Henna

Henna is a tall shrub or small tree with spine-tipped branchlets and opposite, elliptical leaves, native to northern and eastern Africa, Asia and northern Australia. Wikipedia notes that Linnaeus named the genus for the Scottish physician Isaac Lawson. Kynes describes small white, yellowish or rose flowers in pyramidal clusters, followed by round capsules that turn brown. A dull orange to dark red dye has been taken from it for centuries, used on hair, beards and even horses' manes in the Middle East and India. Applied to the body, it was said to bring good luck and to guard against the evil eye. Garlands of the flowers are used in Hindu ceremonies and as temple offerings, and in Syria it belonged to fertility and marriage rituals. Muslims use it for festivals and for marriage, birth and circumcision. It has been found on the fingernails and feet of Egyptian mummies. Cunningham says it is placed on the forehead for headache, worn near the heart to attract love, and used against illness and the evil eye. Kynes warns that a henna tattoo lasts several weeks.