Ancient Herbal Cleansing: Natural Wisdom from China to the World

Before the industrialization and the proliferation of modern products, people across China widely used natural herbs and mineral materials for body and hair cleansing.

Chinese honey locust (Gleditsia) was one of the most commonly used natural cleansing agents in ancient China. Rich in saponins, it had excellent cleaning capabilities while being gentle enough to nourish the scalp.

In the southern regions, mugwort and acorus were often added for their antibacterial and soothing properties. In the Chinese medical text *Compendium of Materia Medica*, the herb cypress leaf (Platycladus orientalis) was often used to darken hair, particularly effective for early greying. Li Shizhen wrote that cypress leaf “can darken beard and hair,” and in ancient times, it was often made into shampoos or hair ointments to improve hair color.

Compared with folk formulas, the cleansing and haircare formulas used in the royal courts featured more precious ingredients. Beyond cleansing, these formulations emphasized nourishment, hair darkening, and preventing hair loss. Rare medicinal herbs and fragrant spices, like He Shou Wu (Fo-ti) and Angelica root, were commonly used.

In fact, before the industrial era, many cultures and civilizations had natural body cleansers. For example, in ancient Greece and Rome, people used bran or white clay (such as volcanic ash) to absorb oil and keep skin feeling fresh. In India, people used soapnuts (Reetha or Soapnut), a saponin-rich fruit often used for hair washing and body cleansing. In the Middle East, olive oil soap (Aleppo Soap) was commonly used.

The aim here is not to advocate for a complete return to the past, but rather to appreciate the effectiveness and sensory quality of natural cleansing ingredients, free from synthetic chemicals.

In today’s world, such simple, natural products are not only beneficial for health and comfort—they have also become rare and precious.