?
• Principles of Ayurvastra
• How Are Ayurvastra Textiles Made?
• The Traditional Process of Ayurvastra Creation
• Comparison Table Between Ayurvedic, Natural & Synthetic Dyeing
• Healing Properties: How Ayurvastra Fights Diseases
• The Six Health Benefits of Ayurvastra
• The Role of Kashayam in Ayurvastra
• Challenges in Ayurvastra Production
• Future Prospects and Opportunities

 

The Upanishads say,

“As is the human body, so is the cosmic body. As is the human mind, so is the cosmic mind. As is the microcosm, so is the macrocosm. As is the atom, so is the universe.”

India has a rich textile tradition; weaves, patterns, and colours are distinct to particular regions. With climates ranging from humid tropics to cold mountains, each area has developed unique textile traditions and knowledge. Deeply tied to every cultural identity is the expression of personal and community aesthetics through fashion.

These rich traditions continue to inspire modern fashion design, bridging heritage techniques with contemporary trends. Throughout the country, communities of weavers and dyers have carried on the art of fabric creation for generations. This knowledge passed down from master weavers and dyers to the next generation often stays within families but is sometimes shared with apprentices outside the family.

Traditionally, all fabrics were made on handlooms and dyed using natural plant dyes like indigo, Indian madder, turmeric, sappanwood, and many others. The dyeing communities were well-versed in the healing properties of these plants and herbs.

Even today, traditional Indigo dyers preserve the cloth used to strain indigo cakes and give them to new mothers, believing the fabric can support a newborn's developing immune system.

India's Rich Textile Heritage

The earliest Indian textiles resulted from an alchemical blending of plant and animal fibres with pigments sourced from the landscape—mineral and botanical. These materials came together through warping, wafting, and dyeing to create some of the earliest textiles in a range of vibrant hues.

In the country, colour was never an abstract concept. It was deeply rooted in the materiality of ecosystems. Dyeing experts who mastered these techniques produced textiles that were highly coveted around the world.

Evidence of Indian dyeing practices dates back four thousand years, with dyed cloth fragments found in Mohenjo-Daro, in the Indus Valley, dating to the second millennium BCE. Given that indigo traces have been discovered in Egyptian tombs and that subsequent records indicate trade with the Mediterranean region, the dye trade most likely started during this time.

Understanding Ayurvastra: The Science of Healing Textiles

"Ayurvastra" is a Sanskrit word that translates to ‘health cloth’. It was handmade in ancient India to support the health and well-being of the wearer. These fabrics act as mediators, carrying the ayurvedic properties of medicinal herbs and transferring them to the skin, thus promoting wellness.

The origins of these practices are traced back to Ayurveda, Yoga, and the Vedas, dating as far back as 1,000 to 1,500 BCE. Historical evidence indicates that these fibres, processed with medicinal herbs, were worn by warriors beneath their armour to aid in healing wounds.

Ayurvedic healers also used Ayurvastra bandages and herbal poultices to prevent infection and speed healing. In many parts of India, newborn babies are wrapped in herbal-processed towels to protect them from infections. Today, practitioners of the martial art Kalarippayattu, considered a precursor to many other martial arts, wear garments dyed in red Kumkum.

What does Ayurvastra mean?

In Sanskrit, "Ayur" means good health or well-being, and "Vastra" means garment. Ayurvastra refers to practices that go beyond simply using handloom or plant-dyed fabrics. When a person wears an Ayurvastra textile, it becomes a second layer of skin. The skin's pores, which absorb and emit heat based on environmental conditions, interact with these garments.

Ayurvastra fabrics typically feature earthy tones that evoke a sense of calm. The feeling of it on the skin helps relieve stress as the fabrics are organic and free from synthetic chemicals. These textiles are made from natural materials like cotton, wool, silk, bamboo, coir, linen, jute, and hemp, certified by relevant authorities.

Principles of Ayurvastra

The usage of Ayurvastra cloth is based on the principle of touch. The skin is the body’s largest organ. It acts as a barrier but also as a conduit for outside substances to enter the body. Many toxins and chemicals in industrial clothing are assimilated into the body through the skin.

In Ayurvedic medicine, the skin is said to have 7 layers. Starting at the outermost, the layers are: Avabhasini, Lohita, Shweta, Tamra, Vedini, Rohini, and Mamsadhara. Tamra supports the immune system and acts as a barrier. According to Ayurveda, skin infections reflect an imbalance in this layer.

It is believed that close contact with Ayurvastra next to the skin enhances body metabolism, which leads to effective elimination of body toxins. The herb-infused and herb-dyed organic fabrics act as healing agents after the healing content is absorbed through the skin. Each fabric is infused with a specific herb that can help treat skin infections that reflect an imbalance in one or some of the seven unique layers of the skin.

How Are Ayurvastra Textiles Made?

