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SOAPWORT
(Saponaria officinalis)
bruisewort, dog cloves
Description:
Stout perennial with upright stems, 1-5 ft, bears opposite, lanceolate
with acute tip, smooth and clasping. Large pink, sometimes white
or purple, flowers in flat-topped, corymbed clusters, 5 petals,
linear at the top, and oblong capsule with sweet, raspberry-clove
scent. Eastern U.S., roadsides waste places and railroad embankments.
EDIBLE,
MEDICINAL: Flowers added to salads, dried for potpourri. Stem,
leaves and rhizome contain saponins, acts as a water softener.
Boiled in lime-free water, produces a soapy liquid, a wash for
damaged hair, sensitive, itching skin, acne, eczema, psoriasis,
2-3 yr. old rhizome, made into a decoction for respiratory congestion,
gout, jaundice, to increase milk flow of nursing mothers. Toxic,
use professional help for internal use.
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