Neem plant !

                                                               Overview Information

Neem is a tree. The bark, leaves, and seeds are used to make medicine. Less frequently, the root, flower, and fruit are also used.

Neem leaf is used for leprosy, eyedisorders, bloody nose, intestinal worms, stomach upset, loss of appetite, skinulcers, diseases of the heart and bloodvessels (cardiovascular disease), fever, diabetes, gum disease (gingivitis), and liver problems. The leaf is also used for birth control and to cause abortions.

The bark is used for malaria, stomach and intestinal ulcers, skin diseases, pain, and fever.

The flower is used for reducing bile, controlling phlegm, and treating intestinal worms.

The fruit is used for hemorrhoids, intestinal worms, urinary tract disorders, bloody nose, phlegm, eye disorders, diabetes, wounds, and leprosy.

   
Neem twigs are used for cough, asthma, hemorrhoids, intestinal worms, low sperm levels, urinary disorders, and diabetes. People in the tropics sometimes chew neem twigs instead of using toothbrushes, but this can cause illness; neem twigs are often contaminated with fungi within 2 weeks of harvest and should be avoided.

The seed and seed oil are used for leprosy and intestinal worms. They are also used for birth control and to cause abortions.

The stem, root bark, and fruit are used as a tonic and astringent.

Some people apply neem directly to the skin to treat head lice, skin diseases, wounds, and skin ulcers; as a mosquito repellent; and as a skin softener.

Inside the vagina, neem is used for birth control.

Neem is also used as an insecticide.

How does it work?

Neem contains chemicals that might help reduce blood sugar levels, heal ulcers in the digestive tract, prevent conception, kill bacteria and prevent plaque formation in the mouth.

Uses & Effectiveness

Insufficient Evidence for

• Dental plaque. Early research suggests that applying neem leaf extract gel to the teeth and gums twice daily for 6 weeks might reduce plaque formation. It also might reduce the number of bacteria in the mouth that can cause plaque. However, using a mouth rinse containing neem extract for 2 weeks does not appear to reduce plaque or gingivitis.





• Insect repellant. Early research suggests that applying extract of neem root or leaf to the skin helps repels black flies. Also, applying neem oil cream to the skin seems to protect against some types of mosquitos. 
• Ulcers. Some research suggests that taking 30-60 mg of neem bark extract twice daily by mouth for 10 weeks helps heal stomach and intestinal ulcers.

Psoriasis. Early research suggests that taking neem extract by mouth for 12 weeks, along with daily sun exposure and the application of a coal tar and salicylic acid cream, reduces the severity of psoriasis symptoms in people.

  

• Fever.
• Upset stomach.
• Breathing conditions.
• Malaria.
• Worms.
• Head lice.
• Skin conditions and diseases.
• Heart disease.
• Diabetes.
• Birth control (contraception).
• Other conditions.

More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of neem for these uses.

Neem is best known for its anti-aging properties. Due to its antioxidant properties, neem protects the skin from harmful UV rays, pollution and other environmental factors. The vitamins and fatty acids in neem improve and maintain the elasticity of the skin, reduce wrinkles and fine lines. This make you and your skin look rejuvenated and youthful.

Neem is also beneficial in fighting against fungal infection. Its anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties keep the harmful bacteria and fungi at bay. Thus, it protects the skin and keeps the skin related diseases away.

 

Ayurveda, which follows the natural ways for treatment and medicine, has been using extracts of 

neem tree

 as a key ingredient, for good health and well being. Here are some of the herbal remedies, health benefits and magical properties of neem...

Neem Herbal Remedy and Benefit : One tree pharmacy

Not only in Ayurvedic medicines, neem tree extracts have been a part of many home remedies that Indians have been following since time immemorial. We use neem to treat hair and skin issues.

Neem Herbal Remedy and Benefit : Anti-fungal and anti-bacterial

Neem leaves are used to treat fungal and bacterial infections. They are used to treat warts as well as chicken pox. Either the paste is applied on the affected area or the person is made to bathe in neem water. It can also treat foot fungi.

