Sindhiya Enterprise Bangladesh
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Kinds of SoapNuts:
There are two major kinds of Soapnuts which are mostly used in washing, bathing, cleaning and shampoo found in south Asian countries. The big Soapnuts known as Sapindus Mukorossi and the small Soapnuts, known as Sapindus Trifoliatus. The Sapindus Trifoliatus Soapnuts are often mistaken for Sapindus Mukorossi. A picture is given here where you can see the difference between the two kinds of Soapnuts.
The name sapindus speaks for itself in revealing the main characteristic of Soapnuts. It contains saponins which have the ability to clean and wash. The fruit of the soapnut tree produces saponins in order to repel varmints, fungus and bacteria. Approximately 15% of the Soapnut’s shell consists of highly concentrated saponins (= 10% of the whole soapnut). The seed/stone of the Soapnuts do not contain saponins, so they are removed from the shells in order to get the best results in washing and cleaning. Experiments have shown that saponin has excellent cleaning capabilities. It removes dirt of all sorts from cloth, glass, floors, gold, windows and other surfaces. It is not only highly effective, but also gentle and Eco-friendly. Due to its mildness, the colors and structure of valuable cloth is preserved much longer when washed with Soapnuts than when using normal detergent or soaps of any brand.
Be aware about quality!
There are more than 10 different shell types. The picture above shows the best quality, Mukorossi Soapnuts on the far left. In the centre are a lower quality of Soapnut, generally known as South Indian Soapnuts. On the right are smaller, darker shells that come from Burma (Myanmar). Less than 50% are good quality Soapnuts. It is common practice for certain suppliers to mix Soapnuts of different quality in order to save on costs! This is why a few suppliers offer low prices for (what they claim to be ) sapindus mukorrosi, but they have in fact mixed other lower quality shells and cheaper soapnut shells with sapindus mukorossi (Himalayan Soapnuts).
Now this is not only going to cost you money, but how are you going to get any consistency when one bag of shells could be much weaker than another? You may use more than necessary or, somewhat tragically, decide that the product, whilst highly interesting, does not guarantee the sort of consistent performance that you rightly expect.
This may result in you losing money and not achieving the result you expected. To avoid such disappointment, be sure that you always purchase Soapnut shells that are 100% pure sapindus mukorossi .
The difference:
As already mentioned, The two kinds of Soapnuts: sapindus mukorossi and sapindus trifoliatus have different characteristics. Himalayan Soapnuts, sapindus mukorossi, are soft, a little bit sticky and wet naturally. While Sapindus Trifoliatus are hard, much drier and smaller in size. The Himalayan Soapnuts, sapindus mukorossi, are normally used for washing and cleaning due to their high quantity of saponin, whilst sapindus trifoliatus are used for medicinal and herbal purposes. Also, there are two kinds of sapindus mukorossi found in India or south Asian countries: One of them grows on the Himalayan range and the other one grows away from the Himalayan range. They are very similar, if not the same, in their physical appearance (color and size), but with a little difference; Himalayan sapindus mukorossi are softer, more sticky and wetter than the other type of sapindus mukorossi. There are a few pictures of experiments made of both kinds of sapindus mukorossi. We can see clear differences between these two.
The difference between 2 kinds of shells
The above using some liquid from "Hard" shells
The above using liquid from Himalayan "Soft" shells !!
Below are pictures of bags of shells AFTER one wash.
Stored in a bottle of water ready for the next use.
The extra amount of released "soap" is plain to see!
Soft shells Hard shells
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website: www.sindhiya.com
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