The Role of Saponins

Saponins are a natural foaming agent found in a wide variety of plants. They were used as a type of soap by ancient peoples. One of the plants most commonly used for its foaming ability is soapwort Saponaria Caryophyllaceae; the root of which was used as soap. Saponins are also found in the soapnut (horse chestnuts), yucca, soapbark tree, peas and soybeans.

Foaming Agent

• Due to their surface-active properties, saponins produce stable foams. Yucca and the soapbark tree are just two of the plant saponins that are used to produce the foam in some beverages. Slurpies and root beer both use extracts from those two plants to produce their thick "head" of foam. Because of the foaming and surfactant properties, yucca was used as soap by Native Americans and soapbark as shampoo by the natives in Chile.

Odor Control

• Saponins have been found to control ammonia and fecal odors of animals such as pigs and poultry. When yucca saponins are added to animal feed it passes thru their digestive tract without being absorbed. When it is passed in the feces, the saponins bind to the ammonia and other odor-producing compounds and keep the smells down. This same principle also works when added to dog and cat food. Additionally, yucca extract is added to some kitty litters to eliminate odor.

Reduction of Internal Parasites

• While the high quantities of saponins contained in such forage plants as alfalfa, corn cockle, Broomweed and soapwort can be toxic for grazing livestock, other saponin-containing plants can be helpful. Yucca extract has been proven by the Agriculture Canada to kill giardia, often found in untreated drinking water, and coccidiosis protozoa found in livestock. Ruminants (cud-chewing animals such as cattle and sheep) often have rumen protozoa that interfere with digestion. Allowing them to graze on yucca plants has proven to be effective in reducing the infestation of rumen protozoa.

Cholesterol Reduction

• Dr. Rene Malinow's 1997 research at the Oregon Regional Primate Center, showed conclusively that saponins significantly lowered cholesterol. This is accomplished because saponins bind to cholesterol-carrying bile. Instead of being reabsorbed, saponins bind to the cholesterol and bile acids in the intestine, enabling them to be excreted, working much like the cholesterol-lowering drug, cholestyramine.

Current Research

• Several university studies are being conducted into some other potential benefits of saponins. Researchers at the University of Toronto have found that saponins have the ability to reduce the quantity of colon cancer lesions in mice, as well as inhibiting growth of human cancer cells in lab cultures. Other studies are investigating the use of saponins to increase the effectiveness of oral and injected vaccines.

Role Expanding

• The role of saponins is expanding far beyond use as a soap or shampoo. Research is showing that saponins have the potential of someday being used to reduce cancerous colon tumors in humans. So far it appears that there is still much to learn about how saponins can be used to improve human health and save lives.