Soapwort

Description

This plant has many common names including common soapwort, bouncing-bet, crow soap, wild sweet William, and soapweed. It is not only an excellent herb against cold and skin problems, but is also used in natural cosmetics and for washing clothes. The flat petals and soapwort roots, when boiled, produces a lather when in contact with water, Saponaria is derived from the Latin sapo (stem sapon-) meaning “soap”, which, like its common name, refers to its utility in cleaning. It grows in cool places and light shade at low or moderate elevations under hedgerows and along the shoulders of roadways and has a nice long bloom time.