Fresh leaves are crushed to obtain a smooth paste, then applied directly to the affected skin area using a clean compress. The application is renewed once or twice a day according to folk tradition. Dosage must be validated with a healthcare professional or a recognized pharmacopoeia before use.
The dried and chopped root is simmered gently for a few minutes in water, then left to infuse off the heat before straining. This preparation, of limited traditional use, requires professional advice before use. Dosage must be validated with a healthcare professional or a recognized pharmacopoeia before use.
Fresh leaves are crushed, shaped into balls, and then slowly fermented before being transformed into blue pigment through a vat process. This artisanal process, passed down for centuries, does not concern bodily use but textile dyeing. Dosage must be validated with a healthcare professional or a recognized pharmacopoeia before use.
Woad can still be found in a subspontaneous state in certain regions of southern France, and it is cultivated by some producers perpetuating the Toulouse dyeing tradition; seeds can also be found at specialized nurseries dealing in heirloom plants.
The leaves are traditionally harvested from spring to summer, before flowering, when their pigment content is richest.