Henna Plant
What are the scientific results for the henna plant?
Scientific Analysis on Henna Family: Lythraceae, (Lawsonia inermis L.)
A perennial shrub native to North Africa, Asia and Australia, is naturalized and cultivated in the tropics of America, Egypt, India, and parts of the Middle East. Also known as El-Henna, Egyptian priest, and mignonette tree, the species is sometimes classified as Lawsonia alba Lam. or Lawsonia ruba. Reaching a height of up to 6 meters, the plant has fragrant white or rose-red flowers.
The reported life zone of henna is 19 to 27 degrees centigrade with an annual precipitation of 0.2 to 4.2 meters and a soil pH of 4.3 to 8.0 . Henna is planted today primarily as an ornament hedge, but is probably best known for its dried, ground leaves (called henna) traditionally used to produce colorfast orange, red, and brown dyes. Dried, powdered leaves of henna contain about 0.5 to 1.5 percent lawsone, the chief constituent responsible for the dyeing properties of the plant. Henna also contains mannite, tannic acid, mucilage, gallic acid, and naphtaquinone. The leaves of henna have been used in Asia since antiquity as a hair, nail, and skin dye.
As a medicinal plant, henna has been used for astringent, antihemorrhagic, intestinal antineoplastic, cardio-inhibitory, hypotensive, and sedative effects. It has also been used as a folk remedy against amoebiasis, headache, jaundice, and leprosy.
Henna extracts show antibacterial, antifungal, and ultraviolet light screening activity. The flowers possess a pleasant aroma and crude perfumes are produced in some major growing areas by preparing a suspension of comminuted flowers in vegetable oil.
Source: The scientific Literature on selected herbs, Aromatic and Medicinal plants of the Temperate Zone. Archon Books, 770 pp., Hamden, CT. Herbs: An indexed bibliography. Simon, J.E., A.F. Chadwick and L.E. Craker. 1984
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