Dr. Ted Rosen discusses henna’s potential medicinal properties, including how it might help patients with hand-foot syndrome.
Henna’s Medicinal Properties
By Ted Rosen, MD, FAAD
Professor of Dermatology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
Henna, also known as the “Egyptian privet,” is a natural plant-derived product long utilized for its ability to dye the skin, hair, and fingernails for cosmetic purposes.
Dry henna powder is readily available in ethnic specialty stores or online. It can be mixed with water, lemon juice, or tea to provide a liquid dye. During weddings and other religious ceremonies, it is utilized to create elaborate, decorative markings.
Interestingly, henna also may possess medicinal properties.
It is an antioxidant, an immune modulator, and is anti-inflammatory. In some cultures, henna has been used to treat such diverse maladies as seborrhea, dermatophytosis, diabetic neuropathy, and head lice.
Several case reports1-3 strongly suggest that it may be useful in both preventing and treating palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia, also known as the hand-foot syndrome (HFS). HFS is characterized by acral erythema and edema, accompanied by irksome dysesthesia of the palms and soles following chemotherapy. These anatomic areas of thick keratin are precisely where henna is best absorbed into the superficial layers of the skin.
Henna application may be a simple, safe, and inexpensive measure for treating (or even preventing) HFS.
References:
- Yucel I, Guzin G. Topical henna for capecitabine induced hand-foot syndrome. Invest New Drugs. 2008;26(2):189-192. doi:10.1007/s10637-007-9082-3.
- Ilyas S, Wasif K, Saif MW. Topical henna ameliorated capecitabine-induced hand-foot syndrome. Cutan Ocul Toxicol. 2014;33(3):253-255. doi:10.3109/15569527.2013.832280.
- Idoudi S, Korbi M, Rakez R, et al. Topical Henna Can also Heal Hand and Foot Syndrome. Skinmed. 2022;20(6):477-479. Published 2022 Dec 20.