Many Benefits of Soap Nuts/Lerak

Children today may have been rare or even see, fruits, and plants lerak (Sapindus rarak). One reason is the emergence of modern products become competitors, ranging from washing soap, facial soap, insecticides, and so forth. Various benefits have been undermined lerak modern products, though lerak clearly more environmentally friendly, and even potentially save the earth from global warming (global warming).

Plants lerak (Sapindus rarak)
including giant plants with a high that can reach 42 meters with a trunk diameter of about 1 meter. Egg-shaped leaves up to langset. Perbungaanya compound, panicle, located at the stem tip, and yellowish-white. The fruit is round like marbles. Old fruit (ripe) blackish brown, with a smooth surface and glossy fruit. Round and black seeds. Flesh is a little slimy, but issued a fragrant aroma.

Fruit lerak formerly known as the material to brighten the color that comes from soga (natural dye), such as batik cloth. Batik is washed with lerak fruit will have a color quality remains good and durable. Lerak also often used to wash the materials of brass, copper, even gold.

The botanists classify plants lerak as a biopesticide, because it is very good to be used for drug or insect killer pembasi earthworms. Flesh contains saponins which are biopesticide. The seeds contain oil. Larak also be used as a facial soap to reduce acne.

Here are some uses lerak fruit that can be made alone:

To wash batik clothes/fabrics
Drain fruit lerak, then finely ground and mixed with warm water. This solution can be used to soak overnight batik. washing batik with extra fruit lerak proven to maintain the quality of fabric such as when made.

For ordinary washing clothes
Lerak memcuci can also be used for ordinary clothing, even make clothing more durable because it does not contain detergent ingredients. Enter 3-5 lerak fruit into 4 (four) cups of hot water, then knead until a foam-froth saponins or natural.

Mix liquid into the sink saponin that has been filled with water. Saponin was working as a surfactant, which makes washing water "wetter". As a result of saponin easily into the fibers of the fabric that has been washed, binding dirt, and removing dirt and earlier than dishwater.

For washing machine
Use the washing machine lerak way, enter 3-5 to bag the fruit lerak fabric available, and enter into the washing machine. Avoid using detergents, fragrances, ingredients (fragrance), and the softener (softener).

Set the water temperature in the cold / moderate with normal rotation, and start washing. In order to work effectively and normal, try lerak can circulate freely and not stuck in the folds of a large cloth (bed sheet).

To scent clothing, you can add a few drops of essential oil are preferred. In the washing machine, fruit lerak can be used for 3 (three) times of usage.

To clean kitchen tools
To clean kitchen tools, break the 5 (five) pieces lerak using a hammer or sliced with a knife. Lerak destroyed is brewed with 300 ml of hot water, allow it to cool, then filtered.
The filtered solution is concentrated saponin from lerak, and can be used to clean the kitchen tools, flooring, as well as handicrafts.

Biopesticide
Saponin is included in bioinsektisida (natural mosquito repellent) and biopesticide (pest). To eradicate mosquitoes, the material need only fruit / seed lerak and 90% ethanol. Biiji fruit and dried, then ground up into powder.

Dissolve 10 grams lerak into 100 ml of ethanol 90%. If you want to make 1 liter, mean dose of powder 100 grams. Fluid extraction can be used to control mosquito larvae, kill adult mosquitoes, and is a repellent that can prevent the presence of mosquitoes.
To prevent dengue fever, is mixed into the tub. If you want to use to prevent and repel mosquitoes, pour the solution into a sprayer that is only sold in the market.

Those are some uses of the fruit lerak which is rarely known by most of us. Some of processed fruit products are now sold lerak. Ranging from facial soap, laundry soap (nondeterjen), insect repellent, shampoo washing batik, and others. Some products are sold through online stores, but many were scattered in several shops, mini markets and supermarkets. In Yogyakarta, one of the seller of processed fruit is Mirota lerak Batik on Jl. C. Simanjuntak, Yogyakarta.

(Quoted from the newspaper Suara Merdeka edition 10 July 2009)

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