What Is a Soap Nut?
In the remote foothills of the Himalayan Mountains ranging from central China to Northern India, Mother Nature has provided us a great treasure. It is a tree that grows a remarkable fruit. Lost for thousands of years to the modern civilizations throughout the centuries. This amazing tree has taken root again in Western cultures. Via a combination of consumer needs and demands, its benefits cannot be overlooked. It is the Soapberry tree. It produces a fruit commonly referred to as soap nuts.
Soap nuts are known worldwide by many names such as soapnuts, soapberry, washing nuts, soap nut shells, wash shells, soapberry nut husk, Ritha (Hindi) nut shell, Chinese soapberry and many more. Very simply, soap nuts are the fruit pulp (or husks) from the soapberry. These berries are the fruit from the sapindus tree species. The pulp and skin of the fruit contain a substance called saponin that produces a soaping effect. Saponin is a 100% natural alternative to chemical laundry detergent and cleansers. It can replace many chemical detergents such as those containing sodium laureth sulphate (SLS), and many common synthetic chemicals that are becoming well known by consumers for being a skin irritant and health hazard.
Soap nuts have been used for centuries throughout non-mainstream parts of our world as a laundry detergent, as soap for personal hygiene, and as a cleanser with a plethora of other uses. It was essentially never even known for its many benefits by the Roman Empire, Europe and then the Americas. It is most commonly used in India, China, and third world countries in the eastern hemisphere. Sapindus trees grow throughout the world. There is actually a species, Quillaja Saponaria (called a soap bark tree) that grows in South America. However, only in recent years has the soap nut and its many benefits made its way to the shores of the U.S. and is gaining popularity in Europe and Canada.
Sapindus (the botanical name) is a sustainable agriculture and forest product. In many ways it is similar to an olive tree. There are several common varieties of the soapberry tree. Sapindus Mukorossi and Sapindus Trifoliatus are the primary sources for the soapberry that has become know as the soap nut. The botanical name is derived from the Latin words, sapo (soap) and indicus (Indian).
Based upon its high amount of ’soap’ content and consistency, the highest quality soap nut is Sapindus Mukorossi, which grows primarily in China, northern India and Nepal. It grows uncultivated in poor quality soil and helps fights erosion, particularly in the Himalayan foothills. It also provides needed income to the local populations. It is a hardy tree being resistant to most diseases and insects. The tree grows to 10 to 20 meters in height. It takes nearly a decade for it to bear its fruit. However, once it does, it is a very prolific producer.
It blooms with small, white grouped flowers in spring and early summer and is harvested annually during the winter season. The soapberry fruits (the soap nut) are round yellow berries that become gummy, reddish tan and wrinkled as they ripen. Its appearance is somewhat like that of a date. The tree synthesizes its own natural saponins, (soap) which is contained within the pulp and skin of the fruit. The tree has great longevity and will produce fruit (soap nuts) for nearly a century.
The Sapindus Mukorossi variety produces the most consistent quality of soap nuts of high saponin content. Sapindus Trifoliatus, which grows primarily in southern India, Indonesia and Pakistan, is a smaller tree producing smaller fruit. It lacks the consistency and saponin content compared to its bigger brother Sapindus mukorossi. The soap nuts from the Mukorossi tree are larger, brighter in color and gloss and are more effective in producing the ’soapy’ effect. These soap nuts are typically exported from New Delhi (close to their growth areas in the Himalayans). Soap nuts from the Trifoliatus tree are less desirable, of lower cost and are often exported from Indonesia. All soap nuts being marketed throughout the world contain the all-important saponins. Consistently high saponin content is the primary measure of quality. In this regard, Sapindus mukorossi reigns supreme as the king of soap nuts.
Note: Many other varieties of this remarkable tree grow around the world, including the U.S. (one notably called the Florida Soapberry tree). The data with regard to the effectiveness of their fruit as laundry detergent is limited and often conflicting. However, data consistently indicates that the Sapindus mukorossi is the premier variety, and its fruit is the most cherished. To date, we have no knowledge of successful growth and harvests of mukorossi outside its Asian origins. Albeit, there is no evidence that it cannot be cultivated elsewhere.
Local farmers and families harvest the prized soapberry fruit after it falls from the tree. Hence it is typically a wild-crafted harvest. The seed is easily removed from the fruit while ripe, and the seedless shells are dried in the sun using absolutely no chemical processing. No commercial manufacturing processes are required in any way for the soap nuts to become effective. The soap nut is not altered in any way. Hence, soap nuts are absolutely 100% natural, unmodified dried fruits. Note: The actual nut (or better yet, seed) does not release saponin, hence has no valuable properties yet known of (other than growing more trees). It is used for planting new trees (some soap nut tree farms are beginning to grow mukorossi trees) and sometimes the seeds are used to make necklaces, earings, and other jewelry.
March 1st, 2009 | Tags: highest quality soap nut, himalayan soap nuts, natural saponins, sapindus mukorossi soap nuts, sapindus trees, saponin, soap berry, soap nut, soap nuts, soap nuts detergent, soap nuts laundry detergent, soap nuts soap, soap nuts tree, soap tree, soapberry, soapberry fruit, soapberry tree | Category: saponin, soap nuts, soap nuts detergent, soapberry, soapnuts
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