Neem Herbal Remedy and Benefit : Insecticide

You can keep neem soaked cotton near your windows or burn neem leaves to ward off insects. It is extremely effective and is used to fight mosquito menace.

All about aloe vera plant !

Abstract

Aloe vera is a natural product that is now a day frequently used in the field of cosmetology. Though there are various indications for its use, controlled trials are needed to determine its real efficacy. The aloe vera plant, its properties, mechanism of action and clinical uses are briefly reviewed in this article.

Keywords: Aloe vera, health and beauty, skin

Introduction

The Aloe vera plant has been known and used for centuries for its health, beauty, medicinal and skin care properties. The name Aloe vera derives from the Arabic word “Alloeh” meaning “shining bitter substance,” while “vera” in Latin means “true.” 2000 years ago, the Greek scientists regarded Aloe vera as the universal panacea. The Egyptians called Aloe “the plant of immortality.” Today, the Aloe vera plant has been used for various purposes in dermatology.

History

Aloe vera has been used for medicinal purposes in several cultures for millennia: Greece, Egypt, India, Mexico, Japan and China.1 Egyptian queens Nefertiti and Cleopatra used it as part of their regular beauty regimes. Alexander the Great, and Christopher Columbus used it to treat soldiers’ wounds. The first reference to Aloe vera in English was a translation by John Goodyew in A.D. 1655 of Dioscorides’ Medical treatise De Materia Medica.2 By the early 1800s, Aloe vera was in use as a laxative in the United States, but in the mid-1930s, a turning point occurred when it was successfully used to treat chronic and severe radiation dermatitis.2

Plant

The botanical name of Aloe vera is Aloe barbadensis miller. It belongs to Asphodelaceae (Liliaceae) family, and is a shrubby or arborescent, perennial, xerophytic, succulent, pea- green color plant. It grows mainly in the dry regions of Africa, Asia, Europe and America. In India, it is found in Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

  

Anatomy

The plant has triangular, fleshy leaves with serrated edges, yellow tubular flowers and fruits that contain numerous seeds. Each leaf is composed of three layers: 1) An inner clear gel that contains 99% water and rest is made of glucomannans, amino acids, lipids, sterols and vitamins. 2) The middle layer of latex which is the bitter yellow sap and contains anthraquinones and glycosides. 3) The outer thick layer of 15–20 cells called as rind which has protective function and synthesizes carbohydrates and proteins. Inside the rind are vascular bundles responsible for transportation of substances such as water (xylem) and starch (phloem).3

Active components with its properties: Aloe vera contains 75 potentially active constituents: vitamins, enzymes, minerals, sugars, lignin, saponins, salicylic acids and amino acids.4–6

1. Vitamins: It contains vitamins A (beta-carotene), C and E, which are antioxidants. It also contains vitamin B12, folic acid, and choline. Antioxidant neutralizes free radicals.
2. Enzymes: It contains 8 enzymes: aliiase, alkaline phosphatase, amylase, bradykinase, carboxypeptidase, catalase, cellulase, lipase, and peroxidase. Bradykinase helps to reduce excessive inflammation when applied to the skin topically, while others help in the breakdown of sugars and fats.
3. Minerals: It provides calcium, chromium, copper, selenium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, sodium and zinc. They are essential for the proper functioning of various enzyme systems in different metabolic pathways and few are antioxidants.
4. Sugars: It provides monosaccharides (glucose and fructose) and polysaccharides: (glucomannans/polymannose). These are derived from the mucilage layer of the plant and are known as mucopolysaccharides. The most prominent monosaccharide is mannose-6-phosphate, and the most common polysaccharides are called glucomannans [beta-(1,4)-acetylated mannan]. Acemannan, a prominent glucomannan has also been found. Recently, a glycoprotein with antiallergic properties, called alprogen and novel anti-inflammatory compound, C-glucosyl chromone, has been isolated from Aloe vera gel.7,8
5. Anthraquinones: It provides 12 anthraquinones, which are phenolic compounds traditionally known as laxatives. Aloin and emodin act as analgesics, antibacterials and antivirals.
6. Fatty acids: It provides 4 plant steroids; cholesterol, campesterol, β-sisosterol and lupeol. All these have anti-inflammatory action and lupeol also possesses antiseptic and analgesic properties.
7. Hormones: Auxins and gibberellins that help in wound healing and have anti-inflammatory action.

