THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING EXTRA SPECIAL ABOUT BLUE FLOWERS! RARE ALKANET IS ALSO KNOWN AS BUGLOSS AND BELONGS TO THE BORAGE FAMILY OF HERBS. USED FOR NATURAL RED DYES, ABCESSES AND INFLAMMATION.

Description
Alkanna tinctoria, the dyer’s alkanet or alkanet, is an herb in the borage family. Its main notability is its roots are used as a red dye. The plant is also known as Dyers’ Bugloss, Orchanet, Spanish bugloss, or Languedoc bugloss. It is native to the Mediterranean region.

A. Tinctoria has a bright blue flower. The plant has a dark red 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 root as a dyestuff is soluble in alcohol, ether, and the oils, but is insoluble in water. It is used to give colour to wines and alcoholic tinctures, to vegetable oils, and to varnishes.

Powdered and mixed with oil, the Alkanet root is used as a wood stain. When mixed into an oily environment, it imparts a crimson colour to the oil, which when applied to wood, moves the wood colour towards dark-red-brown rosewood, 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 Rogan josh. In Australia, Alkanet is approved for use as a food colouring, but in the European Union, it is not. It has been used as colourant for lipstick and rouge (cosmetics).

In alkaline environments, Alkanet dye has a blue colour, with the colour changing again to crimson on addition of an acid. The colour is red at pH 6.1, purple at 8.8 and blue at pH 10. Hence, it can be used to do alkali-acid litmus tests (but the usual litmus test paper does not use Alkanet as the agent and its colour change is closer to pH 7). The colouring agent in A. Tinctoria root has been chemically isolated and named alkannin.

In folk medicine, it is also used to treat abscesses and inflammations. Always consult a medical or herbal practitioner before embarking on any program of using a new medical herb. Some herbs should not be taken in certain situations, for example pregnancy, or for certain health conditions where adverse reactions may be possible. Alternatively, you may have allergies to an herb, or induce side effects from other medication and health conditions. So please do not take without qualified medical advice.

Grow Notes
Alkanet needs sunny conditions to thrive. Make sure that the area you select for it should have plenty of sunlight. The plant can be grown in most soil conditions though it prefers soil that is fertile and well drained.

Sow
Sow seeds in Spring, Summer and early Autumn.

Germination
Place the seeds in pots and cover lightly with sand. Keep the soil moist but not wet. The seeds will germinate in two to four weeks with approximately 21C. Once the plants become large enough to handle by hand, you will need to prick out the individual seedlings and plant them in individual pots. Once larger these can be planted out in a soil bed.

Alternatively, the seeds can also be planted directly into a soil bed.

Maturity
These plants can be biennial or perennial in nature and reach a height of between 30 to 90cm.