Red Soapwort

OTHER NAME(S): Bouncing-Bet, Common Soapwort, Crow Soap, Herbe à Foulon, Herbe à Savon, Saponaire Commune, Saponaire Officinale, Saponaire Rouge, Saponariae Rubrae Radix, Savonniè re, Soapweed, Soapwort, Wild Sweet William, Saponaria officinalis, Jabonera Roja, Saponaire

Overview

Red soapwort (Saponaria officinalis) is a plant from Europe and Asia. In the Middle Ages, monks viewed soapwort as a divine gift to keep them clean.

Red soapwort contains chemicals that might thin mucus and make it easier to cough up.

People use red soapwort for acne, eczema, bronchitis, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.

References
  1. Blumenthal M, ed. The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. Trans. S. Klein. Boston, MA: American Botanical Council, 1998.
  2. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
  3. Schulz V, Hansel R, Tyler VE. Rational Phytotherapy: A Physician's Guide to Herbal Medicine. Terry C. Telger, transl. 3rd ed. Berlin, GER: Springer, 1998.
  4. Petrović GM, Ilić MD, Stankov-Jovanović VP, Stojanović GS, Jovanović SČ. Phytochemical analysis of Saponaria officinalis L. shoots and flowers essential oils. Nat Prod Res. 2018;32(3):331-334.
  5. Said O, Khamaysi I, Kmail A, et al. In Vitro and Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial to Determine the Efficacy and Safety of Nine Antiacne Medicinal Plants. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2020;2020:3231413.