''Alkanna tinctoria'', the dyer's alkanet
or simply alkanet, is a herbaceous
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
in the
borage
Borage ( or ; ''Borago officinalis''), also known as starflower, is an annual herb in the flowering plant family Boraginaceae. It is native to the Mediterranean region, and has naturalized in many other locales.
It grows satisfactorily in gard ...
family
Boraginaceae
Boraginaceae, the borage or forget-me-not family, includes about 2,000 species of shrubs, trees and herbs in 146, to 156 genera with a worldwide distribution.
The APG IV system from 2016 classifies the Boraginaceae as single family of the order ...
. Its roots are used to produce a red
dye
A dye is a colored substance that chemically bonds to the substrate to which it is being applied. This distinguishes dyes from pigments which do not chemically bind to the material they color. Dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution an ...
. The plant is also known as dyers' bugloss, orchanet, Spanish bugloss, or Languedoc bugloss. It is native to the
Mediterranean region
In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin (; also known as the Mediterranean Region or sometimes Mediterranea) is the region of lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have mostly a Mediterranean climate, with mild to cool, rainy winters and wa ...
. ''A. tinctoria'' has 30 chromosomes and is regarded as a dysploid at the tetraploid level (4x + 2).
''A. tinctoria'' has a bright blue flower. The plant has a root of blackish appearance externally, but blue-red inside, with a whitish core. The root produces a fine red colouring material, which has been used as a dye in the Mediterranean region since antiquity. The dyestuff in its roots is soluble in alcohol, ether, and the oils, but is insoluble in water. It is used to give colour to
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...
s and
alcoholic tinctures, to
vegetable oil
Vegetable oils, or vegetable fats, are oils extracted from seeds or from other parts of fruits. Like animal fats, vegetable fats are ''mixtures'' of triglycerides. Soybean oil, grape seed oil, and cocoa butter are examples of seed oils, or fat ...
s, and to
varnish
Varnish is a clear transparent hard protective coating or film. It is not a stain. It usually has a yellowish shade from the manufacturing process and materials used, but it may also be pigmented as desired, and is sold commercially in various ...
es.
Powdered and mixed with oil, the alkanet root is used as a
wood stain
Wood stain is a type of paint used to colour wood and consists of colourants dissolved and/or suspended in a 'vehicle' or solvent. Vehicle is the preferred term, as the contents of a stain may not be truly dissolved in the vehicle, but rather ...
. When mixed into an oily environment, it imparts a
crimson
Crimson is a rich, deep red color, inclining to purple.
It originally meant the color of the kermes dye produced from a scale insect, ''Kermes vermilio'', but the name is now sometimes also used as a generic term for slightly bluish-red colo ...
color to the oil, which when applied to a wood, moves the wood color towards dark-red-brown
rosewood
Rosewood refers to any of a number of richly hued timbers, often brownish with darker veining, but found in many different hues.
True rosewoods
All genuine rosewoods belong to the genus ''Dalbergia''. The pre-eminent rosewood appreciated in ...
, and accentuates the grain of the wood.
Alkanet is traditionally used in Indian food under the name ''ratan jot'', and lends its red colour to some versions of the curry dish ''
''. In Australia, alkanet is approved for use as a food colouring, but in the European Union, it is not.
It has been used as colorant for
lipstick
Lipstick is a cosmetic product used to apply coloration and texture to lips, often made of wax and oil. Different pigments are used to produce color, and minerals such as silica may be used to provide texture. The use of lipstick dates back to ...
and
rouge
Rouge is the French word for "red" and may refer to:
Compounds
* Rouge (cosmetics), a cosmetic used to color the cheeks and emphasize the cheekbones
* Jeweler's rouge or iron(III) oxide
* Rouging, a form of corrosion applicable to stainless ...
.
In alkaline environments, alkanet dye has a blue color, with the color changing to crimson on addition of an acid. The colour is red at pH 6.1, purple at 8.8 and blue at pH 10.
The colouring agent in ''A. tinctoria'' root has been chemically isolated and named
alkannin
Alkannin is a natural dye that is obtained from the extracts of plants from the Boraginaceae, borage family ''Alkanna tinctoria'' that are found in the south of France. The dye is used as a food coloring, food colouring and in cosmetics. It is used ...
.
In folk medicine, it is also used to treat
abscess
An abscess is a collection of pus that has built up within the tissue of the body. Signs and symptoms of abscesses include redness, pain, warmth, and swelling. The swelling may feel fluid-filled when pressed. The area of redness often extends b ...
es and
inflammation
Inflammation (from la, wikt:en:inflammatio#Latin, inflammatio) is part of the complex biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or Irritation, irritants, and is a protective response involving im ...
s.
In English in the late medieval era, the name alkanet meant ''A. tinctoria''.
[Alkanet in th]
''Middle English Dictionary''
/ref> In the centuries since then, the name has come to be used informally for some botanically related other plants; see Alkanet
Alkanet is the common name of several related plants in the borage family (Boraginaceae):
* Alkanet, ''Alkanna tinctoria'', the source of a red dye; this is the plant most commonly called simply "alkanet"
* Various other plants of the genus '' Alk ...
.
References
Attribution
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q856964
Boraginoideae
Plant dyes
Food colorings
Herbs