Henna

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Henna
Henna (Lawsonia inermis), illustration

Henna ( Lawsonia inermis ), illustration

Systematics
Rosids
Eurosiden II
Order : Myrtle-like (Myrtales)
Family : Loosestrife family (Lythraceae)
Genre : Lawsonia
Type : Henna
Scientific name of the  genus
Lawsonia
L.
Scientific name of the  species
Lawsonia inermis
L.

The henna bush ( Lawsonia inermis , Syn .: Lawsonia alba (L.) Lam. , Lawsonia spinosa L. ) is the only plant species of the monotypic genus Lawsonia . It belongs to the subtribe Lagerstroemiinae and the tribe Nesaeeae within the loosestrife family (Lythraceae).

The genus was named after Isaac Lawson , who helped fund the first edition of Carl von Linné's Systema Naturae in 1735 . The henna is diverse and variable.

Surname

The plant was already well known to the Egyptians and Greeks . The Greeks called the bush or tree κύπρος ( kypros ) and made a fragrant oil from its flowers. The Romans adopted the Greek name and Pliny the Elder mentions the plant and its oil in his Naturalis historia under the name cypros . The henna oil was called oleum cyprinum by Pliny . In the Middle Ages, Middle Latin names such as Alcanna , Alchenna etc. Ä. in appearance.

In the past, however, the name Alkanna not only referred to Lawsonia inermis , but also the type of plant used for dye extraction called Alkanna tinctoria , the make-up root. The term Alkanna and the German name Henna , which is in use today , are both derived from the Arabic name ( Arabic الحناء, DMG al-ḥinnāʾ , Turkish kına ) her.

Plant description

Habit and leaves

Image of a henna in a garden in The Gambia
Young branches

It is a fragrant, deciduous shrub or small tree with stiff, broadly spreading branches that reach heights of 1.5 to 8 meters. Sometimes there are short shoots with spines on smaller branches , mostly the henna is unarmed ("defenseless", Latin : inermis ). The thin bark has a whitish to greyish-brown color.

The short-stalked leaves are arranged opposite one another on the branches. The smooth, entire, egg-shaped to elliptical, silvery-green, leathery leaves are pointed at both ends, 8 to 44 mm long and 2 to 20 mm wide. Stipules are missing.

Inflorescences, flowers and fruits

The main flowering period for the henna is from October to November, but it can bloom for most of the year. Many flowers stand together in terminal, large, sympodially branched, 3 to 22 cm long panicle inflorescences . The flower stalks are 2 to 3.5 mm long. The hermaphroditic, radially symmetrical , four-fold henna flowers are only a few millimeters in size and have different scents. The four sepals are yellowish-white. The four petals 3 to 4 mm long and 4 to 5 mm wide give the flowers a crumpled appearance; their color differs depending on the variety: whitish, yellow, pink ( Lawsonia inermis var. rubra ) and reddish ( Lawsonia inermis var. miniata ). The eight pairs of stamens are longer than the petals; the stamens are about 4 mm long. The single pale green pistil ends in a cephalic scar .

The spherical, approximately pea-sized capsule fruits are purple-black to blue-black in color and usually have a diameter of 4 to 8 (3 to 9) mm. They contain numerous pyramidal, soft seeds.

Chromosome number

The number of chromosomes is 2n = about 30–34.

Culture

It is unclear where the henna has its natural occurrence. But it only grows in warm zones or when heat is supplied. The soil should be dry to slightly damp or with good drainage. The henna needs a lot of light. It can be propagated with both seeds and cuttings and is resistant to pests. Wintering requires temperatures of at least 12 ° C, the henna cannot tolerate frost.

Henna bushes can be found outside the oasis plantations in many inner courtyards, where they are grown mainly because of the flowers, which give off a bewitching scent. The scent of the flowers has been valued in the Orient for thousands of years and used in perfumes (“Mohammed's favorite scent”).

use

Henna is grown in North and East Africa as well as in large parts of Asia. The leaves of the shrub are used to make henna powder, which in the western industrialized nations is mainly used to color hair . In the Islamic world and India, henna is mainly used to dye the hands and soles of the feet. The naturopathic use of the plant against infections and sleeping sickness has not yet been proven in clinically controlled, unequivocal tests on humans. Microbiological studies showed a germ-inhibiting effect.

Henna

Paintings with henna, applied for cosmetic and ritual purposes, have been known since ancient times. For example, mummies with henna paintings were found in Egypt . In India , the Middle East and North Africa, henna is still used today on festive days and celebrations such as weddings and circumcision for filigree body decorations on hands and feet (see Mehndi ). You can also use it to dye keratin-containing fabrics such as wool or silk . Ever since stars like Madonna first brought it into fashion in Western culture in the late 1990s, it has also been used to color the epidermis to create henna tattoos .

Extraction of henna

Henna powder

Henna is obtained from the dried and crushed or ground leaves of the henna bush ( Lawsonia inermis ). They are harvested by stripping them from the branches. In order to be able to use the red dye contained in the leaves, they must be dried in a dark, shady place (sunlight destroys the dye) and ground into powder.

