Plants that Can be Used as Soap: Natural Soaps
Soapwort The usage of soapwort is not something new. In fact, saponins, that create froth, derive the name from it. The leaves and roots have juices that can be used to prepare soapy solutions, which are used for cleaning. It is one of the best plants that can be used as soap!
Buffaloberry Buffaloberry does not only have uses for saponins but also for the medicinal properties, historically. The high levels of saponin make it best for making soap and shampoo.
Soapweed Yucca It’s a member of the agave family with pale green dagger-like leaves and bell-shaped flowers. Yucca roots have a high concentration of saponins and thus has uses for the production of soap and shampoo.
Soap Plant The soap plant is also known as soap root, amole, and wavyleaf soap. The locals use it as soap in regions of California and Oregon. You can also bake and eat its fresh leaves. It is one of the best plants that can be used as soap!
Clematis Surprised to find this common garden plant in the list? It is popular as a climbing plant with beautiful flowers in many different colors depending on the variety. Both foliage and flowers have a high concentration of saponins.
Horse Chestnut Horse Chestnut is a medicinal tree and all its parts including seeds, barks, leaves, and flowers are used to produce medicines. The extract of its seeds is quite potent for the treatment of varicose veins. It is one of the best plants that can be used as soap!
Bracken Commonly known as eagle fern, its rhizome is rich in saponins and can be used for various cleaning purposes. As it spreads quickly, it is invasive in many regions. The native people eat the roots of the plant; a popular carcinogenic.
Wavyleaf Soap Plant Wavyleaf soap plant, also known as soap root or amole, is a low growing perennial native to California and Oregon. Named for its long wavy edged leaves that emerge in a rosette from a large underground bulb, it bears star-like flowers on a tall stalk that can reach 6 feet in height.
Mountain Lilac The Ceanothus genus makes up some 60 species of small trees or shrubs in the buckhorn family. They can be found throughout North America in deserts, shrub land, and mountainsides, but are most abundant in the West. Providing colorful blooms and a lovely fragrance in the wilds, many species of Ceanothus may be used as soap.