Soapnut

Die aus Indien stammende Seifennuss (Sapindus trifoliatus und Sapindus mukorossi) ist schon seit Menschengedenken als pflanzliches Waschmittel im täglichen Gebrauch. Nach zehn Jahren trägt der Baum die ersten Früchte: orangefarbene, klebrige Nüsse, die im September geerntet werden. Nach dem Trocknen sind die Früchte rotbraun bis dunkelbraun und nicht mehr klebrig. Verwendet werden nur die Schalen, die bis zu 15% waschaktive Saponine enthalten, wobei die Qualität von der Erntezeit und dem Alter des Baums bestimmt wird.

Use as a detergent

The fruits are traditionally used in India for washing clothes and hair. As soon as they are mixed with water, the shells of the nuts release a soapy lye. This ensures gentle and thorough cleaning. Soap nuts are sold as whole nuts, as well as in powder form, as ready-to-use halved shells or as a liquid detergent.

For washing, the nuts are cracked, the black centre discarded and the shells placed in a cotton bag (or an old sock) with the washing in the drum. Depending on the washing temperature and hardness of the water, the required quantity varies from 3 to 7 nutshell halves. The soap nuts can be used for two washes at up to 40°C, after which the rest is also composted. For whites, it is advisable to add an additional bleaching agent (or alternatively a teaspoon of baking soda) from time to time to prevent a grey haze, as soap nuts do not contain any optical brighteners. Depending on the water hardness, a water softener should be added (or alternatively citric acid) as the washing-active saponin glycoside is also effective in an acidic solution. Laundry washed with soap nuts is odourless, so you can add a few drops of essential oil (lavender, lemon, verbena) to the softener cycle to give the laundry the desired fragrance.

Other applications

As a shower gel or shampoo, boil a few soap nuts in water and pour the brew into a bottle. The soapnut broth can also be used as an all-purpose household cleaner. Soap nuts ground into powder are used as a hair detergent or body cleanser. It hardly foams when used and yet has very good cleaning power. Another advantage is that it is able to wash out chemical residues. This is why it is also used in the countries of origin to wash fruit and vegetables. In this way, dangerous pesticide residues can be significantly reduced.

Soap nuts are also used in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine.