en گياهان دارویی Medicinal Plants پژوهشی Research <div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><span style="color:black">Background:</span></span></span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><span style="color:black"> <i>Lawsonia inermis </i>L<i>.</i>, commonly known as henna has been used for cosmetic and medicinal purposes since ancient times. <b>Objective:</b> This study evaluated the potential health risks associated with arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) in henna leaves collected from Dalgan and Iranshahr, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran. <b>Methods:</b> Twenty samples were collected from each site and analyzed by inductively coupled plasma&ndash;optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES; PerkinElmer Optima DV 2000). Hazard quotient (HQ), hazard index (HI), and carcinogenic risk (CR) values for dermal exposure were calculated, and statistical analysis performed using SPSS (P < 0.05). <b>Results:</b> Heavy metal concentrations were higher in samples from Iranshahr compared to Dalgan. Zinc levels reached 41.9 &plusmn; 18.10 &micro;g/g in Iranshahr and 33.2 &plusmn; 8.98 &micro;g/g in Dalgan, while lead concentrations were 1.05 &plusmn; 0.62 &micro;g/g and 0.7 &plusmn; 0.30 &micro;g/g, respectively. Mean arsenic concentrations exceeded international standards, measuring 6.2 &plusmn; 2.51 &micro;g/g in Iranshahr and 3.07 &plusmn; 1.39 &micro;g/g in Dalgan. All henna samples exceeded the WHO recommended limit for arsenic, with 45% of Dalgan and 90% of Iranshahr samples surpassing the Canadian threshold. Nevertheless, dermal HQ values for all metals and the total HI remained below 1, indicating low non-carcinogenic risk, and dermal CR values for arsenic and lead were negligible. <b>Conclusion:</b> Although henna use poses minimal immediate health risks, prolonged exposure to elevated arsenic, particularly in Iranshahr, may be detrimental. Quality control measures are therefore essential to ensure that heavy metal concentrations in medicinal plants remain within regulatory limits.</span></span></span></div> Heavy metals, Pollution, Henna, Risk index, Carcinogenic risk, Lawsonia inermis 78 91 http://jmp.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-7189-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Romina Keikha romina0538@gmail.com 100319475328460050191 0009-0007-7976-4319 No Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran Malihe Mohammadi mmohammadi@science.usb.ac.ir 100319475328460050192 100319475328460050192 Yes Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran