Simply Soapnuts

Though the soap nut tree is commonly assumed to be the Sapindus Mukorossi, there are many members of the Sapindaceae family that contains saponin, a natural laundry detergent. The three of the most commonly used for washing clothes are described below.

Of the entire Sapindus genus Sapindus Mukorossi produces the biggest soap nuts with the highest saponin content and is found growing throughout North India and Nepal.  It is a large deciduous tree that grows up to twenty-five meters tall and produces small greenish white flowers that develop into fully ripened fruit ready for harvesting towards the end of November.

In the south of India, Sapindus Trifoliatus produces small creamy white flowers, which turn into comparatively much smaller soap nuts. These nuts are normally cheaper to purchase than Sapindus Mukorossi, but the reduction in saponin can make them a false economy when used for washing clothes since more shells are required for each load.

Sapindus Saponaria, also known as the soapberry tree, is a fast growing South American evergreen whose fruit also contains saponin.  Although Sapindus Mukorossi takes nine years to reach maturity, far longer than its South American counterpart the Sapindus Saponaria, which takes just four years, many believe that its fruit produces far better washing results. This is probably due to Sapindus Mukorossi high saponin content.