Lawsonia inermis - Mendhika

Henna/Mehdi

Henna is a flowering plant and the sole species of the Lawsonia genus. It is a heavily-scented, much-branched, slender, evergreen shrub or small tree. It usually grows up to 6 metres tall. The stems and older branches can be spiny. Henna has been used for thousands of years, especially in India, as a cosmetic and hair dye. It is one of the oldest cosmetics in the world and its leaves are used to colour the fingernails, to paint or decorate the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet, and to dye the hair. This plant is belongs to Lythraceae family.

Uses

Bleeding, Nerve deseases, Amoebic dysentery, Wounds, Skin eruptions, Ulcers, Pimples, Diarrhea, Sore throats.

Parts Used

Leaves, Seeds.

Chemical Composition

The major components were ethyl hexadecanoate (24.4%), (E)-methyl cinnamate (11.4%), isocaryophyllene (8.1%), (E)-β-ionone (5.8%) and methyl linolenate (4.1%).

Common names

Language	Common name
Kannada	Goranta, Gorante
Hindi	Hena
Malayalam	Mail-anschi, Mailanci
Tamil	Aivanam, Aivanam
Telugu	Goranta, Gorata
Marathi	NA
Gujarathi	NA
Punjabi	NA
Kashmiri	NA
Sanskrit	Dvivranta, Kokadanta
English	Henna

Properties

Reference: Dravya - Substance, Rasa - Taste, Guna - Qualities, Veerya - Potency, Vipaka - Post-digesion effect, Karma - Pharmacological activity, Prabhava - Therepeutics.

Habit

Evergreen shrub

Identification

Leaf

Kind	Shape	Feature
Simple		Henna is a thorny evergreen shrub that can reach up to 6.0 m in heightThe leaves are divided into 3-6 toothed leaflets, with smaller leaflets in between

Flower

Type	Size	Color and composition	Stamen	More information
Unisexual	2-4cm long	Yellow	5-20	The fragrant flowers are whitish or pink to brick red and sit in a pyramid-shaped inflorescence

Fruit

Type	Size	Mass	Appearance	Seeds	More information
Simple	7–10 mm	The fruit is a blue-black berry		Single	{{{6}}}

List of Ayurvedic medicine in which the herb is used

• Maha Panchagavya ghrita

Mode of Propagation

Cuttings, Seeds

How to plant/cultivate

Seed - germinates best at temperatures around 25°c. Because of their hard seedcoats, the seeds have to be pre-germinated before sowing.

Commonly seen growing in areas

Warmer parts of South and North America, Meadows, Borders of forests and fields.

Photo Gallery

• 
• 
• 
• 

External Links

• Lawsonia inermis - From traditional use to scientific assessment
• Chemical Investigation of Lawsonia inermis L. Leaves from Afar Region, Ethiopia
• Lawsonia inermis on hennapage.com
• Lawsonia inermis on science alert.org