Benibana (Safflower)

Amount used
Three to five times the weight of the fabric

Summary
It is a member of the Asteraceae family. It is believed to have originated in Arabia and Ethiopia. The cloth used to wrap Egyptian mummies around 2500 BC was dyed with safflower. It has been used as a dye and medicinal plant in the Mediterranean and India since ancient times. It is believed to have come to Japan via Korea in the 7th century. The safflower flower contains yellow color elements and red color elements. The yellow one is soluble in water but the red one is insoluble in water and dissolves in alkali. In other words, it can be dyed with either yellow or red up to PH.

1 Dyeing method for Yellow for silk and wool
1-1 Wash 100g of Benibana and soak it in 2L of water
1-2 Leave it for 2 hours
1-3 Add 1% acetic acid (or vinegar) into the dye liquid (at PH4)
1-4 Dye the fabric at 90℃ for 30 to 60 mins

2 Dyeing method for Red for silk and cotton
2-1 Repeat 1-1 for over 10 times to remove the yellow color elements
2-2 Make 1L of 4% Potassium Carbonate liquid (4g/1L)
2-3 Filter the Benibana after 2-1 and soak it in 2-2 liquid
2-4 After leaving 2-3 for 3 hours, filter it with gauze
2-5 While stirring it, add 50g of Citric acid gradually into the liquid 
2-6 Dye the fabric at 35℃ for 30 to 60 mins

※Do 2-5 in a large container as the bubbles will blow up.