How To Find And Use Soap Plants For 2019

As functional members of our modern society, we are somehow accustomed to taking things for granted. We become dependent on stores and the items we buy. Soap is one of the many items that we take for granted. If stores stopped selling this article tomorrow, we would have no clue how to make do without it. Luckily for us, there are soap plants that we can use as a substitute when soap runs out. Sanitation will become an essential task during a crisis scenario. Even though you may have stockpiled enough soap to last you for a lifetime, it is always better to learn about the alternatives we have. Learning how to make soap is a skill that will come in handy. It will help you stay clean in a dirty world where stores are closed.

However, in today’s article, I will share some of my knowledge regarding a natural, cost-free alternative; the soap plants that can be found in the wild!

Interacting with nature and using all its resources is an essential aspect of preparedness and off-grid living. If you are familiar with this site, you’ve probably noticed by now that I encourage people to get back into nature. To learn about foraging and every other skill that will help them survive when our modern society collapses.

Foraging for wild plants is a forgotten skill that will prove very useful if you are forced to leave your home and head into the woods.

Nature provides all sorts of plants that can help you survive and thrive in a harsh environment. Besides the medicinal plants and the wild edibles, there are quite a few plants that contain saponins (steroids that dissolve in water and create a stable froth). These plants will help you stay clean when exploring the great the outdoors.

Most of the soap plants that you can find in the wild were used by the Native Americans and the first pioneers. Although they are different from the old-fashioned soap that your grandma used to make on the farm, these plants work just as well and they are an excellent substitute for the traditional soaps.

Some of the soap plants listed in this article are found everywhere in the wild. They can be prepared and used very quickly.

Soap plants – Yucca (Yucca spp.)

Yucca is one of the soap plants used by the Native Americans. There are numerous species of yucca spread throughout the plains and western States. This is one of the arid edibles I wrote about in a previous article. This plant is quite easily identifiable and you don’t need to be an expert forager.

The plant produces a stemless cluster of long, rigid leaves that end in a sharp point. The leaves are 8 to 35 inches long and have a gray-green color.

This is a versatile plant and the Native Americans used it extensively for various purposes. Besides being used for soap, the plant produces several good foods and a quality fiber that was used to make sandals. It was also used as tinder and it helped to improvise carrying cases or quivers from the mature, hollowed-out flower stalks.

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Although many prefer to use the root to make soap, digging up the root is an intense labor. You may even get fined for doing so because some Yucca species are listed as endangered. To make soap easily, you can cut the leaves (even one would do) and strip them into fibers until you have a handful of very thin strands. Add water and agitate between your hands until soap forms.

You will need to pay attention when cutting the lives because you can hurt yourself with the sharp tips or you can slice your fingers around the edges of the leaf.

Make sure you snip off the sharp tip before you strip the leaves. Yucca soap has excellent cleansing properties and the leaf fiber helps in scrubbing. It provides medium to rich lather depending on the species. However, since the leaves are available year-round and the plant is widespread it makes Yucca one of the soap plants that can be used the most.

Soap plants – Mountain Lilac (Ceanothus spp.)

This plant is also known as soap bush and there are over 50 species of shrubs or small shrub trees. Most of the species are confined to North America. The soap bush is common throughout the southwest and if you go hiking in the spring, you will notice a spot of white, blue or purple along the trail and on the hillside.

Many species can be used as soap plants even though their botanical properties will sometimes be different. To make sure you have mountain lilac that can be used as soap you can do a simple test. Take a handful of blossoms, add water and rub them between the hands. If you get a creamy lather with a mild aroma, you got the right plant!

The plant will lose its flowers early summer and it will form some sticky green fruits. Don’t worry if you missed the flowering period of the mountain lilac. The fruits can also be used to make soap.

The early pioneers used to dry the fruits and used them as soap when needed. If you decide to dry the fruits and store them for later use, you must know that the fruits will get very hard. You will need to ground them into a fine powder before using it as soap. Once you have the powder, add water and rub vigorously.

The soap doesn’t have the same quality as the one made from the fresh fruits. However, it is still a good alternative when nothing else is available. Mountain lilac has good cleansing properties and it’s worth traveling to the steep terrain to collect its flowers and fruits.

