Saponin

Description

Any of a group of glucosides that give a soapy lather with water. Saponins have been used since ancient times as a natural cleaner. Saponin is obtained from the bark of the soap bark tree (Quillaja saponaria), the roots of the soap plant (Chlorogalum poleridianum), the fruit of the soapberry tree (Sapindus saponaria) and the leaves of the soapwort plant (Saponaria officinalis). In the early 20th century, Lucas (1932) stated a 1% solution of saponin may be used cautiously as a mild detergent for cleaning dirt and smoke from paintings, but that water may cause damage.

Synonyms and Related Terms

saponins; soap plant; soapbark; soapberry; soapwort; soaproot; sapogenin; Quillaja saponin 

Risks

Toxic when injected into the blood stream.

Resources and Citations

• A. Lucas, Antiques, Their Restoration and Preservation, Edward Arnold, London, 1932.

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The Merck Index, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 10th edition, 1983 Comment: entry 8513

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 691

• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

• R. J. Gettens, G.L. Stout, Painting Materials, A Short Encyclopaedia, Dover Publications, New York, 1966

• Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)

• Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, https://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000