544 
A'otes  on  Henna. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharni. 
August,  1920. 
indeed  been  neglected,  this  prompted  the  research  in  hterature, 
analysis  and  experimentation  contained  in  this  paper. 
The  word  "Henna,"  which  means  "to  become  queen"  is  indica- 
tive of  something  highly  elegant. 
The  drug  known  as  "Henna"  is  derived  from  the  plant  Lawsonia 
inermis,  Fam.  Lythraceae.  Some  botanists  recognize  but  one  species, 
the  L.  alha  with  two  varieties,  L.  inermis  and  L.  spinosa;  others 
indicate  the  fact  that  the  young  Henna  plants  are  devoid  of  spines 
while  the  older  plants  have  branchlets  which  have  hardened  into 
spines  and  so  belong  to  the  same  variety  of  Lawsonia.  Ligusturum 
Egypticum  is  a  latinized  English  synonym  for  Henna,  arising  from 
the  common  name  for  the  same  in  England,  that  of  Egyptian 
Privet.  This  synonym  is  quite  erroneous  since  it  places  the  L.  inermis 
in  the  group  of  Privets  to  which  it  does  not  belong. 
Henna  assumes  quite  a  variety  of  names  according  to  the  country 
in  which  this  plant  grows.  In  Persia,  it  is  known  as  "Henna,"  in 
Egypt  the  plant  is  called  "Khenna,"  in  Arabia  it  is  known  as 
"Alkhenna,"  in  India  it  is  called  "Mendeed"  and  in  the  West  Indies 
where  the  plant  has  been  naturalized,  it  is  known  as  "Jamaica 
Mignonette." 
L.  inermis  is  of  a  slender  shrubby  nature,  from  about  eight  to 
eleven  feet  in  height,  bearing  smooth,  opposite,  lance-shaped  leaves, 
with  entire  margins.  The  flowers  are  small  and  white,  with  four 
petals  and  are  devoid  of  panicles.  They  possess  a  very  pleasing 
odor.  The  drug  on  the  market  consists  of  the  leaves  and  twigs  of 
L.  inermis  and  is  of  ancient  repute  as  a  cosmetic  and  active  medicinal 
agent  in  the  countries  to  which  it  is  indigenous. 
The  primordial  use  of  Henna  appears  to  have  been  more  a  matter 
of  hygiene  than  that  of  augmenting  beauty.  The  aqueous  in- 
fusion of  the  leaves  applied  to  the  external  surfaces  of  the  body 
was  used  as  a  prophylactic  against  certain  skin  diseases  which 
are  quite  prevalent  in  the  eastern  tropical  and  semi-tropical  countries. 
Another  property  of  this  infusion  was  said  to  be  that  of  producing  a 
cooling  sensation  to  the  part  applied,  acting  gently  on  the  sweat- 
glands,  reducing  their  activity,  benefiting  both  health  and  comfort. 
The  root  of  the  henna  plant  was  upheld  as  a  specific  in  leprosy  and 
also  in  drying  up  certain  ulcers  of  the  mouth  and  gums.  The  flowers 
of  the  plant  are  still  used  in  preparing  a  delicate  highly  esteemed 
perfume  of  the  East  said  to  be  equal  in  aroma  to  our  lilac.  The  fruit 
is  claimed  to  be  an  emmenagogue. 
