Health effect of henna on our body

   

Henna is known to be dangerous to people with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (G6PD deficiency), which is more common in males than females. Infants and children of particular ethnic groups, mainly from the Middle East and North Africa, are especially vulnerable.^[45] Though user accounts cite few other negative effects of natural henna paste, save for occasional mild allergic reactions (often associated with lemon juice or essential oils in a paste and not the henna itself), pre-mixed commercial henna body art pastes may have undisclosed ingredients added to darken stain, or to alter stain color. The health risks involved in pre-mixed paste can be significant. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does consider these risks to be adulterantsand therefore illegal for use on skin.^[46] Some commercial pastes have been noted to include: p-Phenylenediamine, sodium picramate, amaranth (dye) (red dye #2 banned in the US in 1976), silver nitrate,carmine, pyrogallol, disperse orange dye, and chromium.^[47] These have been found to cause allergic reactions, chronic inflammatory reactions, or late-onset allergic reactions to hairdressing products and textile dyes.
                            

RegulationEdit

The U.S. FDA has not approved henna for direct application to the skin. It is, howevergrandfathered in as a hair dye, and can only be imported for that purpose.^[46][50] Henna imported into the U.S. that appears to be for use as body art is subject to seizure,^[51] but prosecution is rare. Commercial Henna products that are adulterated often claim to be 100% natural on product packaging in order to pass import regulations in other countries.