Luffa cylindrica (L.) Roem. is an annual climbing vine of Cucurbitaceae. Stems and branches are rough, ribbed and puberulent. Tendrils slightly stout, pubescent, usually 2-4-pronged. Petiole rough, subglabrous; Leaf blade triangular or suborbicular, usually palmately 5-7-lobed, lobes triangular, dark green above, rough, warty, light green below, pubescent, palmately veined, with white pubescence. Monoecious. Male flowers usually 15-20 flowers, born in the upper part of raceme; Stamens are usually 5, slightly close at the beginning of flower opening, and finally completely separated. The female flower is solitary, and the pedicel is 2- 10 cm long; Ovary long cylindrical, pilose, stigma enlarged. The fruit is cylindrical, straight or slightly curved, with smooth surface, usually with dark longitudinal stripes, fleshy when it is immature, dry when it is ripe, and reticular fibers inside. The seeds are numerous, black, oval, smooth, and narrowly winged. Flower and fruit period: summer and autumn.

Introduction of ingredients:

Luffa, also known as Shenggua, Caigua, etc., is a climbing herb in Cucurbitaceae. Its epidermis is rough and warty, and the surface is covered with pubescence. According to its shape, it can be divided into snake-shaped luffa and stick-shaped luffa. The snake-shaped luffa can reach 1 m, and its skin is slightly rough, often with fine wrinkles. Towel loofah, also known as meat loofah, has a short cylindrical shape to a long rod shape, with a slightly thicker lower part and a tapered front end, and the skin is mainly green.

Nutritional efficacy:

Luffa is rich in protein, fat, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron and vitamins, as well as saponins, plant mucus, xylose gum, bitter substance of Luffa, citrulline and so on. Luffa contains B vitamins to prevent skin aging, which has the effects of refreshing brain, whitening skin, promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, and has a high content of vitamin C, which can be used to prevent scurvy and various vitamin C deficiency. Not only that, the extract of Luffa has obvious preventive effect on Japanese encephalitis virus, so it is very beneficial to human body to eat Luffa regularly.

Common practices:

Then, in life, what are the common practices of loofah?

Red pepper loofah, garlic loofah, loofah crispy meat, walnut fried loofah, loofah fried meat with colored pepper and so on;