Henna colors

Depending on the quality of the henna powder and the way it is used, the shade that can be achieved on skin and hair varies between light orange and dark mahogany red-brown.

However, under the term henna, mixtures with other coloring plant components that are supposed to color blonde, brown or black are very often offered, but they often hardly contain any henna. Since henna is considered in Germany as a hair dye, can and many henna products on the market are either synthetic dyes or stains (color enhancers like Natriumpikramat (Engl. Sodium picramate ) an aromatic nitroamino connection that can damage the genetic material) was added to a ensure fast and safe staining. These can be responsible for the allergenic effect of the products. Lawson henna dye itself is not a potent sensitizer. Both animal experiments to determine the sensitization capacity and tests on humans gave negative results with the pure dye. However, pure Lawson is not permitted in cosmetic products in Europe because it was toxic to the kidneys and blood formation in animal experiments and the mutagenicity and genotoxicity could not be ruled out. Particular caution is required with supposedly "blackening henna", as such mixtures can contain the substance PPD (p-phenylenediamine), which can trigger severe allergic reactions and lead to irreparable skin damage. The PPD is usually detected by coupling the HPLC with the mass spectrometry

Hand painted with henna

Application of henna

For coloring, the leaves of the henna must be pulverized and mixed with warm water. In the course of six to eight hours, henna then forms a permanent bond with substances containing protein such as skin, hair, wool or silk. The process of color creation is called “raising” in technical terms (see also Mehndi ). Additives such as wine or tea vary the color of the henna only slightly and not permanently. In the countries of North Africa and the Middle East, where henna is traditionally used, indigo is added to the henna to achieve a black color.

Ingredients and pharmacology

The reliable qualitative and quantitative determination of the ingredients can be carried out after appropriate sample preparation by coupling the HPLC with the mass spectrometry . The HPTLC with densitometric evaluation can be used to characterize the ingredients.

Structure of apiin, a glycosylated flavone

It could be shown that Lawson ( 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone , CI 75480) is the only coloring principle of the henna, the concentration of which in the plant is given as 0.5-1.5%. In addition to many other ingredients, there is also the glycoside Lawsoniaside (1,2,4-trihydroxynaphthalene-1,4-di-β- D -glucopyranoside), whose aglycon is Lawson. The carcinogenic effect, which Lawson was said to have at times, has since been refuted. Henna leaves also contain the compounds apigenin , luteolin , apigetrin, p- coumaric acid , 2-methoxy-3-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone and apiin , which, like HNQ, each have an antioxidant effect similar to that of vitamin C. . Due to the way it is grown in the countries of origin, parts of the henna plant can sometimes contain larger amounts of the prohibited pesticides lindane , DDT or DDE .

Extracts of the henna leaves, especially the dried leaves, are effective in laboratory tests against Staphylococcus aureus , Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa , as well as against trypanosomes . In contrast, the use of henna in people with a congenital G6PD deficiency can lead to life-threatening hemolysis .

Medicine and ethnobotany

The use of henna as a remedy for leprosy and other skin diseases as well as smallpox , chickenpox , abscesses and tumors dates back to ancient times and has been passed down to us by Arab doctors, among others. The henna herb for strengthening a wound could also be substituted with cinnamon powder according to the Circa instans .

The general knowledge of magical connections in the oriental countries is expressed in the age-old idea that henna protects against the " evil eye " and is reflected in the fact that the coloring of hands and feet is ritualized on all occasions that one assumes In this situation, people are particularly exposed to the malevolent forces of the "evil eye". This is the case with births, circumcisions, weddings, and death.

Trivia

The so-called neutral henna, i.e. the henna that does not color, is usually not henna, but in most cases consists of the powdered leaves of Senna italica (syn. Cassia obovata ), which belongs to the legume family.

Henna is sometimes used by drug traffickers to stretch hashish .

