These saponins, however, are not without their uses and one of their properties is to form a lather in water that is a gentle but effective cleaner...
Soap Plants
Commercially soaps are made by mixing an alkali (wood ashes or the ashes of other plants can be used) with an oil (usually palm oil) and then often adding substances such as herbal extracts or essential oils to give it a scent. Whilst this process can be done successfully on a small scale, we will look at another type of soap that can be produced much more easily.















