Native American hygiene plants of the Midwest Great Lakes.

Hello gang. I'm looking for more Native American plants for soap, lotion, shampoo and stuff for the American Great Lakes this year to help reduce the need to spend more for soap and other hygiene products. The only one I know for soap is the Canadian buffaloberry, but I'm looking for others that can be used for soap. I wanna begin with native plants first. I'm also looking for ones for lotion, shampoo, toothpaste, dental floss and that sorta thing. I've done my very best to be substainable with my body and my life on a local and regional level, but the research gets challenging and tiring at most. I'm looking for this column to be as edifying as possible to make a substantial difference in peoples lives. Please share more if you have anything to add. Thanks!

I have no idea which of these were native, but off the top of my head:

Yucca (soap from the root)
Horse Chestnut (laundry soap from the nuts)
Comfrey (dried powdered root plus fine-ground charcoal makes a good tooth powder, which is easier to make than toothpaste)
Soapwort (soap/shampoo made from the above-ground parts)
Jewelweed (gel-like lotion, similar to aloe)
Velvetleaf (also called "butterprint", makes a good tissue)

The list above is entirely from memory, so please double-check before relying on it.

I already have jewelweed, but I'm searching for more. Yucca and soapweed aren't native to the Great Lakes. I've had buffaloberry before, but not the kind I'm looking for. I'm looking for the Canadian type, one native to the American Great Lakes. I'm looking for ones the Potawatomi and Miami use for soap, lotion, shampoo, toothpaste, floss, that type of stuff for a healthy body.

I’ve read that red osier dogwood was used for tooth cleaning, by chewing the end of sticks.

What about for mouthwashing and stuff to fight germs to save teeth, gums and stuff inside our mouth? I'm looking for plants, Native American ones to make toothpaste from.

Ellendra Nauriel wrote:I have no idea which of these were native, but off the top of my head:

Yucca (soap from the root)
Horse Chestnut (laundry soap from the nuts)
Comfrey (dried powdered root plus fine-ground charcoal makes a good tooth powder, which is easier to make than toothpaste)
Soapwort (soap/shampoo made from the above-ground parts)
Jewelweed (gel-like lotion, similar to aloe)
Velvetleaf (also called "butterprint", makes a good tissue)

The list above is entirely from memory, so please double-check before relying on it.

Horsechestnut seems like a good dishwashing and shampoo candidate\

Blake Lenoir wrote: What about for mouthwashing and stuff to fight germs to save teeth, gums and stuff inside our mouth? I'm looking for plants, Native American ones to make toothpaste from.

birch twigs as chewing sticks.

Chenopodium plants native to the Midwest can be used as soap. Especially chenopodium album it's not native. But there are native strains that can be used as soap. By crushing the roots real well and mixing them with water. Also wild amaranth roots can be used as well. It's nice as the pigment in the roots gives the root soap a natural color.