Witnessed by: TCM · Ayurveda · Unani
Soapnut (Sapindus mukorossi), of the Sapindaceae family. Large deciduous tree bearing globose fleshy drupes over a hard black seed; native range: temperate sub-Himalayan tracts and the mountains of China and Japan; cultivated across northern India. Globally recognized as arishtaka / phenila in Sanskrit, reetha in Hindi, wu huan zi (無患子) in Chinese, funduq-e-hindi in Arabic, and soapberry, washnut, Chinese soapberry in English. The part used is fruit pericarp (nut); seed. Amber, sticky, translucent nut-shells that lather and foam in water with a sharp soapy bitterness; the throat catches at the powder.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
SOAPNUT
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Soapnut
- Scientific name
- Sapindus mukorossi Gaertn.
- Family
- Sapindaceae
Form
- Part used
- fruit pericarp (nut); seed
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- bitter · pungent
- Ayurveda
- dominant: pungent (katu) · bitter (tikta) · then: astringent (kashaya)
- Unani
- bitter · acrid
Temperature
- TCM
- cool
- Ayurveda
- heating (ushna)
- Unani
- hot & dry (2nd degree)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Lung · Stomach
- Unani
- stomach · brain · nerves
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- clears heat, expels phlegm, kills worms and detoxifies; slightly toxic, used with care
- Ayurveda
- vamaka (emetic), kaphaghna, krimighna, lekhana (scraping), shirovirechana (head-cleansing errhine)
- Unani
- muqayyi (emetic), jali (detergent), mohallil (resolvent), munaqqi-e-dimagh (cleanses the brain)
Cautions
- Contraindications
- pregnancy, debility and children; not for internal use in high pitta or ulceration
- Toxicity
- saponins irritate mucous membranes and are haemolytic; overdose causes vomiting, nausea and mucosal burning
This is the card. Sign in for the full four-tradition entry — the aligned TCM · Ayurveda · Western · Unani reading, actions, dosing and cautions.