Ayurvastra, Clothes That Cure

Using natural plant dyes is essential for the well-being of the planet and our water supply, but they also have a healing aspect that ultimately affects the wearer.

Ayurvastra

Some designers are starting to incorporate the ancient Ayurvedic healing properties of plant dyes into their designs, called Ayurvastra: a branch of Ayurveda: the ancient 5,000-year-old Indian system of Vedic healthcare. Loosely translated, ayur is Sanskrit for health, veda means wisdom, and vastra is cloth or clothing. Ayurvastra clothing made using organic cotton fabric is permeated with special herbs and oils to promote health: Ayurveda health clinics in India use the garments in the treatment of a broad range of diseases, such as diabetes, skin infections, eczema, psoriasis, hypertension, high blood pressure, asthma, arthritis, rheumatism, and even some forms of cancer.

The cloth is completely free of synthetic chemicals and toxic irritants and is biodegradable. Every step in the preparation of Ayurvastra cloth and clothing is carefully controlled, beginning with 100% organic cotton that has been hand-loomed – no machine processing, no chemical additives to prepare the cotton fibres for spinning and weaving and no chemical finishes. The organic cotton yarn or fabric is then dyed in a mixture of herbal dyes depending upon the disease or ailment being treated. For diabetes, mimosa pudica (touch-me-not), cumon/cumin seeds, champa flower and shoe flower (hudahal) are combined in the herbal dye. The main herbs used in the herbal dye for arthritis are curry leaves and apocynaceae. For skin diseases, the herbs used are turmeric, neem and sandalwood.

Dyes for Ayurvastra cloth typically contain between 40 and 60 specifically blended and carefully prepared medicinal herbs, plants, flowers, roots and barks. The temperatures of the dyes, the duration and number of the dye soaks, the blend of herbs, and even the equipment used are carefully controlled. Chaitanya Arora of Penchant Traders, an Indian company promoting and exporting Ayurvastra cloth and clothing, explains, “usage of the cloth is based on the principle of touch. By coming in contact with Ayurvastra, the body releases toxins, and its metabolism is enhanced. The most effective time to wear Ayurvastra clothing is when the body is most at rest, such as during sleep or meditation, because this is when the body is naturally healing and reestablishing balance." This is why Ayurvastra cloth is often used for sleepwear, bed sheets, towels, meditation clothes and coir mats.

Plant dyes

So, if it works, how do these clothes that cure work? Conventional Western medicine and traditional Eastern medicine recognise the skin as being the body’s largest organ. It acts as a barrier but also as a conduit for outside substances to enter the body. Many environmental toxins and chemicals in conventional clothing are assimilated into the body through the skin. Ayurveda identifies seven unique layers comprising the skin; each layer has a distinct function and supports the layers above it. Starting at the outermost layer, the seven layers defined by Ayurveda are Avabhasini, Lohita, Shweta, Tamra, Vedini, Rohini and Mamsadhara. The fourth layer, Tamra, supports the immune system and acts as a barrier. According to Maharishi Ayurveda, “Skin infections reflect an imbalance in this layer. If Ayurvastra cloth and clothing can improve the skin’s ability to act as a barrier to external and environmental toxins, the wearer’s health can be improved." Many scientists believe this is far more effective than taking medicine orally, as oral medication passes through several organs before reaching the bloodstream. The microcapsules are only triggered to release medicine by the heat and acidity of the skin; they do not release their herbal remedy when wet. The clothes can be washed and last for months without losing any of their healing properties.

The fashion industry is always on the cutting edge of new creative ideas, so in an era of innovative textile making and biotechnology, it's no real surprise that the ways of old are circling back, reminding us that the techniques that worked in the past need to be part of our future and a progressive and sustainable movement forward.