Shikakai

Shikakai means "fruit for hair" and is a traditional shampoo used in India. It is made from Acacia concinna, a small shrub native to the warm, dry plains of central India.

Acacia Concinna
Acacia Concinna has been used for hair care in India for centuries, it is now grown commercially in India and Far East Asia. The plant parts used for the dry powdered or the extract are the bark, leaves or pods. It is a common shrub found in jungles throughout India. The bark contains high levels of saponins, which are foaming agents that are found in several other plant species. Saponin-containing plants have a long history of use as mild cleaning agents. Saponins from the plant's pods have been traditionally used as a detergent and in Bengal for poisoning fish and are documented to be potent marine toxins.

In commercial extracts, when the plant is hydrolyzed it yields lupeol and spinasterol and acacic acid lactone, and the sugars glucose, arabinose and rhamnose. It also contains hexacosanol and spinasterone. The saponin of the bark has spermicidal activity against human semen.

The leaves have an acidic taste and are used in chutneys. The leaves contain oxalic, tartaric, citric, succinic and ascorbic acids, as well as two alkaloids, calyctomine and nicotine. An infusion of the leaves has been used in anti-dandruff preparations. Extracts of the ground pods have been used for various skin diseases.

Usage
The fruit pods, leaves and bark of Acacia Concinna are dried, powdered and made into a paste at home. While this paste does not produce the normal amount of lather that a regular shampoo would, it is a good cleanser. It has a natural low pH, is extremely mild, and doesn't strip hair of natural oils. Usually no rinse or conditioner is used since shikakai also acts as a detangler. It is also used to combat dandruff. The company ShiKai makes hair care products with an extract from this plant.

Source

 * http://www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare/natural_bodycare_ingredients.cfm

Shikakai