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Madayantika

Lawsonia inermis

Madayantika (Lawsonia inermis) is a plant drug, also called Mendhika, Hina and Mehamdi. Tannins may reduce bioavailability of co-administered compounds. Quercetin glycosides are hydrolyzed in gut to absorbable aglycones.

Key facts
Botanical nameLawsonia inermis
Identity sourceAyurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, Part I, Vol. IV: MADAYANTI (Leaf)
FamilyLythraceae · other entries in this family
OrderMyrtales
Taxon identifiersGBIF 5420912 · Wikidata Q182448 · NCBI Taxonomy 141191
Names in other languages
Sanskritमेन्धिका (mendhikā)
Hindiहिना (hinā), मेहंदी (mehaṃdī)
Tamilமருதாணி, மருதோன்றி

Sources: IJPSR "An update on Ayurvedic herb henna (Lawsonia inermis L.)" and Plant Archives review give the Sanskrit names as Madayantika, Mendhika and Ragangi.; Review literature on Lawsonia inermis (Plant Archives, "Pharmacological and traditional perspectives on Lawsonia inermis"; IJPSR "An update on Ayurvedic herb henna") records the Hindi/Urdu names as "Mehendi, Mehndi, Hinna" and the Sanskrit as Madayantika, Mendhika, Ragangi.; Tamil Heritage Foundation's plant CMS carries a page for Lawsonia inermis headed மருதோன்றி; the India Biodiversity Portal record for Lawsonia inermis lists Tamil names including maruthonri, maruthaani, alavam and aivanam.; efloraofindia, Lawsonia inermis: Hindi "Henna, Mehendi मेहेंदी"; the Plant Archives and IJPSR reviews give Hindi Mehendi/Mehndi.; efloraofindia, Lawsonia inermis: Tamil "மருதாணி Marudaani"; India Biodiversity Portal lists maruthaani among the Tamil names.. How we source.

The evidence at a glance

12papers on this site for this drug, published 2014 to 2024, 11 with a DOI.

  • 2Systematic reviews and meta-analyses
  • 4Other clinical studies and reviews
  • 6Laboratory and animal studies

A count is not a conclusion and a tier is a study design, not a verdict. Each paper is listed with what it measured on the page below. See the research index for how papers are tiered.

Names and identification

LanguageName
EnglishHenna

Ayurvedic pharmacology (Dravyaguna)

PropertyValueDescription
Rasa (Taste)Tikta, KashayaPrimary taste
Guna (Quality)Laghu, RukshaPhysical quality
Virya (Potency)SheetaHeating/Cooling effect
Vipaka (Post-digestive)KatuPost-digestive effect

Dosage forms and preparation

Dosage Forms: Churna (powder), Kwatha (decoction), Svarasa (fresh juice), Capsules, Tablets, Avaleha (confection), Gulkand-type preparation

Standard Dosage: 3-6 g flower/fruit powder per day; 50-100 mL decoction twice daily; 10-20 mL juice; 5-10 g Avaleha preparation

Optimal Timing: After meals (traditional recommendation); evening is traditionally recommended for cooling and Pitta-pacifying use; topical application as needed

Storage: Store below 25 deg C in airtight, light-resistant containers. Protect from moisture. Avaleha in glass or food-grade containers at room temperature.

Marker Compounds: Lawsone (2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone), Luteolin, Apigenin, Cosmosiin, Gallic acid, Tannic acid, Beta-sitosterol, Laxanthone

Synergistic Combinations

  • Chandana/Sandalwood (cooling and Pitta-pacifying)
  • Ushira (cooling and blood purifying)
  • Sariva (skin health combination)
  • Padmaka (complexion enhancer)
  • Kumuda (traditional combination)

Published research

Literature indexed in PubMed that concerns this subject, grouped by study type. A paper appearing here is a record of what has been published, not evidence that the subject works, and laboratory or animal results do not transfer to people. Study titles link to PubMed so you can read the source rather than take our word.