Others: It provides 20 of the 22 human required amino acidsand 7 of the 8 essential amino acids. It also contains salicylic acid that possesses anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Lignin, an inert substance, when included in topical preparations, enhances penetrative effect of the other ingredients into the skin. Saponins that are the soapy substances form about 3% of the gel and have cleansing and antiseptic properties.                    

Mechanism of actions

1. Healing properties:Glucomannan, a mannose-rich polysaccharide, and gibberellin, a growth hormone, interacts with growth factor receptors on the fibroblast, thereby stimulating its activity and proliferation, which in turn significantly increases collagen synthesis after topical and oral Aloe vera.9 Aloe gel not only increased collagen content of the wound but also changed collagen composition (more type III) and increased the degree of collagen cross linking. Due to this, it accelerated wound contraction and increased the breaking strength of resulting scar tissue.10 An increased synthesis of hyaluronic acid and dermatan sulfate in the granulation tissue of a healing wound following oral or topical treatment has been reported.11
2. Effects on skin exposure to UV and gamma radiation: Aloe vera gel has been reported to have a protective effect against radiation damage to the skin.12,13 Exact role is not known, but following the administration of aloe vera gel, an antioxidant protein, metallothionein, is generated in the skin, which scavenges hydroxyl radicals and prevents suppression of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase in the skin. It reduces the production and release of skin keratinocyte-derived immunosuppressive cytokines such as interleukin-10 (IL-10) and hence prevents UV-induced suppression of delayed type hypersensitivity.14
3. Anti-inflammatory action: Aloe vera inhibits the cyclooxygenase pathway and reduces prostaglandin E2 production from arachidonic acid. Recently, the novel anti-inflammatory compound called C-glucosyl chromone was isolated from gel extracts.8

Effects on the immune system:Alprogen inhibit calcium influx into mast cells, thereby inhibiting the antigen-antibody-mediated release of histamine and leukotriene from mast cells.7 In a study on mice that had previously been implanted with murine sarcoma cells, acemannan stimulates the synthesis and release of interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor from macrophages in mice, which in turn initiated an immune attack that resulted in necrosis and regression of the cancerous cells.15 Several low-molecular-weight compounds are also capable of inhibiting the release of reactive oxygen free radicals from activated human neutrophils.16

1. Laxative effects:Anthraquinones present in latex are a potent laxative. It increases intestinal water content, stimulates mucus secretion and increases intestinal peristalsis.17
2. Antiviral and antitumor activity: These actions may be due to indirect or direct effects. Indirect effect is due to stimulation of the immune system and direct effect is due to anthraquinones. The anthraquinone aloin inactivates various enveloped viruses such as herpes simplex, varicella zoster and influenza.18 In recent studies, a polysaccharide fraction has shown to inhibit the binding of benzopyrene to primary rat hepatocytes, thereby preventing the formation of potentially cancer-initiating benzopyrene-DNA adducts. An induction of glutathione S-transferase and an inhibition of the tumor-promoting effects of phorbol myristic acetate has also been reported which suggest a possible benefit of using aloe gel in cancer chemoprevention.19,20
3. Moisturizing and anti-aging effect: Mucopolysaccharides help in binding moisture into the skin. Aloe stimulates fibroblast which produces the collagen and elastin fibers making the skin more elastic and less wrinkled. It also has cohesive effects on the superficial flaking epidermal cells by sticking them together, which softens the skin. The amino acids also soften hardened skin cells and zinc acts as an astringent to tighten pores. Its moisturizing effects has also been studied in treatment of dry skin associated with occupational exposure where aloe vera gel gloves improved the skin integrity, decreases appearance of fine wrinkle and decreases erythema.21 It also has anti-acne effect.
4. Antiseptic effect: Aloe vera contains 6 antiseptic agents: Lupeol, salicylic acid, urea nitrogen, cinnamonic acid, phenols and sulfur. They all have inhibitory action on fungi, bacteria and viruses.

