Luffa in English: loofah, mainly used as a noun, when used as a noun, it is translated as (for wiping and bathing) loofah; loofah.

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Luffa is an annual climbing vine of the Cucurbitaceae family; its stems and branches are rough, furrowed and pubescent. Tendrils slightly stout, pubescent, usually 2-4 branched. The petioles are rough, nearly hairless; the leaves are triangular or nearly round, usually palmately 5-7-lobed, the triangular lobes are dark green above, rough, with verrucous spots, and light green below, with pubescence, palmate veins, and white pubescent. Monoecious.

The male flowers usually have 15-20 flowers, which are born in the upper part of the raceme; the stamens are usually 5, and the flowers are slightly close together when they first open, and finally separate completely. The female flowers are solitary, with pedicels 2-10 cm long; the ovary is cylindrical, pubescent, and the stigma is enlarged. The fruit is cylindrical, straight or slightly curved, with a smooth surface, usually with dark vertical stripes. It is fleshy when immature and dry when mature, with a network of fibers inside. Seeds are numerous, black, ovate, smooth, with narrow wing-like edges. Flowering and fruiting periods are in summer and autumn.

Nutritional value

Luffa contains protein, fat, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin B1, vitamin C, as well as saponins, plant mucus, xylan gum, and bitterness of luffa quality, citrulline, etc. Each 100 grams contains 1.4-1.5 grams of protein, 0.1 grams of fat, 4.3-4.5 grams of carbohydrates, 0.3-0.5 grams of crude fiber, 0.5 grams of ash, 18-28 mg of calcium, 39-45 mg of phosphorus, and 0.03-0.06 riboflavin. mg, niacin 0.3-0.5 mg. Ascorbic acid 5-8 mg.

Luffa contains B vitamins that prevent skin aging, vitamin C that whitens the skin and other ingredients. It can protect the skin, eliminate plaques, and make the skin white and tender. It is a rare beauty product, so Loofah juice is known as beauty water.

Edible value

Compendium of Materia Medica: "Luffa, unknown before the Tang and Song Dynasties, is now found in both the north and the south and is considered a common vegetable. Peel it when tender, cook or expose it, and serve it as tea It is filled with vegetables. When it is old, it is as big as a pestle, and its tendons are twisted like knots. It withers after being exposed to frost, so the villagers call it a pot-washing melon. Black and flat. Its flower buds and young leaf tendrils are all edible. "

When eating loofah, it can be eaten cold, fried, grilled, made into soup or juiced for dietary use. Wash and slice the loofah, blanch it in boiling water, and mix it with sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, etc. to make cold loofah. When cooking luffa, it should be cut and cooked as it is rich in juice to avoid loss of nutrients. In addition, less oil should be used and cooking can be done by thickening the gravy to retain the tender and refreshing characteristics.