Clothing is considered 'second skin’ to the wearer, and it can play a significant role in the overall health of our skin. The primary purpose of natural plant dyeing is to impart colour to fabric. Whereas the aim of Ayurvedic dyeing is to create beautiful fabrics that heal the body and balance the doshas.

Indian dyes are coveted not only for their vibrancy and their use in inventive textiles but also because of the carefully calibrated traditional dyeing processes, which often involved the application of mordants that fixed the colour to the fabric, making them uniquely durable.

Extracts from flowers, leaves, stems, bark and the roots of various plants are used to create natural plant dyes. Traditional plant dyeing uses mordants like aluminium sulphate, zinc oxide, copper, iron, and tannic acids to bind the dye to the fibre and to vary shade and intensity. Plant-based dye extractions are chemical-free and eco-friendly. Natural plant dyes do not contain any toxic residues and do not contaminate the water.

Shades of blue made from indigo; black from haritaki (black myrobalan) and khair (acacia bark); and a range of reds, lilac, and burgundy made from manjistha (madder), chay root, aal (Indian mulberry), and lac insects were the longest-lasting dyes, ensuring the colours were visible on fabric thousands of years later.

Yellow dyes were relatively short-lived in comparison and are made mainly from haldi (turmeric root) and, to a lesser extent, kusumba (safflower), palash (Parrot tree) flowers and pomegranate rind. Many brands and textile-makers use plant-dyeing processes to avoid including potentially harmful synthetic chemicals such as PVCs, parabens, and carcinogens in their products.

The Traditional Process of Ayurvastra Creation

Ayurvastra is an ancient technique of dyeing textiles with medicinal herbs. Here’s a comprehensive list of this age-old sustainable process:

1. Unlike conventional dyeing methods, Ayurvedic-dyed fabrics are created by dyeing the threads or fibres rather than the finished fabric. This approach allows the medicinal properties of the herbs to penetrate deeply into the fibres.

2. After the threads are dyed, they are hand woven on looms to create healing fabrics. The weaving process incorporates the medicinal and healing properties.

3. For organic fabrics, the process begins with organic cotton or silk, which are dyed in herbal infusions for both colour and health benefits. Natural yarns are dyed by hand using herbs, plants, flowers, roots, and bark that possess medicinal qualities.

4. The dye bath infuses the fibres with the natural colours and healing components of these plants. The yarns are then woven into fabric, which can be made into clothing.

5. Bleaching of the cloth is done naturally by exposing it to sunlight on a grass base and by using animal manure. The temperatures of the dyes, the duration and number of dye soaks, the blend of herbs, and the equipment used are all carefully monitored.

6. To achieve bright and long-lasting colours naturally, mordants such as myrobalans, rhubarb leaves, oils, minerals, alum, and iron vat are used, in place of heavy metal mordants like copper, chrome, zinc, and tin.

8. The finishing process following the herbal dyeing is also organic. It involves sprinkling herbal water, such as that from aloe vera or castor oil, onto the cloth and then stretching it under pressure using hand rollers.

9. Fibers used in Ayurvastra include organic cotton, natural cotton, silk, wool, linen, jute, hemp, and their natural blends. Knowledgeable artisans carefully monitor dyeing temperatures, the duration and number of dye soak, the blend of herbs, and the equipment used throughout the process.

10. The herbs used in Ayurvastra do not contaminate local water sources because solid and liquid waste is separated through filtration and repurposed for farming and irrigation.

Even today, in some parts of South India, ayurvedic herbal dyed clothes are traditionally used to carry newborn babies, providing an antibacterial barrier for the child.

Comparison Table Between Ayurvedic, Natural & Synthetic Dyeing

Process	Ayurvedic Dyeing	Natural (Conventional) Dyeing	Synthetic Dyeing
Fabrics or Yarn	Use only natural fibres like Cotton, Silk, Linen, Jute, Bamboo, Wool etc.	Apart from natural fibres, synthetic or petrochemical yarns are used.	Synthetic or petrochemical yarns and different types of fabrics are used for dyeing.
Pre-processing of fabrics	Natural surfactants like soap nut, arappu, leaves. Bleaching: Done naturally using limestone and sunlight.	Many natural dyes use chemicals for preprocessing because it is cheap and easy work. Many natural units use washing soda, bleaching powder, chlorine, etc. for pre-processing.	Toxic synthetic chemicals and high viscosity wet agents. Caustic soda, peroxide, and chlorine are used, which cause heavy damage to water and the environment.
Dyeing	The dye extracts are directly taken from medicinally rich herbs. Some herbs themselves will act as a mordant and dye.	Even though dye extracts are from natural sources but for fixing colours, many toxic and heavy metals are used.	For making bright colours, harmful chemical dyes like formaldehyde, Chrome, Copper, Dioxin and zinc are used for colours.
Fixing	Natural herbs and natural mineral fixtures are used for finishing the fabrics.	Organic chemical fixtures are used for finishing the fabrics.	Many types of fixtures are derived from a different chemical process which can create health problems.
Softening	Softener is made from natural oil, natural castor oil, aloe vera and natural emulsifying agents.	Eco-friendly chemical softener or synthetic softener is used.	Highly toxic chemical fixtures and softeners are used.
Gumming / Finishing	This is a special process made to give wellness to the fabrics with a unique finishing.	Standard finishing processes using chemical agents.	Industrial finishing processes using synthetic chemicals.

