Healthy Henna, Mehndi Benefits, Usage, Research, Side Effects

Lawsonia inermis Linn. is an Ayurvedic herb used for the treatment of fever, dysuria, jaundice, ulcers, bleeding disorders and skin diseases. 

Latin Name- Lawsonia inermis Linn.
Family- Lythraceae

Names in different languages:
Hindi name – Mehandi
English name – Henna, Mignonette tree
Bengali name – Mehedi
Kannada name – Manjha
Malayalam name – Mailanchi
Telugu name – Gorintaka
Tamil name – Aivanam

Sanskrit Synonyms- Madayanti, Mallika, Modayani
Henna is a plant found and cultivated all over India, growing up to a height of 4-6 m. The plant is a native of Arabia and Persia.

Mehndi medicinal Properties:
Rasa (taste) – Tikta (Bitter), Kashaya (Astringent)
Guna (qualities) – Laghu (Light to digest), Ruksha (Dryness)
Vipaka- Katu (undergoes pungent taste after digestion)
Veerya (Potency) – Sheeta (Cold)
Effect on Tridosha – Kapha Pitta hara (reduces vitiated kapha and pitta dosha) , Kandughna (reduces itching sensation)

Part used- Leaf, flower, seeds
Dosage-
Fresh juice- 5-10 ml
Seed powder- 1-3 g

Chemical constituents:
The leaves of the plant Lawsonia inermis contain lawsone, coumarins, flavonoids, luteolin and its 7-O-glucoside, beta sitosterol- 3-O-glucoside. Tannin is found in all parts of the plant. The plant also contains gallic acid, glucose, mannitol and mucilage.

Uses of Madayantika:

• The paste of the leaves of Lawsonia inermis is applied over the localized area to get relief from headache, burning sensation of the extremities and pain in the joints of the body.
• The paste of madayantika plant is applied to get relief from localized swelling, tenderness and pain.
• Gargling is done using the decoction prepared from the leaves of Lawsonia inermis to get relief from pain in the throat region and oral cavity.
• Cold infusion of the fruits of the plant Lawsonia inermis is given in a dose of 50- 60 ml in divided dose to treat insomnia.
• The decoction of the flower of the plant is given in a dose of 40-50 ml in divided dose as a memory booster in persons suffering with low I.Q.
• The powder or paste of the seeds of the madayantika plant is given to treat diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome.
• The decoction of the leaves of the plant is given in a dose of 40-50 ml to treat various skin diseases.
• The fresh juice of the leaves is mixed with sugar candy and given in a dose of 10-15 ml to treat burning micturition and pus mixed urine.
• The cold infusion of the flowers is given in a dose of about 50-60 ml to treat fever.
• The paste of the leaves of Lawsonia inermis is applied locally to treat skin diseases and gonorrhea.
• Decoction from the bark of the plant is administered in patients suffering from jaundice and enlarged liver, in a dose of 50-60 ml in divided dose.
• The paste of the leaves is used for cosmetics- to color the hair, as a coloring agent to paint the hands and legs.
• Henna has been used since antiquity to dye skin, hair and fingernails, as well as fabrics including silk, wool and leather.

Indications and usage as per Ayurveda:
Laghu – light to digest
Rooksha – dry
Indicated in –
Kushta – skin diseases
Jwara – fever
Kandu – itching, pruritis
Daha –  burning sensation, as in gastritis, neuropathy, burning sensation in eyes etc
Raktapitta –Bleeding disorders such as nasal bleeding, heavy periods, etc
Kamala – Jaundice, Liver diseases
Raktatisara – Ulcerative colitis
Hrudroga – Cardiac disorders
Mutrakruchra – Dysuria
Bhrama – Delusion, Dizziness
Vrana – Ulcers, wounds

No adverse effects have been known about madayantika plant.

Formulations containing Madayantika:
Maha panchagavya Ghrita: This is an Ayurvedic medicine in Ghee form and is given in the treatment of Apasmara (Epilepsy), Unmada (Insanity), Arshas (Piles), Pandu (Anemia). It is also given in Snehana (oleation) karma before Panchakarma proceedures of Vamana and Virechana.

Dah-Hun hot water mix: Dah-Hun Hot Water Mix is used for the treatment of excess pitta in the body. It is a proprietary Ayurvedic medicine manufactured by Everest Ayurveda pharma, Thrissur, Kerala.
Various commercially available hair coloring cosmetic products contain madayantika as an ingredient.

Research articles on Madayantika:
Anti- ulcer potential of leaves: To evaluate antiulcer effects of aqueous, chloroform and ethanol extracts prepared from the henna leaves in rats employing the pylorus ligation and aspirin induced models. . The results indicated that aqueous, ethanol and chloroform extract significantly (p<0.001) decreased the volume of gastric acid secretions, free acidity and total acidity and ulcer index.

In vitro Anti- bacterial activity: The antibacterial activities of hexane, chloroform, methanol extracts of the leavesLawsonia inermis(Henna) was evaluated on bacterial strains like Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Streptococcus aureus , Streptococcus mutans , Micrococcus , Streptococcus salivarius , Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus gordonii. This study conclude that the methanol extract of leaf Lawsonia inermis showed more significant activity against all tested bacterial organisms than that of the hexane and chloroform extracts.

Anti microbial activity: The antimicrobial activity of Lawsonia inermis, Mimosa pudica, Cestrum diurnum and Solanum xanthocarpum was determined by agar disc diffusion method against five strains of microbes: Bacillus pumilus, Micrococcus luteus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeroginosa and Candida albicans. All the selected plants exhibited antimicrobialactivity but the degree of their potency varied.The results showed that Cestrum diurnum and Mimosa pudica showedmore antimicrobial activity as compared to Lawsonia inermis and Solanum xanthocarpum.

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Lythraceae
Genus: Lawsonia
Species: L. inermis