Berberne and Huangbo : Ancient Colorants and Dyes

Recent research has revealed the importance of the alkaloid berberine in the conservation of documents.

The "Diamond Sutra", along with some 40,000 other documents around the world, is dyed yellow with an extract believed to originate from the Amur cork tree, of which berberine is the principal colourant.

Berberine is present in many plant extracts traditionally used as dyes and pigments for papers and fabrics.

This text brings together the results of research into berberine and the huangbo dye, listing the spectroscopic and chromatographic methods available to detect its presence.

In addition, an introductory explanation of the methods available to detect berberine is provided, to enable readers without a background in chemistry to appreciate how each technique works.