摘要
鬱金為多年生宿根草本薑科植物，是我國較早就用於染色的帶有花香的一種植物染料，用它染出的顏色稱為鬱金色。本文通過鬱金染色實驗，並結合文獻記載，得出三個主要結論：其一，不同的鬱金品種只有薑黃具染色價值。凡文獻中出現鬱金時，如偏重強調色彩，此鬱金肯定是指薑黃或薑黃的栽培變種；反之，可能只是指鬱金的某個品種；其二，西漢早期，鬱金已廣泛種植，鬱金用於染色的起始時間應不晚於此時。其施染物雖有不耐日炙之缺陷，但其能散發出微微的香味，因而歷朝歷代都曾普遍利用它染製高檔的黃色紡織品；其三，古代所謂的鬱金色應為呈淺橘黃色，其施染方式是在以薑黃為染材的酸性染液中直接染取。
並列摘要
Radix Curcuma is Zingiberaceae perennial herb, which is a vegetable dyestuff with fragrance in ancient China. Ginger is the color dyed with radix curcuma. Through its dying experiments and document records, three facts are concluded in this paper: Firstly, only Curcuma longa L among various radix curcuma can dye. It is Curcuma longa L that radix curcuma is found and empHasized its color in documents; whereas it might be certain radix curcuma; Secondly, Radix curcuma was widely planted in early Xihan Dynasty and it was used for dying no later than this time. Although the stuffs dyed with it have no resistance to sunlight, they have fragrance so Curcuma longa L was widely used for dying expensive yellow textile in ancient dynasties; Thirdly, the dyeing is directly made in acid dye with Curcuma longa L.