henna (Lawsonia inermis L.)

Ingredients

henna, lawsone

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The dyeing process for henna and other natural dyes involved extracting the colorants from plant parts (fruits, seeds, bark, etc.) and applying the resulting dye bath to ready-made paper by dipping (p. 1, p. 3). For analytical identification, historical samples (3–5 mg) were extracted using an ACN/EDTA protocol (1:1 v/v mixture of 0.1% EDTA and acetonitrile) or a MeOH/HCl protocol (p. 4). Extraction with EDTA allowed for the detection of glycosides, essential for flavonoid identification (p. 5).

Evidence

"Among the samples from historical manuscripts, the detection of lawsone can be considered reliable for four samples: AP5, AP73-3, AS3, and AS7."

Remarks

Identification of henna proved more difficult than for other dyes due to low concentrations and spectral noise (p. 7). Confident identification of lawsone was achieved in four historical samples: AP5, AP73-3, AS3, and AS7 (p. 7, Table 1). The detection was verified by comparing retention times and UV–vis spectra with standard lawsone pure compounds (p. 7).