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Description
Henna, or Mehndi as it is called in Hindi, is a symbol of festivity in India. It is especially associated with marriage in north India.
Henna is a tall shrub or small tree, standing 6-25 ft tall. It is hairless and multi-branched, with spine-tipped branchlets.
The leaves grow opposite each other on the stem.
They are hairless, nearly-stalkless, elliptical, and lance shaped, tapering, and have depressed veins on the underside. Henna flowers have four sepals and a 2 mm sepal-cup tube, with 3 mm spread sepals.
Its petals are ovate, with white or red stamens. Henna fruits are small, brownish capsules, 4-8 mm in diameter.
Uses
Medicinal-Henna a well knownethnomedicinal plant used cosmetically and medicinally in the Indian traditional folk medicines for thousand years.
Root is used as abortifacient, to treat leprosy, skin diseases, dysmenorrhoea and premature greying of hair.
The leaves are used as an astringent or as a prophylactic against skin diseases and the bark is useful in the treatment of jaundice, enlargement of the spleen, calculus affection and skin diseases
The paste of ground leaves has been used to colour skin, hair, fingernails, leather, silk and wool. The flowers and fruits are used in perfumery.