Western Soapberry Tree- Sapindus saponaria var. drummondii
We are so lucky to have an abundance of the Western Soapberry trees on our property. I have admired the beautiful translucent berries for many years. It wasn't until I met Jackie Dill on one of her wildcrafting excursions in Coyle, Oklahoma, that I learned these berries can be used as laundry detergent soap. Through more research I found out that Native Americans and pioneers used the soap berries. To this day, they are still used in Mexico.
Jackie Dill's recipe was to either use 6 berries in a laundry bag in your washer or to boil 40 berries in 6 cups of water to make a liquid soap. The liquid soap needs to be used within a week or so otherwise it will go bad. If you decide to boil the berries, it is easy to get the black seeds out and they can be used as beads. I used the beads to make earrings and necklaces.
If you use the berries as soap or shampoo, please be sure to test them first because they can be an irritant to some people with sensitive skin. Also, the berries are poisonous to humans- so don't eat them! My goats, however, love to eat them whenever they find them.
What we love about the laundry soap is that it is perfect for the zero-waste lifestyle enthusiast.
Jackie Dill's recipe was to either use 6 berries in a laundry bag in your washer or to boil 40 berries in 6 cups of water to make a liquid soap. The liquid soap needs to be used within a week or so otherwise it will go bad. If you decide to boil the berries, it is easy to get the black seeds out and they can be used as beads. I used the beads to make earrings and necklaces.
If you use the berries as soap or shampoo, please be sure to test them first because they can be an irritant to some people with sensitive skin. Also, the berries are poisonous to humans- so don't eat them! My goats, however, love to eat them whenever they find them.
What we love about the laundry soap is that it is perfect for the zero-waste lifestyle enthusiast.
