Even More Uses for Luffas

Yeah, the Gentle Reader is probably sick of reading about luffas by now.

"Bean," shouts he, all indignant-like, "I wish ye' had them-thar luffas shoved whar th' sun don't shine!"

This, of course, serves only to remind me of another use for 'em. You see, my granddaddy once told me that in the old days, some people kept a supply of corncobs in the outhouse… (Come to think of it, it's a good thing recycling wasn't the rage in those days: "Dagnabbit, Junior! Bring the luffa back in here! Yer maw needs to wash the dishes, an' Uncle Leroy's due for his weekly bath!")

I reckon that image will about put the Gentle Reader right off his lunch – and possibly leave him wanting a red-hot poker for his mind's eye…

In all seriousness, though, luffas are good for more than grub and making sponges. They're excellent for both, mind you -- and I especially recommend them as food. They tolerate miserable growing conditions and yield prodigious amounts of fruit. Once they get going, two vines are enough to feed an entire family. Beyond their culinary and household value, though, they also figure prominently in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine.

The rough luffa, so-called for its fibrous interior, but, oddly enough, also called the smooth luffa to distinguish it from the angled luffa (are you confused yet?), is also known as the "dishrag gourd." In truth, though, it isn't a gourd at all. The small, yellow-blossomed hard-shell gourds sold as Thanksgiving ornaments are of the species Cucurbita pepo, while the larger, white-blossomed varieties (bottle gourds, birdhouse gourds, dipper gourds, etc.) are members of the genus Langenaria.

Like all squash, pumpkins, cucumbers and melons, they're members of the Cucurbitaceae family, but as they're all of different genii, they can't cross-pollinate.

So here's the lowdown on the luffa: 1.) Family – Cucurbitaceae; 2.) Genus – Luffa; 3.) Species – cylindrica.

Nearly all parts of the plant are edible: flowers, leaves, fruit and shoots. In India, the juice is used to relieve rashes, while an infusion of flowers and fruit is used to treat sore throats, coughs and lung ailments. The dried, fibrous interior is also administered as a remedy for hemorrhoids.

(I've never used it this way, but it makes perfect sense. Hemorrhoids are often the result of straining to move the bowels as a result of constipation. The luffa's high fiber content would tend to resolve the latter condition, thereby easing the former. Chinese sources, though, warn that too much of the young fruit can induce diarrhea -- and personal experience leads me to agree.)

The third edition of Materia Medica (edited by Dan Bensky, Steven Clavey and Erich Stöger) also attributes the following characteristics to the plant:

Its properties are sweet and neutral (although some argue that it's slightly cooling). It enters the lung, stomach and liver meridians, and is said to resolve toxicity, "enter and unblock the channels and collaterals," to "transform phlegm, dispel wind, and invigorate the blood." This gibes with the Indian application, especially with regard to its purported action on the lungs. The dried fiber is administered in doses of 6-15 grams, raw or prepared by dry frying or charring. Materia Medica classifies it under "herbs that reduce heat," but interestingly enough, Henry C. Lu's Chinese Natural Cures doesn't mention it at all.

Next time I get 'rhoids or bronchitis, I'll give it a try and update this post.

Comments

[Tim]

Glad you liked the Thai Luffa. I've got a red themed package coming your way just as soon as everything gets dry enough for storage and shipment. I've got get some fish sauce to make the "Curried Luffa and Mushrooms" recipe although it's hard not to just dip them in milk and flour before deep frying, but anything with habanero and mushrooms is got to be good.

I didn't know about the medicinal value before. I'll file that under very useful information.

[Dave]

Howdy, Tim.

Sorry to be so late in getting back to you.

I'm looking forward to receving the seeds, and will send you a few of this year's "success stories" and oddballs ("Italian Edible Gourd"; "Thai Eggplant"; "Turkish Orange Eggplant"; and "Garden Huckleberry") as soon as the seeds are mature and ready to mail.