Soap from Ivy Saponins (OER)

Remove a problem species and make a natural soap! Lindsay Hollister, JPPM's horticulturalist, shares how to identify the invasive English Ivy vine and make a soap from the saponins it naturally produces. These molecules naturally deter predators from eating the species, but their structures also make them bond to both waters and fats. This video includes prompts at 2:17 and answers at the end for predicting why this could be a useful trait and what atoms are present in saponins.

Always be sure you can successfully identify a plant before using it and take precautions to avoid negative reactions.

This resource is part of Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum’s open educational resources project to provide history, ecology, archaeology, and conservation resources related to our 560 acre public park. More of our content can be found at www.oercommons.org. JPPM is a part of the Maryland Historical Trust under the Maryland Department of Planning. This video is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License.