Clinical uses: The clinical use of aloe vera is supported mostly by anecdotal data. Though most of these uses are interesting, controlled trials are essential to determine its effectiveness in all the following diseases.22,23

A. Uses based on scientific evidence:These uses have been tested in humans or animals. Safety and effectiveness have not always been proven.

Conditions: Seborrheic dermatitis,24psoriasis vulgaris,25,26 genital herpes,27,28 skin burns,5,29 diabetes (type 2),30 HIV infection,31 cancer prevention,32,33 ulcerative colitis34wound healing (results of aloe on wound healing are mixed with some studies reporting positive results35and others showing no benefit36 or potential worsening37,38 ), pressure ulcers,36 mucositis,39 radiation dermatitis,40 acne vulgaris,41 lichen planus,42 frostbite,43 aphthous stomatitis,44 and constipation.17

B. Uses based on tradition or theory:The below uses are based on tradition or scientific theories. They often have not been thoroughly tested in humans, and safety and effectiveness have not always been proven.

Conditions: Alopecia, bacterial and fungal skin infections, chronic leg wounds, parasitic infections, systemic lupus erythematosus, arthritis and tic douloureux.

Side effects

Topical: It may cause redness, burning, stinging sensation and rarely generalized dermatitis in sensitive individuals. Allergic reactions are mostly due to anthraquinones, such as aloin and barbaloin. It is best to apply it to a small area first to test for possible allergic reaction.

Oral: Abdominal cramps, diarrhea, red urine, hepatitis, dependency or worsening of constipation. Prolonged use has been reported to increase the risk of colorectal cancer. Laxative effect may cause electrolyte imbalances (low potassium levels).

Contraindication: Contraindicated in cases of known allergy to plants in the Liliaceae family.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding: Oral aloe is not recommended during pregnancy due to theoretical stimulation of uterine contractions, and in breastfeeding mothers, it may sometime causes gastrointestinal distress in the nursing infant.

Interactions: Application of aloe to skin may increase the absorption of steroid creams such as hydrocortisone. It reduces the effectiveness and may increases the adverse effects of digoxin and digitoxin, due to its potassium lowering effect. Combined use of Aloe vera and furosemide may increase the risk of potassium depletion. It decreases the blood sugar levels and thus may interact with oral hypoglycemic drugs and insulin.

Thus, though Aloe vera has wide spectrum of the properties and uses, some of them could be myths and some of them could be real magic. In future, controlled studies are required to prove the effectiveness of Aloe vera under various conditions.

All about Henna plant !

Content:

1. Introduction 
2. Characteristics 
3. Natural History
4. Evolution 
5. Use
6. Tips to grow  Henna plant 

Alternative Title: Lawsonia inermis

Henna, Tropical shrub or small tree (Lawsonia inermis) of the loosestrifefamily, native to northern Africa, Asia, and Australia, and the reddish-brown dye obtained from its leaves. The plant bears small opposite leaves and small, fragrant, white to red flowers. In addition to being grown for its dye, it is used as an ornamental.

Characteristics 

Lawsonia inermis, of the family Lythraceae and native to northeastern Africa, is the henna of commerce, yielding an orange-red dye that has been used for centuries in the Middle East and East Asia for colouring the hair, fingernails, and soles of the feet. The leaves contain a substance that reacts directly with the keratin of human hair and skin to form the bright pigment. Chemically altered henna is now used as the base for a wide array of hair colorants. Tannins for tanning hides are extracted from the bark and foliage of the Australian Eucalyptus astringens and from the fruits (myrobalans) of Terminalia chebula.

