Alkanna Root

Scientific Name(s): Alkanna tinctoria (L.) Tausch Family: Boraginaceae

Common Name(s): Alkanet , alkannawurzel (German), alkermeswurzel (German), anchusa , Dyers's Bugloss , henna , orchanet (English), racine d'alcanna (French), racine d'orcanette (French), radix anchusea (tinctoriae) (Latin), rote ochsenzungenwurzel (German), schminkwurzel (German)

Clinical Overview

Uses of Alkanna Root

Alkanna is an astringent and a source of red pigment used in cosmetics. It appears to have antibiotic and wound-healing properties.

Alkanna Root Dosing

There is no recent clinical data to justify human dosage.

Contraindications

Contraindications have not yet been identified.

Pregnancy/Lactation

Documented adverse effects. Contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Avoid use.

Alkanna Root Interactions

None well documented.

Alkanna Root Adverse Reactions

No data.

Toxicology

No data.

Botany

Alkanna typically is a biennial or perennial herbaceous plant growing from 1 to 2 feet in height with pubescent lanceolate leaves. It bears blue to purple trumpet-shaped flowers arranged in loose, one-sided scorpioid racemes. The dried root is a cylindrical, fissured rhizome with exfoliating, brittle, and dark purple bark on the outside and remains of bristly leaf and stem pieces near the crown region. 1 While native to southern Europe, the plant also is grown in and imported from Albania, India, and Turkey. 1

Alkanna should not be confused with another plant also known as alkanet, but which is the related Anchusa officinalis L. of the same family (Borage). 2 A. officinalis has had some use in the form of a decoction (tea) of the leaves and roots for coughs and chest disorders in older herbals. 2

History

Alkanna and related plants have long been referred to as “henna” and used as a dye for cloth. Alkanna also has been used to impart a red color to fats, oils, and waxes. It also has medicinal historical uses as an astringent. Currently, alkanna has no medicinal importance, and many countries have prohibited its use as a food dye. 1

Chemistry

Alkanna root contains a mixture of red pigments in the bark at levels up to 5% to 6%. These consist mainly of fat soluble naphthazarin (5,8-dihydroxy-1, 4-naphthaquinone) components such as alkannin and related esters. 1 , 3 The red pigments are soluble in fatty oils which make them useful for the detection of oily materials in microscopic powders during histological examination. Like some of the other members of the Borage family, pyrrolizidine alkaloids have been found in Alkanna tinctoria , but levels have not been determined. 1 The alkannin esters of beta, beta-dimethylacrylic acid, beta-acetoxy-isovaleric acid, isovaleric acid, and angelic acid have also been isolated from the root. 4

Alkanna Root Uses and Pharmacology

Currently, alkanna root has no recognized medical uses except for its older use as an astringent. Even its use as a pigment is minimal and many countries have prohibited its use as a food coloring. Today, it is used almost exclusively as a cosmetic dye. 1

Research reveals no animal data regarding the use of alkanna root for wound healing or antibiotic use.

The esteric pigments displayed excellent antibiotic and wound-healing properties in a clinical study on 72 patients with ulcus cruris (indolent leg ulcers). 1 , 4

Dosage

There is no recent clinical data to justify human dosage.

Pregnancy/Lactation

Documented adverse effects. Contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Avoid use. 5

Interactions

None well documented.

Adverse Reactions

Research reveals little or no information regarding adverse reactions with the use of this product.

Toxicology

No toxicological data on alkanna root are available in the current medical literature.

Bibliography

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