The Origin of the Soapberry

Soapberry or soap nut, also known as Reetha (Hindi) or Wu Huan Zi (Mandarin) is an ancient fruit of sub-tropical Asia like Taiwan, China, India and Nepal.

The early peoples of these regions uncovered the fruit shells' ability to create a gentle, cleansing lather that's naturally anti-bacterial. For thousands of years, the soapberry has been used as nature’s miracle soap to cleanse and nourish our skin and hair.

In addition to soapberry’s gift as a natural cleanser, it provides an extended scope of healing in matter of medicine, the environment, and spirituality.

The soapberry fruit is prized as a natural remedy to treat bodily issues such as dry scalp, acne, and eczema in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine.

The tree’s deep roots are important to its ecosystem because they protect soil from typhoon erosion.

The marble-like seed protects one’s spirit as it is considered the most sacred material for prayer bead (mala) in Buddhism. 

Click here to purchase a Soapberry Mala made by Mrs. Wang.

Today, as more and more are aware of the issues created by man-made chemical solutions, we hope to see more people become inspired by this gentle cleaning solution of nature.