Abstract

Some of the natural colours are not only eco-safe, but also has added value for its medicinal effects on human’s health. Some of the plant dyes rich in naphthoquinones such as juglone from walnut, lawsone from henna and lapachol from alkanet are reported to exhibit antifungal and antibacterial activity. Some of its constituents are anti-allergens, hence prove safe for the production of innerwear. There has been revival of the growing interest on the application of natural dyes on natural fibres due to worldwide environmental consciousness. The present paper review the potency of the natural dyes extracted from various plants as antimicrobial agents and the studies carried out by various researchers so far on chemistry and application of natural dyes on textiles.

Keywords:Antibacterial activity; Mordants; Medicinal plants natural dyes