HERB - HERB Looking for

[Carl/Anne Adamczyk]

I hope I'm not opening a kettle of stinky fish with this address on
making soap.  
The way soap acts as a cleaner is that it is a surfactant.  That means it
breaks down the surface tension of the skin oils and dirt to allow water
to get at those molecules and wash them away.  Now, as far as
antiseptic/antibiotic use goes, you can get good disinfectant action by
simply washing with good friction for reasonably long period of time. 
The germs are  carried away by the friction action and the surfactant
properties of the soap.  I have problems with antibacterial soaps because
if you continue to bombard germs with disinfectants, antiseptics and
antibiotics, they will, as we have observed with systemic antibiotics,
mutate and become resistant to the substances they are constantly
assaulted with.  The skin is the largest organ in the body and a healthy,
intact skin is the first defense against illness.  If we fuss too much
with it, the skin may just quit doing its primary job.

Grania

On Thu, 2 Sep 1999 16:03:13 -0400 meaduewolf at juno.com writes:
>
>>herbalists are suggesting substituting Oregon Grape root for 
>>goldenseal, as 
>>it has many of the same properties. 
>
>I want this for making soaps.
>It says in the book...
>"Goldenseal attacks the bacteria, viruses, and fungi that causes 
>contagious illness."
>
>Would the Oregon Grape Root do the same? I've never heard of it. But 
>then I am still learning a lot here about herbs!!!!!
>
>Many thanks to you all!!!!!!!
>
>Rhiannon
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