Will wonders never cease?

When our family began exploring alternatives to products that we know contain ingredients that are not in the best interests of both people and the environment, we were delighted to discover Maggie Dawson at Pure Land Products and her natural soap that grows on trees.

She was inspired by the quality of life offered by following an Ayurvedic routine.

After learning of the Soap Tree, she made the decision to bring us Maggie's Soap Nuts, an incredible offering from this ancient Indian tradition.

The Soapberry tree (Sapindus spp.) has existed as far back in time as Buddha. The fruit of the tree, called Soap "Nuts" offer the ancient healing modalities to our modern lifestyles in the realms of cleanliness, aesthetics and medicine.

This tree is prized for its handsomeness and can rise to as tall as 25 meters and as wide as 5 meters, the leaves forming a thick canopy embedded with green flowers. They are often planted along boulevards in the way we plant magnolias in the US.

The fruits of this special tree, when peeled from their inner seed, are used as a cleanser. The leathery fruit skins release saponin and become a very effictive, yet gentle detergent when immersed in water.

In ancient India the fruits, known in Hindi as reetha, were used for soap and hair wash powders and also used by jewelers for shining ornaments of gold and silver plus always used in the laundering of fine silks and wools.

Soap Nuts have been used in India for generations and in Europe for many decades, however, it's uses are fairly new to the United States.

To take advantage of this great substitute for detergents containing chemicals, simply place 2-4 Soap Nuts into a small cloth bag and add it to your wash. Soap Nuts naturally soften and add body to your fabrics.

They are safe for wools and silks, and keep colors looking bright. You can also make a concentrated liquid soap by boiling or soaking the fruits.

Soap Nuts are an ingredient in hair care products to increase luster and softness of hair.

Used topically, Soap Nuts can be used to eliminate freckles, fine lines, chemical stains or cracks in the skin. They are also used traditionally to treat mild to moderate skin complaints such as eczema and psoriasis. Soap Nuts are safe for people with sensitive skin, even people who suffer allergic reactions to store bought "sensitive skin" cleansers.

They are even safe enough to use for toothpaste or as a fruit and vegetable wash. A ten-minute soak in a solution of Soap Nuts removes 95% of the surface pesticides and chemical residues on fresh produce. Soap Nuts are also useful in the kitchen as a food-safe cleaner for countertops, appliances, and sinks. I like too that when the nuts lose strength I can simply add them to my compost pile.

Recently, many medical trials have begun to explore other uses for this wonderful tree's fruits.

For those in the UK, we found one source for Soap Nuts there too, at a site called Stop For Breath and if in Australia, simply visit Soap In A Nutshell!.

I'm also sure a search could turn up even more sources and probably lots of good information on other uses for the soap nuts.

At Maggie's store I even found the most delightful conversation starter earrings, also made with soap nuts!

Will look forward to comments and even any tips or further info on other uses anyone might want to contribute.

DJ