I was introduced to this plant by my Karok Native American teacher, Red Hawk. It is a drought tolerant landscape plant and is used in many Western states gardens.
Yet I meet this sweet smelling flower in a very different way. One day my teacher was searching in the brush looking around and then he said to me do you know Indian Soap Bush? I shook my head because I didn't.
We were on our way to the Marble Mountain Wilderness and he pulled over to the side of the road and pointed out this pretty good size tree in bloom with the sweetest smelling flowers. He had me cut some and bring it along with us. It was later after 18 miles on horseback into the wilderness we came to Spirit Lake. Now it was time to use that Indian soup. Redhawk took the flower blossoms wet them with a little water between his hands and showed me how to rub very fast. It was just in a few seconds I had a good lavender soap in the palms of my hand. I jumped in the lake and began to do the same process to wash my hair and my body. Not only was I clean I smelled like lilacs. The pieces of flowers were in my hair but once my hair was combed and dried they came right out. After that anytime I was backpacking I would bring the dried blossoms of wild lilacs to wash with rather than soap.
