Saponaria, which is also known as soapwort, is a perennial plant that's found in both America and Europe. The species is especially well-regarded for its hardiness and ability to grow in difficult areas where the soil may be polluted. It is relatively popular in some circles for medicinal uses, and it also creates a lather that can be used to wash things. The leaves are oval-shaped, and the plants grow in large groups, often covering the ground over a wide area. Saponaria has pinkish flowers that generally bloom from July into August.
The root and bulb are the most valuable parts of the plant for people who want to use it as a therapeutic herb. These parts are generally harvested in early fall and dried in the sun. Some people also make use of the leaves, and they are normally gathered in late summer.
Saponaria has been highly praised for centuries as a cleansing agent. When Europeans immigrated to the New World, they brought the plant with them and used it primarily for that purpose. It was also used to make foam in beer, and it was already popular as a medicinal herb at that time.
The main medical purpose of soapwort involves taking it orally to deal with breathing difficulties. Many people believe that it can work as an expectorant to cleanse the lungs by stimulating a cough more frequently. The same process that causes the coughing is also believed to help with digestive difficulties such as constipation. Saponaria has been used as a herbal remedy for everything from mild asthma to bronchitis. Certain herbal medical practitioners also believe that it can help with arthritic conditions, and some claim that one of its components has cancer-fighting properties.
Another way to use saponaria is to make it into a decoction by boiling it to extract the primary components. The resulting substance is used on the skin as a healing agent. Some people use the decoction to treat everything from eczema to poison ivy and many other kinds of rashes. It has also been used as a treatment for acne.
One example of saponaria's hardiness is the unusual combination of drought tolerance and simultaneous acceptance of damp soil. It grows best in US Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 3 to 9, and it thrives better in alkaline soil. The plant will normally spread on its own to cover a wide area, and it's relatively easy to grow for most people.