Persian Berry Powder – Ground Turkish Buckthorn

Persian berry powder is finely ground Turkish cehri, the dried unripe berries of dyer's buckthorn (Rhamnus, mainly R. petiolaris) from Anatolia. It gives the same warm golden yellows as whole berries, but with no crushing and a shorter extraction. A good choice for small batches, eco printing and bundle dyeing.

Colors

• Alum: clear yellow to deep golden yellow
• Alkaline afterbath: orange-gold
• Iron: olive, khaki and reseda green
• Overdyed with indigo: greens

How to use

1. Weigh your dry fiber. Use 10–20% WOF powder, starting at 15%. Use up to 30% for the deepest gold.
2. Mordant wool and silk with alum (10–15% WOF). Give cotton and linen a tannin bath first, then alum.
3. Make a paste of the powder with warm water, add it to the dye pot and simmer gently for 30–45 minutes. Strain through fine cloth to avoid specks.
4. Dye the wet, mordanted fiber at 80–85 °C (176–185 °F) for 45–60 minutes, then cool in the bath.
5. Shift the color if you like: a weak iron dip (0.25–1% WOF) for olive, or a short soda ash rinse for orange-gold.

Fastness: good wash-fastness on alum-mordanted wool and silk. Lightfastness is moderate: like most flavonoid yellows it is less lightfast than weld. Use it where its warm golden tone matters, add cream of tartar to the wool mordant, and keep finished pieces out of strong sun.

Other names

Persian berries is a trade name, not a place of origin. In the 19th century most "Persian berries" sold in Europe were shipped from Smyrna (İzmir) and Aleppo. You may also see:

• English: Persian berries, Turkish berries, yellow berries, Avignon berries, buckthorn berries, dyer's buckthorn
• Turkish: cehri
• French: graines de Perse, graines d'Avignon, graine jaune, nerprun des teinturiers
• German: Gelbbeeren, Kreuzdornbeeren

From the Anatolian steppe to France

Cehri grows wild on dry, rocky slopes of Central Anatolia. Ottoman records name Kayseri as the largest growing area and İskilip (Çorum) as the source of the best berries. In 1852 İzmir alone exported about 650 tonnes, and by the late 19th century France was buying about 90% of all Ottoman cehri exports. French dyers and painters used it for yellows on silk and for the yellow lake pigment stil de grain. Dyers in Anatolia used it for the yellows and greens of carpets and silk.

Details

• Botanical name: Rhamnus (mainly R. petiolaris), ground dried unripe berries
• Origin: Anatolia, Turkey
• Sizes: 100 g, 400 g and 1 kg
• Storage: sealed, cool and dry. Natural batches vary slightly.

Dye-ready fabric: try it on our undyed 4-layer cotton gauze.

Safety

For dyeing only, not for food or medicinal use. Buckthorn berries contain natural laxative compounds (anthraquinones such as emodin). Keep away from children and pets, use dedicated dye pots, and wear a dust mask when you grind berries or measure powder.

Read the guide: Persian berries (buckthorn) dye guide · 6 mordant methods compared with buckthorn

Other forms: whole Persian berries · Persian berry extract

Work out exact grams for your fabric with our free natural dye calculator and WOF chart.

Frequently asked questions

How much Persian berry powder do I need?

Use 10–20% WOF. Start at 15%, which is 15 g of powder for 100 g of dry fiber. Use up to 30% for the deepest gold.

Is the powder the same as the whole berries?

Yes, it is the same Turkish cehri berries, finely ground. Powder releases color faster, so you need less of it and no overnight soaking.

Do I need a mordant?

Yes. Use alum on wool and silk, and tannin plus alum on cotton and linen.

Is Persian berry yellow lightfast?

It is moderately lightfast. Weld is more lightfast. A full alum mordant with cream of tartar on wool and storage out of strong sun help it last.