Henna (ḥinnāʾ) denotes the shrub Lawsonia inermis L. (Lythraceae) and the reddish dye obtained from it that is mentioned in the Prophetic ḥadīth as a dye for the body and hair, and as a remedy. It is widely cultivated and used from Morocco to Indonesia for aesthetic, ritual, magical, and medicinal reasons.

The plant is widespread in Arabia, Africa, and Asia (map in Aubaile-Sallenave, Voyages, 130), and has also been introduced to the New World tropics. The Arabic word ḥinnāʾ has entered Persian (ḥinā), Turkish (kına), and Turkic languages, while in the Indian subcontinent deriva…