MagicTools: Henna.
So, recently I discovered that not only henna tattoos are beautiful, but they have healing benefits. Henna is an actual evergreen plant that comes originally from Egypt.
The red-ish brown dye is made by crushing the dried leaves and then mixing the fine powder with other natural and acidic ingredients such as eucalyptus oil, lemon juice, or black tea.
Because of it's natural cooling effect, people of the desert used henna to cool down their bodies. By making a henna paste and smearing it on themselves, they achieved an air conditioning effect that was felt throughout the body for as long as the henna stain remained on their skin. It didn't take long before the desert people turned the henna smears into works of art, and that's how the mehndi tradition —the art of henna painting on the body— was birthed.
For centuries, mehndi has been believed to bring love, good fortune, prosperity, and protect the wearer against evil.
Its most known healing benefits are:
Relieves headaches
Eases arthritis pain
Treats a variety of skin conditions
Promotes healthy hair
Draws out fever
Promotes healthy gums
Reduces Pitta in the mind
It's a natural treatment for diaper rash
Cures dysentery (an infection of the intestines)
Detoxifies the spleen and liver
Regulates blood pressure
So, there you go. Henna tattoos are not only beautiful but can help with a variety of things. Just make sure you don't use black Henna since being this color implies that the plant was mixed with chemical compounds.
Cool, right?
