What is henna?
By Chelsie Vandaveer
October 6, 2003
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In the tenth century BCE, King Solomon wrote of his peasant bride, a Shulamite, "My beloved is unto me as a cluster of henna in the vineyards of En-gedi." (Song of Songs 1:14, Masoretic Text) Fifteen hundred years later, the Prophet Mohammed said alhenna was "chief of the flowers of this world and the next". In 1183, Ibn Jubayr traveled to Mecca and wrote that he visited "...a mosque attributed to Abu Bakr the Faithful...and girt with a lovely garden having palm-trees, pomegranate and jujube trees, and we saw there hinna' trees." (Travels of Ibn Jubayr, translated R.J.C. Broadhurst, 1952, Jonathan Cape)
Since ancient times, henna or alhenna (Lawsonia inermis Linnaeus) was revered, a gift of nature. The terminal panicles of white to pink flowers are highly fragrant making the plant a desirable addition to the garden. The attar of the flowers is known as gulhina. According to Dr. M. Laiq Ahmed Khan, the scent of the flowers eases headaches caused by heat. ("Henna (Mehendi) is a Great Healer", Prophet's Medicine, Islamic Voice)
This large shrub is best known for the orange-brown dye, chemically known as lawsone, produced from its leaves. Ancient Egyptians are thought the first to use henna to cover gray hair and dye the skin and nails. Mixed with catechu (Acacia catechu) or indigo (Indigofera tinctoria) gave a greater range of colors.
The beauty conscious Egyptians used an ointment of henna to keep the limbs supple. Henna leaf extracts mixed with oil of roses and wax was recommended for massages to soothe backaches. The ointment may well have helped in the tropical sun. According to the Horticultural Department of Purdue, henna has the ability to block ultraviolet radiation. ("Henna", Horticultural and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University)
In Middle Eastern and Indian medicine, henna is used to treat skin irritations and infections; the extract shows antibacterial and antifungal activity and has a cooling effect on the skin.
Henna became its own art form, mehendi, and part of the celebration of life. Henna paste was and still is used in rituals of decorating the hands and body with temporary tattoos in commemoration of marriages, the birth of children, and religious festivals.
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia has a botanical drawing of henna and more information. To view the drawing and to learn more, click on the link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henna
The Henna Page is an educational resource devoted to the history, traditions, techniques, science and art of Henna, and is part of a site group devoted to Henna and related arts. To view The Henna Page, click on the link:
http://www.hennapage.com/
The Henna Page "Cultivation and Botany of Henna". To view the photographs and read the articles, click on the link:
http://www.hennapage.com/henna/encyclopedia/growing/
The Hindu, India's national newspaper, has a great article by Shanti Nanisetti on the use of mehendi (henna tattooing) in preparation for a wedding. To learn more about this ancient art, click on the link:
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2002/04/01/stories/2002040100270300.htm
killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~
Suggested Reading:
Is lavender more than just a fragrance? Weird Plants - March 27, 2003
What is cassie? Herbal Folklore - February 9, 2004
What primitive flower is the fragrance of love? Weird Plants - February 14, 2002
What is a sorrowful tree? What's in a Name? - October 19, 2001
What is myrrh? Herbal Folklore - July 23, 2001
Frankincense and the Lost City of Ubar Herbal Folklore - December 24, 2001
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Wollemi Pine
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Exclusively from National Geographic, this survivor from the age of the dinosaurs is one of the greatest living fossils discovered in the 20th century. The Wollemi pine is one of the world's oldest and rarest tree species, belonging to a 200-million-year-old plant family thought to have been extinct for more than two million years.
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Previously known only from fossil records, it was presumed extinct until a single tree was found in the Wollemi National Park, Australia, in 1994. Subsequent research discovered 100 adult trees that have survived in a single canyon in this wild and rugged area.
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