Soapnuts

The brief description about soapnuts is to highlight the cool aspects of mother nature! If you are going to use soapnuts be sure to do your own thorough research and take a look at the link provided. 

Sapindus mukorossi Gaertn also known as soapnuts, soapberries, washnuts, or reetha. The plant is usually grown in Asia including China, Japan, India, Bengal, and Pakistan. Washnuts are a tree that within the fruits, galls, and roots of this plant are triterpenoid saponins. These saponins are natural surfactants (which helps remove dirt and other materials) produced by the plant, mimicking how soap works. The fruit of the plant is sometimes grown to make natural soap. Antioxidants are also found in these saponins. Some research says that saponins have the potential to act as a detergent and even replace synthetic emulsifiers. While this plant has been used for years and looks very promising, some research states that its toxicity should still be studied further.