Lagerstroemia indica (crepe myrtle), from family Lythraceae, originating in tropical Asia and Australia, is a popular garden shrub or tree widely cultivated for its beautiful pink, purple, or white flowers arranged into panicles and for its smooth gray bark. Species of Quisqualis and Terminalia catappa (Indian almond), the former a liana and the latter a tree, are also cultivated in the tropics.

Other horticulturally important plants in Myrtales include species of Eucalyptus, myrtle, Chamaelaucium unicatum (Geraldton waxflower), Callistemon (bottlebrush), Feijoa, and several horticultural hybrids of Leptospermum.

Eucalyptus has six subgroups that are derived from six different bark types: peppermints, with fibrous bark; stringbarks, with stringlike fibrous bark; boxes, with rough bark; bloodwoods, with rough scaly bark; gums, with smooth bark; and ironbarks, with hard bark.

Melastomataceae contains Tibouchina organensis (glory bush), with its striking purple to violet flowers and purple anthers, often cultivated outdoors in the southeastern United States and elsewhere in the warm tropics. Some of the more beautiful greenhouse plants of Melastomataceae are Medinilla magnifica, whose purple flowers are arranged in pendulous panicles up to one foot long and subtended by pink bracts 2.5–10 cm (1–4 inches) long, and various species of Bertolonia, Monolena, and Sonerila, which are cultivated for their interesting foliage.

Herbaceous annuals or perennials of Onagraceae, such as those found in Oenothera (evening primroses), are popular cultivated ornamentals in which the scented flowers open in the evening. Another ornamental in the family is Clarkia amoena(Godetia). The shrubby Fuchsia is a cultivated plant familiar throughout the world for its showy flowers in delicate, usually pendulous inflorescences. The flowers generally are in shades of red and purple, with some parts white. The calyx tube (hypanthium) is bell-shaped to tubular and prolonged beyond the ovary. The four calyx lobes remain free and spreading; in some species the petals are lost.

Natural History

In general, the flowers of Myrtales are adapted for pollination by animals, because they frequently provide abundant nectar or pollen and are shaped so as to facilitate pollen deposition on the stigma while the animals forage on these foods. A highly specialized mechanism for promoting outcrossing is widespread in Lythraceae, where members of Lythrum, Decodon (swamp loosestrife), and Nesaea have three flower forms on different plants (trimorphism); plants with two flower forms (dimorphic) are known in Rotala (toothcup) and in Lythrum. As such, the style and stamens of a flower differ in length, and the pollen of the different stamen whorls differ in size and chemical characteristics, as do the stigmatic papillae. Only pollinations between anthers and stigmas of the same height (necessarily from different plants) result in the production of seed. The pollen from the different anther levels is carried on different places on the bees and butterflies that visit the flowers for the nectar and thus effect the obligate cross-pollination. Although Lythraceae flowers normally open when mature, the opposite condition, of mature flowers remaining closed (cleistogamy), occurs in Ammannia and is thought to occur in the apetalous species of Rotala, Lythrum, and Nesaea.

Most species of Combretaceae are pollinated by insects, although some are pollinated by birds. This is also true of the Onagraceae family—e.g., Fuchsia and some evening primroses and Epilobium (willow herbs) species are bird-pollinated. In addition, some species of Epilobiumhave many small-flowered largely self-pollinated species. The transfer of pollen in Myrtaceae is usually accomplished by insects, chiefly bees, and to a lesser extent by moths and butterflies. Some species of Eucalyptus and Metrosideros are visited for nectar and pollinated by birds, especially honey eaters. Memecylaceae and most Melastomataceae species have nectarless flowers adapted to pollination by pollen-collecting bees. In many members of Melastomataceae, the stamens bear conspicuous, often yellow appendages and may be of two lengths or different colours; it is not clear whether these elaborations have a function in the pollination mechanism beyond that of enhancing the visual attractiveness of the flowers and making the stamens easier for the bees to grasp. Some 80 species in perhaps 11 genera of the family Melastomataceae offer nectar as a reward to pollinators; they are pollinated by hummingbirds, bats, and rodents, as well as by bees and wasps. Flowers of Trapa (family Trapaceae) are predominantly self-pollinated, and those of the other small families of the order are pollinated by birds (some Penaeaceae) or insects (Alzateaceae, Crypteroniaceae, and Rhynchocalycaceae). Sonneratia is pollinated by bats and hawk moths. The pollinating mechanisms of Oliniaceae are not completely known.

