Henna beyond skin arts: literatures review

ABSTRACT

Henna is the dried and powdered leaf of Law Sonia inermis and is a natural dye for hair, nails and skin for body arts in Islamic and Hindu cultures. Recently, it has been widely used in western countries as temporary black henna tattoo. Different experimental in vitro studies showed many pharmacological effects of L. inermis. Topical pure henna is generally safe and well-tolerated in humans but oral and topical henna with additives like para-phenylenediamine have many side effects some of them life threatening. This review highlights pharmacological effectiveness and adverse effects of henna