A Phytopharmacological Review on Lawsonia inermis L.

Medicinal plants have very important place as they not only maintain the health and vitality of human beings and animals. India is the largest producer of medicinal plants and is rightly called the “Botanical Garden of the World”. The plant Lawsonia inermis L. (family- Lythraceae) commonly known as Henna or Mehndi is known for its cosmetic properties. This plant has relabeled that use of wildlife medicinal resources in the concern not only from conservation point of view but in the therapeutic point of view. Henna plant is a much branched glabrous shrub or small tree, cultivated for its leaves although stem bark, ischolar_mains, flowers and seeds have also been used in traditional medicine. The plant has been reported the various in-vitro and in-vivo studies to have antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, antimicrobial, immunostimulant, wound healing, analgesic, hepatoprotective, antiinflammatory, antiparasitic, antitrypanosomal, antioxidant, antifertility, tuberculostatic, anticancer, enzyme inhibitory, memory and behaviour effectiveness, antitrypanosomal, antisickling, antidiabetic, and many other properties. Henna, the potential medicinal plant is the unique source of various pharmacologically important compounds. This review gives a bird’s eye view mainly on the pharmacognostic characteristics, traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological actions of the plant.