Introduction of loofah

Luffa has many benefits, including promoting the production of body fluids, quenching thirst, relieving heat and eliminating restlessness. It can also be made into dishes, and the taste is quite good.

Loofah

It is the fresh and tender fruit of the plant luffa of the Cucurbitaceae family. It is also known as Tianluo, Miangua, Bugua, and Tianluogua. Luffa has a strong root system. The stem is vine-like, five-ribbed, green, and the main and side vines grow luxuriantly. The stem nodes have branched tendrils and are prone to adventitious roots. The leaves are palm-shaped or heart-shaped and covered with hairs. Luffa is monoecious with dioecious flowers and a yellow corolla.

The fruit of common loofah is cylindrical or long rod-shaped, up to 20 to 100 cm or more, 3 to 10 cm in diameter, without ridges, rough surface with several dark green longitudinal grooves. The fruit of ribbed loofah is rod-shaped, 25 to 60 cm long, 5 to 7 cm in diameter, with green wrinkled epidermis, 7 ridges, green or dark green. The loofah seeds are oval, the seed coat of common loofah is thin and smooth, with wing-like edges, black, white or grayish white; the seed coat of ribbed loofah is thick and wrinkled, black.

The sponge gourd originated in Southeast Asia and was introduced to my country during the Ming Dynasty. It is now mainly cultivated in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan and other places in my country. The sponge gourd has the highest medicinal value, and the whole body can be used as medicine. The Compendium of Materia Medica records that "(sponge gourd) cooked food can remove heat and benefit the intestines." The Luchuan Materia Medica also records that "sponge gourd can promote body fluid and quench thirst, relieve heat and relieve restlessness."

Effects of loofah

1. Luffa contains B vitamins that prevent skin aging, protect the skin, eliminate plaques, and make the skin white and tender. It is a rare beauty product, so luffa juice is known as "beauty water".

2. The content of vitamin C in loofah is high, which can be used to fight scurvy and prevent various vitamin C deficiencies.

3. Since loofah is high in vitamin B, it is beneficial to the brain development of children and the brain health of the middle-aged and elderly.

4. The juice of the loofah vine stem has the special function of maintaining skin elasticity and can beautify and remove wrinkles.

5. The extract of loofah has a significant preventive effect on Japanese encephalitis virus. An anti-allergic substance, bryonic acid, was also extracted from the tissue culture medium of loofah.

6. Loofah and fish maw are nutritious and nourishing, replenishing blood and calcium, strengthening the body, clearing away heat and reducing phlegm, and are very helpful for protecting the liver and invigorating the spirit.

7. Luffa is sweet in taste and neutral in nature. It can circulate through the twelve meridians, dredge the meridians, clear away heat and resolve phlegm.

8. Luffa can be used to treat fever, thirst, phlegm, cough, intestinal wind, hemorrhoids, metrorrhagia, leucorrhea, hematuria, sores, carbuncle, and women's milk retention.

Storage tips for loofah

The storage temperature of loofah cannot be too low, so it is best to wrap it in two layers of paper and then put it in the refrigerator, and put it in the vegetable and fruit fresh-keeping room at the bottom, and not for too long.

Tips on cooking loofah

1. Soak the sliced loofah in salt water before cooking. This will prevent the loofah from changing color and make a clear soup.

2. Luffa is quite cold, so people with bad stomachs should not eat too much, or add some shredded ginger when cooking to neutralize the coldness of the luffa.

3. Luffa flowers are also edible, and the most delicious way to eat them is to dip them in flour and fry them.

4. After cooking the loofah soup, do not throw away the skin. You can wash it and boil it into tea. It can effectively prevent heatstroke and is a refreshing drink to quench thirst in summer.

Luffa dietary taboos

1. Do not eat raw.

2. Luffa is cold and slippery in nature, so do not eat too much, as it can easily cause diarrhea.

Loofah Delicious Food

Braised loofah with scallops

Main ingredients: 200 grams of loofah, 50 grams of scallops, 100 grams of ginkgo (fresh), and 15 grams of red pepper.

Seasoning: 2g sugar, 5g ginger, 3g garlic, 3g salt, 5g starch (corn), 15g vegetable oil

Method: 1. Wash the ginkgo nuts and steam them with 250 ml of water.

2. Wash the scallops and blanch them until half cooked.

3. Peel the loofah, wash it and cut it into strips.

4. Wash and slice the ginger; wash and crush the garlic.

5. Remove the stems and seeds of the peppers, wash them, and cut them into small pieces.

6. Pour oil into the pot, sauté ginger slices and garlic, pour in the loofah, add a little sugar and vinegar and simmer until cooked and soft, add salt to taste and serve.

7. Use another clean pot, pour in oil, add chili first, then scallops, ginkgo nuts and a little salt and stir-fry for a few times.

8. Pour in the cooked loofah and stir-fry evenly, then add a little water starch to thicken.

Home remedies for curing diseases

Recipe for treating whooping cough: 60 ml of fresh loofah juice (for children aged 3 to 6 years), add appropriate amount of honey and take orally, twice a day.

To prevent measles: Boil 100 grams of raw loofah in water and drink it twice a day for 3 days.

Recipe for treating pharyngitis: Take 1 piece of frosted loofah, chop it into pieces, decoct it in water and drink it. Or mash the tender loofah into juice, take 1 tablespoon each time, 3 times a day.

Nutrients contained (per 100g)

Calories 17.00 kcal

Protein 1.0 g

Fat 0.20 g

Carbohydrates 3.40 g

Dietary fiber 0.60 g

Vitamin C 6.00 mg

Calcium 10.00 mg

Phosphorus 26.00 mg

Magnesium 9 mg

Iron 0.20 mg

Zinc 0.2 mg