Isatis tinctoria

Isatis tinctoria, with woad (/ˈwoʊd/) or glastum as the common name, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is commonly called dyer's woad. It is occasionally known as Asp of Jerusalem. Woad is also the name of a blue dye produced from the leaves of the plant.

Woad is native to the steppe and desert zones of the Caucasus, Central Asia to eastern Siberia and Western Asia (per Hegi) but is now found in southeastern and Central Europe as well. Long important as a source of blue dye, it has been cultivated throughout Europe, especially in Western and southern Europe, since ancient times. In medieval times there were important woad-growing regions in England, Germany and France. Towns such as Toulouse became prosperous from the woad trade. Woad was eventually replaced by the stronger indigo and, in the early 20th century, both woad and indigo were replaced by synthetic indigos.

Used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries, woad is now being studied for use in the treatment of cancer. There has also been some revival of the use of woad for craft purposes.

Woad (disambiguation)

Woad may refer to:

Culture and entertainment

See also

National Anthem of the Ancient Britons

National Anthem of the Ancient Britons, also known as Woad, is a humorous song, set to the tune of "Men of Harlech." It refers to the ancient British tradition of fighting naked in woad dye.

It first became popular in the 1920s as a song in the British Boy Scouts and appeared in The Hackney Scout Song Book (Stacy & Son Ltd, 1921). The author was William Hope-Jones, a housemaster at Eton, who wrote it some time before 1914. He sang it at a College dinner that year. "Ho Jo" appears in the M.R. James' ghost story Wailing Well (1928), in which a group of masters take the Eton Scout Troop on an ill-fated camping expedition.

This song is also known as Woad, The Woad Song, the Woad Ode and Woad of Harlech.

Lyrics

Published Versions