The darkness of the mendhi colour on a bride’s hand represents the deep love between the would-be-couple. The mendhi colour also shows the love and understanding between the bride and her mother-in-law. The longer the mendhi retains its colour, the more auspicious it is for the newlyweds. Mendhi is also deemed to be a symbolic representation of fertility. Henna also has medicinal properties. It has a cooling effect that aids in soothing stress, headaches and fevers.