Seed dispersal in the order is by wind, water, or animals, depending on whether the fruits are dry and capsular or fleshy—both types often occur within the same family. Melastomataceae and Myrtaceae berries, particularly those from underlying low-growth vegetation in forests, are important food for birds; their seeds are viable after passing through the gut. Seeds of many members of Lythraceae and Combretaceae are well suited to water dispersal by means of winglike expansions of the seed coat or by buoyant airy tissues on the outer seed coat. Some seeds of Terminalia(family Combretaceae) are able to float for several months in seawater without adverse effects on germination.

In some members of Melastomataceae, such as Maieta, Tococa, and certain Clidemia, the leaf bases develop saclike outgrowths that serve as shelters for ants, which enter them through two small holes on the lower surface. The ants protect the leaves from herbivores such as caterpillars, which they kill or drive away.

Evolution

Among fossil flowers and fruits fromú the Maastrichtian Stage (70.6 to 65.5 million years ago) of the late Cretaceous Period, Myrtales species are especially well represented, and pollen of the Myrtaceae family has been reported from the Santonian Stage (85.8 to 83.5 million years ago). Even aquatic plants in the order, such as Decodon (family Lythraceae), are represented among fossils from late in the Paleocene Epoch (65.5 to 55.8 million years ago) of the Paleogene Period. Thus, the families of Myrtales, as they are now defined, were probably all in existence by Tertiary times, and their common ancestors existed in Gondwanabefore the separation of South America from Africa during the Jurassic Period (199.6 to 145.5 million years ago).

Molecular information has yet to convincingly identify close relatives of Myrtales within the Rosids, but DNA sequence analyses suggest that the order may be closest to Sapindales, Brassicales, and Malvalesin the Rosid II group. Myrtales is composed of two major lineages. The first includes Combretaceae, Lythraceae, and Onagraceae, and the second contains the remaining eight families. Lythraceae and Onagraceae are particularly closely related in the first lineage. Within the second lineage, the large tropical families Myrtaceae and Melastomataceae, with related smaller families, form two separate evolutionary lines. A cluster of five small families, Alzateaceae, Oliniaceae, Penaeaceae, Rhynchocalycaceae, and Crypteroniaceae, forms a closely related assemblage near Melastomataceae and Memecylaceae. Of these five, the three African families—Oliniaceae, Penaeaceae, Rhynchocalycaceae—are closely related. Two other African families, Heteropyxidaceae and Psiloxylaceae, also form a closely related assemblage but near Myrtaceae and Vochysiaceae.

Uses of the Henna plant

Henna has been used since the Bronze Age to dye skin (including body art), hair, fingernails, leather, silk and wool. In several parts of the world it is traditionally used in various festivals and celebrations. There is mention of henna as a hair dye in Indian court records around 400CE,^[2] in Rome during the Roman Empire, and in Spain during Convivencia.^[3] It was listed in the medical texts of the Ebers Papyrus (16th c BCE Egypt)^[4] and by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (14th c CE (Syria and Egypt) as a medicinal herb.^[5] In Morocco, wool is dyed and ornamented with henna, as are drumheads and other leather goods

Muslims also use henna as a dye for their hair and for the beards of males--following the tradition of their Prophet Muhammad, who used to dye his beard with henna. It's considered a "sunnah" and akin to something fortunate/good. In one narration by him, he encouraged Muslim women to dye their nails with henna so their hands can be distinguished as feminine & from the hands of a male. Hence you will see this tradition greatly in the Middle East and Africa where women apply henna to their finger and toe nails, as well as their hands^{[citation needed]}.

'Mehndi is the application of henna as a temporary form of skin decoration in India. The word mehndi is derived from the Sanskrit word mendhikā.^[6] The use of mehndi and turmeric is described in the earliest Vedic ritual books. Haldi(Staining oneself with turmeric paste) as well as mehndi are important Vedic customs as a symbolic representation of the Outer and the Inner Sun^{[citation needed]}. Vedic customs are meant to awaken the "inner light" and so the gold of the inner Sun has an important symbolic function^{[citation needed]}.

Traditional mehndi designs draw the sun on the palm, which in this context represents the mind. Mehndi decorations became fashionable in the West in the late 1990s, where they are sometimes called henna tattoos. Henna is typically applied during special occasions like weddings and Hindu festivals like Karva Chauth, Diwali, Bhaidooj and Teej. In some Hindu festivals, every woman tries to have Henna done on her hands and feet. It is usually drawn on the palms and feet, where the color will be darkest because the skin contains higher levels of keratin which binds temporarily to lawsone, the colorant of henna. Henna was originally used as a form of decoration mainly for brides.

Various uses have been reported for different parts of the Henna plant^[1]:

Root	Leprosy, skin diseases, amenorrhoea, dysmenorrhoea and premature greying of hair
Leaves	Diuretic, expectorant, anti-inflammatory, liver tonic, haematinic, wound, ulcers, cough, bronchitis, burning sensation, diarrhoea, dysentery, leprosy, leucoderma, scabies, boils, anemia, hemorrhages, amenorrhoea, falling of hair, greyness of hair, jaundice
Flowers	Burning sensation, cardiopathy, amentia, insomnia, fever
Seeds	Intellect promoting, constipating, intermittent fevers, insanity, amentia, diarrhoea, dysentery and gastropathy

The primary active ingredient of Henna which gives it its color is the compound 

Tips To Grow Henna Plant At Home

Henna, Lawsonia inermis, is a small desert tree. But, you can grow the henna plant in your home as well. It is generally an outdoor plant. If you prefer to keep it indoors, then make sure that you place it where there is direct sunlight falling on the plant. This is because the henna plant grows well in hot climate.

If you are interested in growing henna plant in your home garden, then check out these steps which will make your task easier. Plant it outdoors: Even though you may grow henna plant indoors with the assurance of direct sunlight, it is always preferred to grow it outdoors. This is because henna plants grow better in hot climates. The minimum temperature needed for a henna plant to grow and nourish well is 22ºC.

 Propagation from seeds: Sow the seeds in soil, which is commonly having the characteristics suitable for planting cactus. Sow the seeds in a pot, and keep it in direct sunlight. You may transfer it to the ground after the process of germination.

Propagation from stem: Stem cuttings are commonly used to plant a henna plant. Cut the stem at the node and insert it to a few centimetres down into the ground or into the pot. Remember to keep some leaves above the surface. 

Watering cycle: It is recommended to keep a well-drained soil for the proper growth of the henna plant. Allowing the soil to get dried in between each watering cycle will allow the plants to grow well. Generally, watering is needed only when the soil is dry. 

Trim it: Most people want to keep henna plant in a bushy state instead of allowing it to grow into a small tree. Keeping it bushy will provide more leaves. Trimming the plant will help you to keep your henna plant bushy. 

Pest control: It is important to keep your henna plant free from the attack of pests. Powder with cat flea powder or spray it with pet flea spray if your henna gets aphids or scale. If your henna plant drops its leaves due to pests, try to trim those stems and give it a fresh start.

Fertilizers: Applying fertilizers will help you to get a good leaf supply. You may use the leaves of the plants for making dye once the plant starts to produce thorns. You may use fertilizers by mixing with water or mixing with soil.