China's oldest soap can remove dirt, care for the skin and prevent chapping, and only old farmers have used it
The wisdom of China's working people is there for all to see, especially in ancient times in China, when there was none of today's advanced technology or internet, and people produced tools and so on suited to their use based on their own experience of labour; these are the crystallization of the wisdom of the working people. Today I am going to introduce something that I saw in the countryside as a child, which was later gradually phased out and which I had not seen for many years.
This is pig pancreas soap, and pig pancreas soap counts as the oldest soap in China; in the past, when there was no soap, people used pig pancreas soap to remove the grease and dirt from their bodies. Pig pancreas soap is in fact made from a pig's pancreas, processed together with materials such as alkaline water to become a bar of soap. As for who first thought of making pig pancreas soap, there are no records left to verify it, but the use of pig pancreas soap has continued right up to the present day. I remember that when I was a child, the elders in the family would buy pig pancreas soap every winter to wash their hands and faces; after washing with pig pancreas soap, the skin on the face and hands would not chap in winter, and after using pig pancreas soap the skin was also very smooth, so it really counts as a natural skin-care treasure.
Pig pancreas soap has a long history of use in China; in those days people used pig pancreas soap to wash their faces and bathe, and in that era when skin-care products were scarce, people relied on pig pancreas soap to care for their skin, as pig pancreas soap can effectively retain moisture and prevent the skin from becoming dehydrated. Not only that, pig pancreas soap also has the effect of relieving itching and removing dandruff; in ancient times, pig pancreas soap was also called "bath bean", and it can be said to be the oldest soap in China, though nowadays it is basically nowhere to be seen.
A pig's pancreas is itself a detoxifying organ of the pig; after the fat is removed it is crushed, mixed with alkali, and a little of other plant fragrances is added, then it is rolled into round or rectangular shapes, and after being dried in the shade it is ready to use. Nowadays in the rural areas of Shandong, some elderly people still make pig pancreas soap, while young people have never seen it. Once the pig pancreas soap is made, its colour does not look attractive, but it feels very good to use, and the price is very cheap, one yuan per piece.
This pig pancreas soap that old farmers used is now no longer common, replaced by a dazzling array of expensive skin-care products; in fact, natural is best, and pig pancreas soap can balance the acid-base level of human skin, with an effect even better than some skin-care products. But nowadays young people no longer use pig pancreas soap, probably because they do not recognise its many benefits. When you think about it, the people who invented pig pancreas soap were truly extremely clever to have thought that a pig's pancreas could have such effects. This oldest of soaps, pig pancreas soap, have you seen it nowadays?