Lawsonia Inermis – from Traditional Use to Scientific Assessment
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The African Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacy AJPSP 2:1, 145-165, April 30, 2011 Lawsonia inermis – From Traditional Use to Scientific Assessment Inder K. Makhija*1, D.R. Dhananjaya2, Vijay Kumar S1, Raviraj Devkar1, Devang Khamar1, Nishant Manglani3 and Sandeep Chandrakar3 1Department of Pharmacognosy, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal University, Manipal-576 104, Karnataka 2Department of Pharmacology, Mallige College of Pharmacy, Banglore-560 090, Karnataka. 3Department of Pharmacognosy, JSS College of Pharmacy, Ooty-643 001, TamilNadu. *Corresponding author email: [email protected] ABSTRACT The world is endowed with a rich heritage of medicinal plants. The use of medicinal agents presumably predates the earliest recorded history. Medicinal plants are widely used by traditional practitioners for various ailments. Lawsonia inermis (Lythraceae) commonly known as ‘Henna’ is a well-known plant used in Indian medicine. Various parts of this plant have been used in traditional Indian medicine. The plant has a wide range of phytochemicals including lawsone, isoplumbagin lawsoniaside, lalioside, lawsoniaside B, syringinoside, daphneside, daphnorin, agrimonolide 6-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, (+)-syringaresinol O-β-D-glucopyranoside, (+)-pinoresinol di-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, syringaresinol di-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, isoscutellarin3β, hennadiol, (20S)-3β, 30-dihydroxylupane, lawnermis acid, 3-methyl-nonacosan-1-ol, laxanthones I, II, III and lacoumarin. Various in-vitro and in-vivo studies of L. inermis have reported the plant to have antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, antiviral, anticancer, antidiabetic, tuberculostatic, anti- inflammatory, antifertility and wound healing properties. This review discusses the botany, traditional use, phytochemistry and pharmacological data of the plant. KEYWORDS: Traditional uses, Phytochemical, Pharmacology, Lawsonia inermis AJPSP 2011; 2:1 Makhija et al Page 145 African Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacy 2011;2:1 INTRODUCTION Henna grows better in tropical savannah and tropical arid zones, in latitude between 15° and 25° N and S, produces highest dye content in In the past, medicinal plants were temperature between 35-45°C. The optimal soil used intensively in folkloric medicine for temperature range for germination is 25-30°C. treatment of various disorders. Today, it is Henna leaves are very popular natural dye to estimated that about 80 % of people in colour hand, finger, nails and hair. The dye developing countries rely on traditional molecule, lawsone is the chief constituents of the medicines for their primary health care. plant; its highest concentration is detected in the Traditional medicines are becoming petioles (0.5-1.5 %). In folk medicines, henna has popular, due to high toxicity and adverse been used as astringent, anti-hemorrhagic, effects of orthodox medications. This has intestinal antineoplastic, cardio-inhibitory, led to the sudden increase in the number of hypotensive, sedative and also as therapeutic herbal industries in the drug market. Several against amoebiasis, headache, jaundice and plant species are used by various leprosy (10-11). indigenous systems such as Siddha, Ayurveda, Unani and Allopathy for the treatment of different ailments (1-7). This MORPHOLOGY review emphasizes the traditional uses and biological properties of Lawsonia inermis. Lawsonia inermis is a glabrous branched shrub or small tree (2 to 6 m in height). Leaves Lawsonia inermis Linn (Lythraceae) are small, opposite, entire margin elliptical to is a perennial plant commonly known as broadly lanceolate, sub-sessile, about 1.5 to 5 cm Henna, having different vernacular names long, 0.5 to 2 cm wide, greenish brown to dull in India viz., Mehndi in Hindi, Mendika, green, petiole short and glabrous acute or obtuse Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences of and Pharmacy Sciences Pharmaceutical Journal Rakigarbha in Sanskrit, Mailanchi in apex with tapering base. New branches are green Malayalam, Muruthani in Tamil, Benjati in in colour and quadrangular, turn red with age. Oriya, Mayilanchi in Kannada and Mehedi Young barks are greyish brown, older plants have African in Bengali (8). It is native to North Africa spine-tipped branchlets (Fig. 1). Inflorescence has and South East Asia, and often cultivated as large pyramid shaped cyme. Flowers are small, an ornamental plant throughout India, numerous, aromatic, white or red coloured with AJPSP: Persia, and along the African coast of the four crumbled petals. Calyx has 0.2 cm tube and Mediterranean Sea (9). 