History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c20.s2.3

v1.c20.s2.3

Henna, well-known by the names mendi, mendhikā, mehndi, marudāṇī(Tamil), gorante (Kannada), all over India is a perennial shrub grown in India and Indian women are fond of making a paste of these leaves with lime for colouring their palms. It leaves a brownish red colour. A reddish dye is extracted from the leaves. The popular mendī or mehndi is identified with madayantikā which was used as an unguent or aṅgarāga⁹. Madayantika in Suśruta Samhitā (Ci, Ch. 25) is described as a dye-stuff to colour the nails (Gode, p 351). In the tantric work Rasārṇava, madayantikā is said to belong to pītavarga, a group of yellow dyes¹⁰. Even though it is said that henna leaves were used in ancient Egypt and Rome for colouring the hair, Indians also were equally acquainted with this colouring material known by the name Mendī eversince the ancient days, especially in South India.