In the past, Neel was cultivated in India, mainly In Bihar, Orissa, Sindh. But recently it has become rare because of introduction of syn¬thetic artificial Neel. This natural, leaf powder was available to us after constant efforts for 2-3 years. It contains glucoside – Indicane.
References of using Neel for hairdye are available in the ancient literature. Leaves of Neel were used not only in making a hairdye but also for hair growth (Chi.25-8, 25-268). Charakacharya has described the use of Neel for baldness. This was used in Perssian hair dye alongwithMehendi in Eastern Countries. Neel was, in those days primarily used by Royalties.