0.3 cm spread lobes. The fruits are small, brown globose capsule, opening irregularly and split into four sections with a permanent style. Seeds have typical, pyramidal, hard and thick seed coat with brownish coloration (12-14). AJPSP 2011; 2:1 Makhija et al Page 146 African Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacy 2011;2:1 Figure 1: Morphology of Lawsonia inermis plant Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences of and Pharmacy Sciences Pharmaceutical Journal African ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY the Indian traditional folk medicines is well documented. Table 1 indicates the use of different AJPSP: Lawsonia inermis is a well known ethnomedicinal plant used cosmetically and parts of L. inermis in traditional system of medicinally for over 9,000 years. Its use in medicines. AJPSP 2011; 2:1 Makhija et al Page 147 African Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacy 2011;2:1 Table 1: Ethnomedicinal uses of different parts of L. inermis Plant Parts Traditional Uses (as/in) Root Bitter, depurative, diuretic, emmenagogue, abortifacient, burning sensation, leprosy, skin diseases, amenorrhoea, dysmenorrhoea and premature greying of hair (15). Leaves Bitter, astringent, acrid, diuretic, emetic, edema, expectorant, anodyne, anti- inflammatory, constipating, depurative, liver tonic, haematinic, styptic, febrifuge, trichogenous, wound, ulcers, strangury, cough, bronchitis, burning sensation, cephalalgia, hemicranias, lumbago, rheumatalgia, inflammations, diarrhoea, dysentery, leprosy, leucoderma, scabies, boils, hepatopathy, splenopathy, anemia, hemorrhages, hemoptysis, fever, ophthalmia, amenorrhoea, falling of hair, greyness of hair, jaundice (15-18). Flowers Cardiotonic, refrigerant, soporific, febrifuge, tonic, cephalalgia, burning sensation, cardiopathy, amentia, insomnia, fever (15). Seeds Antipyretic, intellect promoting, constipating, intermittent fevers, insanity, amentia, diarrhea, dysentery and gastropathy (15). Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences of and Pharmacy Sciences Pharmaceutical Journal PHYTOCHEMISTRY OF L. inermis are napthoquinone derivatives, phenolic compounds, terpenoids, sterols, aliphatic African INERMIS derivatives, xanthones, coumarin, fatty acids, amino acids and other constituents. Phytochemicals reported in L. inermis L. are listed Much work is done in the field AJPSP: in (Table 2), with their structures in (Fig. 2). of phytochemical investigation of the plant. The chemical constituents isolated from L. AJPSP 2011; 2:1 Makhija et al Page 148 African Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacy 2011;2:1 Table 2: Phytochemicals found in various parts of L. inermis Compounds Plant Parts References Napthoquinone derivatives (19) Lawsone (2-hydroxy 1,4-naphthoquinone) Leaves 1,3-dihydroxy naphthalene, 1,4-napthaquinone, 1,2-dihydroxy-4- Leaves (20) glucosylnaphthalene Isoplumbagin Stem bark (21) Phenolic conpounds Lawsoniaside (1,3,4-trihydroxynaphthalene 1,4-di-β-D-gluco-pyronoside), Bark, Leaves (22,23) Lalioside (2,3,4,6-tetrahydroxyacetoxy-2-β-D-glucopyranoside) Lawsoniaside B (3-(4-O-a-D-glucopyranosyl-3,5-dimethoxy) phenyl-2E- propenol), syringinoside, daphneside, daphnorin, agrimonolide 6-O-β-D- glucopyranoside, (+)-syringaresinol O-β-D-glucopyranoside, (+)- pinoresinol di-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, syringaresinol di-O-β-D- glucopyranoside, isoscutellarin Terpenoids 3β, 30-dihydroxylup-20(29)-ene (hennadiol), (20S)-3β, 30- Bark, Seeds (24, 25) dihydroxylupane, Lupeol, 30-nor-lupan-3β-ol-20-one, betulin, betulinic acid, lawnermis acid (3β-28β-hydroxy-urs-12,20-diene-28-oic acid) and its methyl ester Sterols Lawsaritol ( 24β-ethycholest-4-en-3β-ol) Roots, Leaves (26) Stigmasterol and β-sitosterol Aliphatic constituents 3-methyl-nonacosan-1-ol, n-tricontyl n-tridecanoate Stem bark (27, 28) Xanthones Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences of and Pharmacy Sciences Pharmaceutical Journal Laxanthone I (1,3 dihydroxy-6,7 dimethoxy xanthone), Laxanthone II (1- Whole plant (29,30) hydroxy-3,6 diacetoxy-7-methoxyxanthone), Laxanthone III ( 1-hydroxy- 6-acetoxy xanthone) African Coumarins Lacoumarin (5-allyoxy-7-hydroxycoumarin) Whole plant (31) Flavonoids Apigenin-7-glucoside, apigenin-4-glycoside, luteolin-7-glucoside, luteolin- Leaves (32) AJPSP: 3-glucoside Essential oil -(Z)-2-hexenol, linalool, α ionone, β ionone, α-terpineol, terpinolene, δ-3- Leaves (33, 34) carene and γ-terpineol Other chemical constituents Hennotannic acid, glucose, gallic acid, amino acid Whole plant (35) Trace metal – Cu, Ni, Mo, V, Mn, Sr, Ba, Fe and Al Minerals – Na2O, CaO and K2O AJPSP 2011; 2:1 Makhija et al Page 149 African Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacy 2011;2:1 Figure 2: Shows biologically active constituents present in L. inermis Lawsone Isoplumbagin Lawsoniaside Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences of and Pharmacy Sciences Pharmaceutical Journal African Lalioside AJPSP: D Lawsoniaside B, R = α- -glucopyranoside Syringinoside, R = β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 6)-β-D-glucopyranoside AJPSP 2011; 2:1 Makhija et al Page 150