Cudbear

Description

A violet color natural dye obtained from lichens. Cudbear in the name given to the dye by a Scottish chemist, C. Gordon after he discovered, then patented, the process for making it in the 18th century. Previously, the dye, archil, had been produced in Italy by a secret process for several hundred years. Cudbear is the source of litmus dye.

Synonyms and Related Terms

Orcein; archil; orchil; lacmuse; Natural Red 28; CI 758600

Resources and Citations

• Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orcein Orcein] Accessed April 2026