Antimicrobial and Anti-parasitic Effect of Six Landraces of Henna ( <i>Lawsonia inermis</i> L.)

Background: Henna is one of the plants that have been studied by traditional medicine practitioners for many centuries, and its description has been mentioned in many books. The main habitats of the plant are Iran, Pakistan, India, tropical, and subtropical regions of East Africa, and South Asia. This species is distributed in the western and southern areas of Iran, such as Hormozgan, Khuzestan, Kerman, Sistan and Baluchistan. In this study, the antibacterial and antiparasitic effects of six varieties of henna (Lawsonia inermis L.) Dalgan, Ordougah, Salmanyeh, Bam, Kahnooj, and Jiroft were investigated against three species of Streptococcus agalactiae, Trichomonas vaginalis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, in vitro. Methods: The maceration method was used to prepare the hydroalcoholic extract. S. agalactiae PTCC1864, P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853, and Trichomonas vaginalis were prepared. The Folin-Ciocalteu method was applied to measure total phenol. Minimal inhibitory concentrations of P. aeruginosa and S. agalactiae were measured for all extracts, and the growth inhibition of T. vaginalis was reported for all extracts at 24, 48, and 72 hours. Results: The MIC of the Bam landrace against P. aeruginosa and S. agalactiae was smaller than the other landraces, and the Bam landrace could 100% inhibit the growth of T. vaginalis. The total phenol of Bam was higher than others. Conclusion: The different landraces of henna have different amounts of total phenols and rates of microbial and parasite inhibitory effects.