We've been hunting down the answer to this questions from Denise: "There are plants that contain saponins and were used by Australian aboriginal people as bush medicine. Aborginal family members in remote areas are concerned about coronavirus but do not have access to hand sanitiser or sometimes even soap. Is there any research on the antiviral properties of saponins in, for example, Australian Acacia species, or other plants?" Eva Higginbotham spoke with Maher Mohamed Abed El Aziz from the University of Tripoli in Libya, and Anthony Davenport from the University of Cambridge, to find the answer.
Maher Mohamed Abed El Aziz(6-2020)

In a previous study, lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) have been removed successfully from aqueous solutions using naturally occurring saponin isolated from Olea europaea and Citrus aurantium leaves. It was shown that biochemical removal of heavy metals was affected greatly by setting time, the concentration of heavy metal, concentration of saponin extract, and pH value. The process can easily remove heavy metals biochemically via coordinated complex formations between a central heavy metal and saponin as a natural bio-ligand. Accordingly, the effect of chemical factors is well-known but, the effect of physical factors is not. Our present work is focuses on the effect of some physical operational variables on the performance of saponin extraction for the removal of heavy metals. Temperature, agitation, and the synergism between them were the main physical factors that influence the biochemical reaction under investigation. Also, density, moisture content, and organic/inorganic contents have been determined for Olea europaea and Citrus aurantium leaves.
Maher Mohamed Abed El-Aziza,1 Mohamed Ammar Khalifab2(7-2018)

This book is dealing with the folklore of the Arabian beautifying material, which is kohl. Very interesting topics about kohl were outlined in details. Kohl is the famous cosmetics of all civilizations. Egyptians, Libyans, Tunisians, Moroccans, Africans, Arabs, Indians, and Europeans are used kohl in different old and modern fashion shapes and forms. Kohl was used to satisfying many purposes like religion, economic, medical, protection, besides the beautifying purposes. The book tells us the complete story of kohl. It tells us about the first women who used kohl, the origin, the types, the chemical composition, why people used it, how used it, how to make it, the history of kohl in Pharaoh's land, and the safety consideration. The end of this book includes a photo gallery contains 28 beautiful photos show kohl in Egyptian civilization, kohl in Arabic culture, modern kohl shapes, and rock forms. The writer tries and able to complete the picture of kohl in our mind using all resources like books, journals, researches, and websites. Now, we consider this book the first important book about the folklore and the secret of the Arabian beauty.
Maher Mohamed Abed El Aziz(9-2018)