KERALA, INDIA, February 27, 2008: Cloth infused with the herbs of traditional Indian medicine is becoming increasingly popular as the county’s stressed urban workers seek cures for conditions such as insomnia and eczema. Wearing a special shirt is claimed to cure itchy or sore skin, while sleepless nights can be taken care of by putting a herb-infused sheet over your mattress.
The herbs are selected according to the traditional Indian medicine known as ayurveda, with the infused cloth known as ayurvastra.
“We have selected 28 medicinal plants based on ayurvedic texts and theory–then we dip the natural cotton into it to make sleeping cloths,” the chief dyeing technician of the ayurvastra project, Rajan Kay said.