Web links

Commons : Henna ( Lawsonia inermis )  - album with pictures, videos and audio files
Commons : Henna  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Annette Korolnik-Andersch, Marcel Korolnik: The color henna. Arnoldsche Art Books, 2002, ISBN 3-89790-178-1 , p. 60.
  2. ↑ cypros. In: Karl Ernst Georges: Comprehensive Latin-German concise dictionary.
  3. ↑ " Cypros qualis esset et quemadmodum ex ea fieret oleum docuimus. " C. Plinius Secundus maior: Naturalis historia - Liber XXIII - Medicinae ex arboribus cultis .
  4. ^ Raja Tazi: Arabisms in German: lexical transfers from Arabic into German.
  5. ↑ Description in the Flora of Pakistan. (engl.).
  6. ^ Lawsonia inermis at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
  7. ↑ Henna
  8. ↑ Olga and Octavia Engelhardt: The henna bush. read on July 23, 2006.
  9. ↑ Kirsten Albrecht Llamas: Tropical Flowering Plants: A Guide to Identification and Cultivation. Timber-Press, 2003, ISBN 0-88192-585-3 , p. 249.
  10. ↑ NP Manandhar: Plants and People of Nepal. Timber Press, 2002, ISBN 0-88192-527-6 , p. 286.
  11. ^ SC Dey: Fragrant Flowers for Homes and Gardens, Trade and Industry. Abhinav Publications, 1997, ISBN 81-7017-335-3 , p. 15.
  12. ↑ Olga Engelhardt: Henna, not just a cosmetic. ( Memento of the original from May 15, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. inserted here on May 20, 2007.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.henna-und-mehr.de
  13. ↑ Aline Tauzin: Le henné art des femmes de Mauritanie. Paris 1998, p. 14.
  14. ↑ Björn M. Hausen, Martin Kaatz, Uta Jappe, Ulrike Stephan, Gunthram Heidbreder: Henna / p-phenylenediamine contact allergy: Serious dermatoses after henna tattoos . In: Deutsches Ärzteblatt . 98, Issue 27, July 6, 2001, p. A-1823.
  15. ↑ The scientific Committee on cosmetic products and non-food products intended for consumers (SCCS, 2004): Opinion concerning Lawsone Colipa No C146 , 2004, SCCNFP / 0798/04 (PDF; 236 kB).
  16. ↑ Björn M. Hausen, Martin Kaatz, Uta Jappe, Ulrike Stephan, Gunthram Heidbreder: Henna / p-phenylenediamine contact allergy: Serious dermatoses after henna tattoos . In: Deutsches Ärzteblatt. 98, Issue 27, July 6, 2001, pp. A-1822 / B-1564 / C-1449.
  17. ↑ A. Aktas Sukuroglu, D. Battal, S. Burgaz: Monitoring of Lawsone, p-phenylenediamine and heavy metals in commercial temporary black henna tattoos sold in Turkey. In: Contact Dermatitis. 76 (2), Feb 2017, pp. 89-95. PMID 27757963
  18. ^ A. Restivo, I. Degano, E. Ribechini, MP Colombini: Development and optimization of an HPLC-DAD-ESI-Q-ToF method for the determination of phenolic acids and derivatives. In: PLoS One. 9 (2), Feb 14, 2014, p. E88762. PMID 24551158
  19. ↑ FR Gallo, G. Multari, M. Giambenedetti, E. Federici: Chemical fingerprinting of Lawsonia inermis L. using HPLC, HPTLC and densitometry. In: Phytochem Anal. 19 (6), Nov-Dec 2008, pp. 550-559. PMID 18618473
  20. ↑ JP Forestier: Henné. Absorption de la lawsone par le cheveu. In: International Journal of Cosmetic Science . 4, 1982, pp. 153-174. doi: 10.1111 / j.1467-2494.1982.tb00311 .
  21. ↑ Snehals S. Phirke, Moitreyee Saha: An Overview on Lawsonia inermis L .: A natural plant dye. In: Bionano Frontier. 2013, 6 (2), pp. 181-184.
  22. ^ Yoshio Takeda, Majekodunmi O. Fatope: New Phenolic Glucosides from Lawsonia inermis. In: J. Nat. Prod. 51 (4), 1988, pp. 725-729, doi: 10.1021 / np50058a010
  23. ↑ D. Kirkland, D. Marzin: An assessment of the genotoxicity of 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, the natural dye ingredient of henna. In: Mutat Res . 537/2, 2003, pp. 183-199. PMID 12787822 .
  24. ↑ BR Mikhaeil et al: Antioxidant and immunomodulatory constituents of henna leaves. In: Journal of Nature Research C . 59, 2004, pp. 468–476 ( PDF , free full text). PMID 15813363 .
  25. ↑ H. Prosen et al.: Determination of some organochlorine compounds in herbal coloring agent henna (Lawsonia inermis) and in tea (Thea sinensis). In: Arh Hig Rada Toksikol . 56/1, 2005, pp. 1-7. PMID 15969202 .
  26. ↑ F. Aqil et al .: Effect of certain bioactive plant extracts on clinical isolates of beta-lactamase producing methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus. In: J Basic Microbiol. 45/2, 2005, pp. 106-114. PMID 15812867 .
  27. ↑ OA Habbal include: In vitro antimicrobial activity of Lawsonia inermis Linn (henna). A pilot study on the Omani henna. In: Saudi Med J. 26/1, 2005, pp. 69-72. PMID 15756356 .
  28. ↑ T. Okpekon et al.: Antiparasitic activities of medicinal plants used in Ivory Coast. In: J Ethnopharmacol . 90/1, 2004, pp. 91-97. PMID 14698515 .
  29. ↑ AN Kok et al: Henna (Lawsonia inermis Linn.) Induced haemolytic anaemia in siblings. In: Int J Clin Pract. 58/5, 2004, pp. 530-532. PMID 15206514 .
  30. ↑ Konrad Goehl : Observations and additions to the 'Circa instans'. In: Medical historical messages. Journal for the history of science and specialist prose research. Volume 34, 2015 (2016), pp. 69-77, here: p. 71.