[7][8] As a dye, haematoxylin has been called palo de Campeche,[8] logwood extract,[7] bluewood[9] and blackwood.

[1][7][8][15][16] In its pure form, haematoxylin is a colourless and crystalline solid,[7][17] although commercial samples are typically light to dark brown based on the level of impurities present.

[9] Modern production methods use water, ether or alcohol as a solvent, at which point the extracts may be further refined to the level of purity needed.

[23][2][24] For histologic use, this variability can affect the stain's interaction with biological tissue samples, and is therefore of concern to histologists and pathologists.

[11][25][1] Removal of unwanted staining, or differentiation, typically involves a solution of diluted ethanol and hydrochloric acid.

[31][12][32] John Thomas Quekett in an 1852 book,[33] suggests using "logwood" (haematoxylin) to dye translucent material for examination under the microscope.

[32][31] In 1863, Wilhelm von Waldeyer-Hartz used haematoxylin on animal tissue without a mordant (with limited success),[34] and is sometimes credited as being the first to do so,[8][12][35][34] although this is not universally accepted.

[14][7] Haematoxylin was first used as a dye by the Mayans and Aztecs in Central America where logwood trees grow natively.

[7][9] In reaction to this perceived inferiority of the quality of the blue colour produced with haematoxylin, its use to dye fabric was barred in England from 1581 to 1662.

[37] Haematoxylin was also added to some iron gall inks, which take time to fully darken when applied to paper.

[6] In 1848, Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge produced a heamatoxylin ink that was non-acidic, using a potassium chromate as the mordant, which had the advantage of not corroding steel pens.