 

Healing Properties: How Ayurvastra Fights Diseases

Ayurvastra cloth is organic, sustainable and biodegradable. The skin absorbs the medicinal benefits of these herbs through contact with clothing, bedding, or coir mats. It is extensively used for treating a wide range of diseases, such as diabetes, skin diseases, body acne, headaches, sleeplessness, hypertension, anaemia, arthritis, rheumatism, asthma etc.

The most effective time to wear Ayurvastra clothing is when the body is at rest, such as during sleep or meditation, as this is when the body is re-establishing balance through physiological healing.

The Six Health Benefits of Ayurvastra

The roots, flowers, leaves, seeds, and barks of around 200 herbs are used to make the dyes.

- Diabetes: A blend of Mimosa Pudica, cumin seeds, Champa flower and shoe flower (hibiscus) is used in the herbal dye.

-Arthritis: Curry leaves (sweet neem), acacia, and Indian pepper are utilised, with acacia known for its anti-inflammatory properties and Indian pepper for pain relief and inflammation reduction.

-Skin Diseases: Turmeric, neem, indigo, and sandalwood.

-Asthma: Cuscus grass is beneficial for asthma patients.

-Stress: Sandalwood provides a soothing effect that helps combat stress.

-Parasitic Infestation and Itching: Catechu is used for treatment.

Other herbal dyes used in dyes are pomegranate rind, madder, castor oil, sweet basil, lime, wild turmeric, henna leaves, curry leaf tree, and aloe vera, each offering unique healing properties. These natural herbs create beautiful, distinct shades, which is why Ayurvastra is often favoured for its earthy colours.

The Role of Kashayam in Ayurvastra

The textile industry is a major global polluter, largely due to the chemicals used in manufacturing processes and in pest control during cotton cultivation. Chemical dyeing is problematic for people with chemical sensitivities, as it can lead to symptoms like nausea, breathing difficulties, and seizures.

The defining feature of Ayurvastra fabrics is the inclusion of kashayam, a crafted ayurvedic blend that is infused into the fibres before dyeing or weaving. These herbs penetrate deeply into the organic cotton fibres, and the traditional processes of hand spinning and handloom weaving further enhancing and energising the healing properties of both the kashayam and the natural plant dyes. It is said that when wearing any product that is made following these techniques, one can feel the difference not only on one’s body but in the energy surrounding them.

Ayurvastra products, including garments, yoga rugs, and lifestyle items, offer a range of benefits. As more designers incorporate Ayurvastra fabrics into their creations and more people begin to use these products, they will have the potential to positively impact the environment, communities, and individual well-being.

Challenges in Ayurvastra Production

Research reveals that along with its numerous positive effects, Ayurvastra also has a few challenges that impact its performance and economic viability. Key issues include the potential weakening of warp and weft tensile strength, elongation, and tearing resistance.

Firstly, ensuring high air permeability and a soft finish is essential for the user's comfort while maintaining the original colour is a challenge. Herbal dyes often suffer from poor reactions to washing, leading to colour bleeding and fading, especially in areas with frequent skin contact, diminishing both the appearance and medicinal benefits of the fabric.

Secondly, production costs are comparatively higher, as different herbs are required to treat various ailments, and the limited absorption capacity of fibres restricts the number of dyes that can be applied to a single fabric. Leading to small production batches, further driving up costs.

Lastly, the faster degradation of natural fibre fabrics compared to synthetic adds to these challenges, making durability a significant concern. If these problems are addressed, then it will improve the economic viability and consumer acceptance of herbal-dyed fabrics.

Future Prospects and Opportunities

With a growing awareness of health and wellness, Ayurvastra is becoming increasingly popular around the world. This traditional practice not only supports overall well-being but also emphasizes environmental sustainability by reducing its impact on global warming. As more people learn about its benefits, Ayurvastra creates significant opportunities for entrepreneurship, job creation, and economic stability.

In India, both national and state government agencies view Ayurvastra as a natural method to revitalise the handloom industry, aiming to enhance production quality and carve out a niche for eco-friendly textiles. The Indian government anticipates that this initiative will serve as a platform for education and broader adoption of Ayurvastra, providing a viable alternative to synthetic fabrics, boosting business and offering livelihood to millions.

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