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| Latin Name |
English Name |
Sanskrit Names |
Sapindus mukorossi
Sapindaceae
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Soap Nut Tree
of
North India |
Arishta, Phenila |
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| History |
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It was
used in ancient India as one of the ingredients in soap and hair wash
powders. It was utilized by Indian jewellers for restoring the brightness
to tarnished ornaments made of gold, silver and other precious metals.
It was used as a substitute for soap in washing silk, woollens and
other delicate fabrics. In Kashmir, soapnuts were preferred to the
best soap for washing woollen shawls. It was reportedly used for washing
and bleaching cardamoms, thereby improving the color and flavor of
the spice.
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| Habitat |
It grows
throughout north India in hills and plains and is rarely cultivated
in south Indian gardens
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| Morphology
Description (Habit) |
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It is
a handsome tree. Paripinnate leaves are crowded near the ends of the
branches. The leaflets are 5-10 pairs and lanceolate. The flowers
are polygamous, mostly bisexual, small, in terminal, compound panicles.
The drupes are globose, fleshy, saponaceous, usually solitary, sometimes
two or three drupes together. They are smooth and green when fresh.
The pulp dries into a light-brown, somewhat translucent saponaceous
rind with a wrinkled surface.
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| Principal
Constituents |
Saponins are the
major active constituent of the fruit pulp. Mukorosside is one of
the saponins isolated from the fruit rind1.
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| Toxicology |
No adverse
effect is reported on use of this fruit for hair wash.
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| Indications |
Soapnuts are used
in all kinds of hair washes. It is added to get rich foam and pleasant
aroma. Soapnuts are used as detergent for washing cloth before dying.
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| Product
Range |
Deep Cleansing Milk,
Protein Shampoo.
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| References |
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- Indian J. Chem. 1966, 4, 36.
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