Soap plants – Soaproot (Blitum californicum)

This is a plant that was used by the Native Americans both as medicine and as a food source. The leaves of soaproot can be cooked, drained and used as you would use spinach. This is often confused with lamb’s quarter by many foragers, but if you pay attention, you can notice that soaproot has a large taproot.

This is the part that can be used to make soap. It is often similar to a ginseng root or an overgrown carrot. Getting the root requires some effort and in hard soil it can be a foot deep, making it impossible to be harvested without a good shovel. The first pioneers learned to make soap from the Native Americans and they used to preserve the root in a dark, cold place for later use.

To make soap, you will need to grate the root with a sharp knife. Add water and rub between the hands to obtain soap that many consider superior to store-bought soaps. The taproot produces a frothy lather that has excellent cleansing properties.

This plant is harder to find since most of those who know about its cleaning properties would take entire taproots and store them for later use. It can be seen only in isolated patches and if you plan to use Soaproot, make sure you just use small taproots and leave the rest.

Soap plants – Amole (Chlorogalum pomeridianum)

Amole is a widespread plant that is part of the lily family and it can be identified easily due to its long liner leaves growing from the base of the plant. It develops flowers on a long stem and it grows a large brown bulb. To reach the bulb, which is the part used for making soap, you will sometimes have to dig down up to a foot deep.

The bulb is usually covered in layers of brown fibers and you will need to remove these fibers until you reach the white bulb. The white bulb is stick and has many layers, just like an onion. You can take some of these layers, add water and agitate between your hands. As a result, you will obtain a rich lather that can be used for any sanitation operation you might need.

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You can use it to take a bath, to wash your hair and even to clean your clothes. You can also dry the bulb for later use, but just like for all other soap plants, the soap made from the fresh parts is far superior. The bulbous root of the Amole plant can be dug year-round if you know where to look for it.

In the fall the plant is dormant and although it is widespread in various areas, it will be harder to find compared to the other soap plants.

Soap plants – Buffalo Gourd (Cucurbita foetidissima)

This plant can be found in the central and southwestern United States and northern Mexico and it even grows in vacant urban lots. Some people knew it by the name of coyote melon and based on its form. You can notice that it is a relative of squash and pumpkins. The Native Americans used the plant as rattles, but also as soap too for washing clothes.

To make soap, they used the tender growing tips or the leaves of the plant. Adding water and agitating between the hands will result in a frothy green lather that has satisfactory cleansing proprieties.

If you decide to use buffalo gourd to make soap, you have to handle the leaves with care as they are covered with tiny rigid spines. These small hairs are known to irritate the skin for some people and many survivalists will use this soap plant as a last resort.

Soap plants – Bouncing Bet (Saponaria officinalis)

Many people know this plant as soapweed or crow soap. It is widely available since many gardeners will plant it for its pink flowers. This is an introduced plant and it is mostly used by European countries as a soap substitute.  Although the leaves and the roots can be used, it is much easier to use the leaves since it will also help maintain the plant alive.

There are various ways you can use the leaves to make soap. You can agitate the fresh leaves between your hands with water or you can boil them to produce a lather liquid that has the ability to dissolve fats or grease. Take a handful of fresh leaves, bruise and chop them for 30 minutes in 1 pint of water. Strain the liquid and use it as you would use liquid soap.

This plant has satisfactory cleansing proprieties and it is a good alternative if it grows abundantly in your area. You can plant it in your off-grid garden as a useful ornamental and use it as a soap substitute year-round if no snow has fallen.

If you wish, you can grow the Chlorogalum plant in your own garden, giving you a supply of soap should you ever need it. Unfortunately, they are unable to be grown inside. However, if you are thinking of growing some of the plants for yourself, you can do so in the autumn and will be ready to harvest the summer after. Although the flowers will only show in the summer, you will still be able to use the roots as described above before then should you desperately need to.

Soap plants are just another proof that Mother Nature will take care of your needs. It can even provide you with viable alternatives to commercial cleaning products. The plants listed in this article will help you stay clean when your soap supplies run out and this is knowledge worth knowing. For every plant, I’ve also added the Wikipedia link so that you can research them furthermore if you wish.

Recommended preparedness and self-sufficiency resources:

The LOST WAYS 2 (The vital self-sufficiency lessons our great grand-fathers left us)

Drought USA (A DIY project to secure unlimited fresh, clean water)

Survival MD (Knowledge to survive any medical crisis situation)

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