The Henna Plant

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The Henna Plant Lawsonia inermis
 
By Laurie Sloan
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• Outline
• The Henna Plant Lawsoina inermis
• The History of Henna
• Cultural significance
• Medicinal Henna
• How it is made Applied
• Henna Patterns Designs

 
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Family Name Lythraceae Botanical
name Lawsonia inermis Common Names Henna
(English) Mehndi, mendhi (Pakistan, Punjab)
Medi, mendi (Gujarat) Marithondi, maruthani
(Tamil) Mohuz (Kashmir) Mindi, bind
(Mundari)
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Lawsonia inermis
Lawsonia is named after Isaac Lawson, an
18th century Scottish army
doctor who was a friend of
Linnaeus. inermis means unarmed without
spines.
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Lawsonia inermis Characteristics
Henna is a small tree or large shrub, growing to
six meters high. It has lateral branches with
leaves that grow in pairs, two to four
centimeters. long. Henna is a juvenile plant for
the first two years.  The leaves do not have high
lawsone content, and the branches do not have
thorns. In mature plants, thorns develop at the
leaf buds during dormant phases.
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Leaves - used as a skin and hair dye and in
traditional medicine. They are almond-shaped,
tapering at the end attached to the tree.
Flowers - used in traditional medicine and oil
for perfumery. They are sweet-scented and
creamy-white in colour, in dense clusters at ends
of branches. Each flower has 4 greenish-yellow
petals, 4 sepals and 8 stamens.
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Lawsonia inermis, contains a red-orange pigment,
lawsone, the molecule of which is also known as
hennotannic acid.
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The History of Henna
Henna is native to the Middle East but was spread
to many other parts of the world by human
interaction. It became an important plant in
Muslim religion. With centuries of migration and
cultural interaction it is difficult to work out
where particular traditions began. But,
historians claim that henna has been used for at
least 5000 years both as a cosmetic and medicine.
The ritual painting and decorating of the human
body began in pre-history and henna as a tool for
this art was particularly prevalent in the
cultures of North Africa and the Middle East.
From here it possibly spread to South Asia.
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Over the centuries it has developed to become an
intricate art form rich in symbolism. Known in
South Asia as mehndi, it is used to celebrate
weddings, circumcisions and births. There are
numerous artifacts from Iraq, Palestine, Greece,
Egypt, Crete and Rome from 1400 BCE to 1AD that
show women with henna patterns on their hands.
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Cultural significance
Henna is not a sacred plant in South Asia, but it
does symbolise prosperity, fertility and
happiness. It plays an essential role in the
rites of womanhood and represents fortune,
seduction and beauty. It is widely used in a
variety of religious and ritualistic ceremonies
in South Asia, particularly by Muslims.
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It is mentioned in the Bible as "Camphire" in the
Song of Solomon, and was used by the Canaanite
women in pre-biblical times At weddings a
bride's hands are decorated with henna. The
bridegroom's name is frequently hidden in the
lacy patterns. If he discovers his initials on
the wedding night it will bring him luck, but if
he does not, it signifies that the bride will
dominate their relationship. It was also believed
that the bride's mother-in-law would love her
more the darker the dye was.
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Medicinal Henna
Henna is considered as an ancient herb of grace
and healing When Henna is applied to the skin,
its active elements provide cooling and
astringent action along with protection against
many surface fungi and bacteria. Henna can help
to lower body temperature to soothe headaches,
fevers, burning feet (which may be a B- Vitamin
deficiency).
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How it is made Applied
To create henna, the leaves are dried and ground
into a powder that is greenish-brown. When used
on skin, henna penetrates only the dead cells of
the stratum corneum. How long the paste is left
on the body affects the depth of penetration, and
the stain will last longer when fully absorbed in
thick skin.
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Henna Patterns Designs
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More Patterns
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References
http//www.hennapage.com http//www.mehendiworld.c
om/medicinal-uses-of-henna.htm http//www.naturale
xpressions.org/traditionalimages.html Monger, G.
2004. Marriage customs of the world. ABC-CLIO.
Santa Barbara, CA. Roome, L. Mehndi. The
timeless art of henna painting. St Martins
Press.