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses2

  1. Meneses C, Valdes-Gonzalez M, Garrido-Suárez BB and others. 2023. Systematic review on the anxiolytic and hypnotic effects of flower extracts in in vivo pre-clinical studies published from 2010 to 2020Phytotherapy research : PTR. PMID 37039741 · doi:10.1002/ptr.7830
  2. Hsu H, Sheth CC, Veses V. 2021. Herbal Extracts with Antifungal Activity against Candida albicans: A Systematic ReviewMini reviews in medicinal chemistry. PMID 32600229 · doi:10.2174/1389557520666200628032116

Other clinical studies and reviews4

  1. Batiha GE, Teibo JO, Shaheen HM and others. 2024. Therapeutic potential of Lawsonia inermis Linn: a comprehensive overviewNaunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology. PMID 38010396 · doi:10.1007/s00210-023-02735-8
  2. Bahmani M, Rafieian-Kopaei M, Hassanzadazar H and others. 2016. Pseudomoniasis phytotherapy: a review on most important Iranian medicinal plants effective on Pseudomonas aeruginosaIranian journal of microbiology. PMID 28149496
  3. Badoni Semwal R, Semwal DK, Combrinck S and others. 2014. Lawsonia inermis L. (henna): ethnobotanical, phytochemical and pharmacological aspectsJournal of ethnopharmacology. PMID 24886774 · doi:10.1016/j.jep.2014.05.042
  4. Akram M, Hamid A, Khalil A and others. 2014. Review on medicinal uses, pharmacological, phytochemistry and immunomodulatory activity of plantsInternational journal of immunopathology and pharmacology. PMID 25280022 · doi:10.1177/039463201402700301

Laboratory and animal studies6

  1. Shahanaj I, Ramakrishnan J, Poomani K and others. 2023. Lawsonia inermis flower aqueous extract expressed better anti-alpha-glucosidase and anti-acetylcholinesterase activity and their molecular dynamicsJournal of biomolecular structure & dynamics. PMID 36905654 · doi:10.1080/07391102.2023.2179546
  2. Fatahi Bafghi M, Salary S, Mirzaei F and others. 2022. Antibacterial and anti-trichomunas characteristics of local landraces of Lawsonia inermis LBMC complementary medicine and therapies. PMID 35907942 · doi:10.1186/s12906-022-03676-0
  3. Elansary HO, Szopa A, Kubica P and others. 2020. Antioxidant and Biological Activities of Acacia saligna and Lawsonia inermis Natural PopulationsPlants (Basel, Switzerland). PMID 32709119 · doi:10.3390/plants9070908
  4. Rekik DM, Ben Khedir S, Daoud A and others. 2019. Wound Healing Effect of Lawsonia inermisSkin pharmacology and physiology. PMID 31466077 · doi:10.1159/000501730
  5. Charoensup R, Duangyod T, Palanuvej C and others. 2017. Pharmacognostic Specifications and Lawsone Content of Lawsonia inermis LeavesPharmacognosy research. PMID 28250655 · doi:10.4103/0974-8490.199775
  6. Afolayan FID, Adegbolagun OM, Irungu B and others. 2016. Antimalarial actions of Lawsonia inermis, Tithonia diversifolia and Chromolaena odorata in combinationJournal of ethnopharmacology. PMID 27321410 · doi:10.1016/j.jep.2016.06.045

Reference lists that include it

Gallic acid

Reviewed by Dr. Awadesh Pratap Singh, BAMS, on 11 October 2026. What that review covered.

Consult a qualified vaidya before acting on anything here. Ayurvedic practice is prescribed to a person, not to a condition: the same dravya is given, withheld or substituted depending on your constitution, your agni, the season and what else you are already taking. A page cannot know any of that. Self-prescribing from a reference is how the wrong preparation, the wrong dose or the wrong anupana gets used.

Educational reference only. Nothing on this page is medical advice, a diagnosis, or a recommendation to take anything. Traditional uses and research findings are reported as published, not as claims about what any product does. If you take prescribed medication, raise any interaction with the prescriber rather than acting on a page. See our editorial standards.