Sapindus mukorossi, also known as Reetha, is a big deciduous tree in the Sapindaceae family. Soapberry, soapnut, washnut, aritha, dodan, and dodani are some of the common names for it.

Reetha has been utilised for centuries in nations such as Japan and China. It has been employed as a life-prolonging pericarp (the part of a fruit enclosing the seeds) in Japan, and as a fruit for sickness management in China. The herb is well renowned for its traditional therapeutic properties. Reetha is found in the steep sections of India's Himalayas.

For decades, the fruit of Reetha has been employed in Indian Ayurvedic treatment. Many Ayurvedic shampoos and cleansers contain Reetha as a component. 

Therapeutic Uses:

The saponins derived from Reetha (the fruit's pericarp) have contraceptive properties. Reetha is used in Ayurvedic medicine to erase tan and freckles from the skin. It is also used as a hair cleanser and to eliminate oil from the scalp. Reetha is traditionally used to remove lice from the scalp and as an expectorant (an agent that promotes the secretion of sputum by the air passages).

Reetha is used to treat problems such as acne, excessive salivation, chlorosis (iron deficiency anaemia), headaches, epilepsy, eczema, and psoriasis. Furthermore, Reetha powder can be used to treat dental cavities, constipation, the common cold, nausea, and arthritis. 

Benefits of Reetha for Contraception: 

The saponins in Reetha have spermicidal (sperm destroying) effect, making it useful as a contraceptive. When exposed to saponins, human spermatozoa (sperm cells) undergo morphological (structural) modifications. These morphological alterations disturb the sperm cells. Because of its spermicidal action, it has been utilised in a contraceptive cream. 

Benefits of Reetha for Cancer:

Many saponins identified in Reetha have anticancer properties when tested on cancer cell lines. Saponins' anti-tumorigenic (preventing tumour formation) properties are due to a number of antitumor mechanisms. Some saponins found in Reetha, for example, shown anticancer efficacy by causing cancer cells to die. 

Benefits of Reetha for Anti-Bacterial Activity:

In an animal research, Reetha extract inhibited the growth of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori when given orally. In an in-vivo research, the extract was also effective in eradicating Helicobacter pylori infection.

Benefits of Reetha for Liver:

In an animal study, reetha extract shown liver protective action. In the rat model, extract of the fruit pericarp of Reetha revealed liver-protective effects. The extract may protect the liver by protecting the hepatocytes (liver cells). 

The Anti-Fungal Properties of Reetha

A lab study found that Reetha extract could inhibit the growth of Candida albicans, which causes cutaneous (skin) candidiasis. Reetha extract shown potent antifungal action against Candida parapsilosis. Trichophyton rubrum was inhibited by the saponin component of the extract. 

Other Names: Reetha , Soapnut 

Reetha's Wound Healing Advantages

In animal experiments, oil extracted from Reetha seeds demonstrated wound healing properties. The oil was also anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-bacterial. The therapeutic advantage of skin wound healing was discovered to be the result of anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant action. The antioxidant benefit is provided by the vitamin E in the oil. In humans, reetha seed oil has the ability to promote skin wound healing. 

Reetha Benefits for Hair

Reetha is extensively used in cosmetics such as shampoo. Shampoos contain dried fruit powder as a foaming agent. It cleanses the skin's greasy secretions and can be used as a hair cleanser and tonic because it generates a natural lather. It is also utilised to get rid of lice from your hair.