Henna Tattoo Essay

We often see travelers returning to their home country with beautiful cultural temporary tattoos on their palms, hands, or feet. The temporary tattoo is created using a paste made with Henna. Henna is a plant that grows in warm/dry regions such as Egypt, Northern Africa, Northwest India, and the Middle East. It grows about 2-6 meters high and produces a red/brown dye in its leaves that is used for many different purposes. The art of henna tattoos is widely known as an Indian wedding ritual or purely a way to temporarily express yourself through a temporary tattoo; however, the history of the Henna stems back to the Egyptians and has a far deeper significance in many cultures. By understanding these cultures and the role henna has and/or continues

Egyptians mummies have been found with stained hair and nails, the reddish brown tones of henna. The Egyptians were convinced that body art smoothed the journey ahead. Henna was believed to have originated in Persia. Marilyn Cvitanic Ph.D. explains, “It grew extensively in Egypt and was carried to India where it was used since at least 700 AD for decorating hands and feet.” (http://www.habiba.org/culture.html, Paragraph 2). Henna was also brought over to other countries and used differently all around the world. It was common to see henna-covered hands and feet in India. In fact, henna was so commonly used that it had 60 names in 43 different

The use of henna in Ugarit is recorded in the myth cycle of Ba’al and ‘Anath between 1300-1200 BCE. In Ugarit, Henna was used for the same cosmetic purposes as India but, it was mainly used for a medicinal purpose. According to Duane Smith, “When in pain a wrapping of henna cures, [while] sickness consumes”. (http://www.hennabysienna.com/henna-in-the-ancient-world.html, Paragraph 5). Henna has great healing effects as it contains antimicrobial benefits, antivirus benefits, and substances including Tannin. It is used for burns, nosebleeds, warts, herpes simplex, to protect diabetic patients feet, and back