Medicinally Luffa sponge mainly refers to the vascular bundles of the dried ripe fruit of Luffa cylindrica (L.) Roem or Luffa acutangula Roxb. These two are plants in the family Cucurbitaceae. Other common names of it include Chinese okra, sponge gourds, Dried Vegetable Sponge, Vietnamese luffa, Retinervus Luffae Fructus, Vietnamese gourd, luffa gourd, and more. It is widely cultivated all over China and usually harvested during summer and autumn when fruit is ripe, peel becomes yellow, and internal part is dry. After the harvest, remove the skin and flesh, wash, dry in the sun, get rid of the loofah seeds, and finally cut them into sections. Medicinally it is normally used raw.

Loofa sponge consists of criss-cross vascular bundles. Most of them are in elongated round shape, slightly curved, in various lengths but up to 70cm sometimes, 5 to 10cm in diameter, and with slightly smaller ends. Surface is yellow-white, rough, and with several shallow longitudinal grooves and sometimes visible remnants of the peel and membrane-like flesh. It is light, tough, flexible, and with 3 cavities in cross-section and occasionally residual black seeds. It has slightly odorous and tasteless. The best loofah is usually considered large, intact, tough, pale yellow, with clear veins but no seeds.

Luffa Sponge

LUFFA SPONGE BENEFITS
It is in fact the vascular bundles of fully developed fruit of luffa sponge plant. It is the best helper in the kitchens and bathrooms, especially in the years there is no detergent and scouring pads available. No matter how greasy the dishes are, it works like charm to get rid of all them. More importantly, no residue can attach to this natural loofah sponge after the cleaning. So, the benefits of replacing the common artificial cleaning sponges with it are so obvious – low-cost, healthy, safe, eco-friendly, quickly degraded, and more hygienic.

A luffa shower sponge, a jar of body wash, plus a few pieces of scented candles can turn your bathroom into a spa center immediately. Since loofah or sponge balls are the best tools to remove dead skin, which is really essential, especially in winter since the skin becomes dry and dead skin piles. Twice a week with a loofah can effectively remove dead skin to make it smooth and moist again. Besides, it can also enhance blood circulation and promote skin detoxification function at the same time. And when consumed as vegetable, loofahs are rich in saponin, bitter and phlegmatic substances, lignin, citrulline, xylan, interferon, and other special materials. In combination with vitamin B1, C and other ingredients, it can protect the skin, eliminate spots, make skin become white and delicate. No wonder loofah gourd juice is also known as "beauty water".

It was initially recorded as a medicine in Ben Cao Gang Mu (the Compendium of Materia Medica) and included into fruit and vegetables subclass of vegetables chapter. Li Shizhen ever reviewed that: "It is named Si Gua Luo because of its tough woven fibers when ripe. The reticular fibers of old gourd connect and run through each other. The net just resembles channels in human body. Similarly, it can act on main and collateral channels and viscera to detoxicate, reduce swelling, transform phlegm, relieve pain, kill parasites, and treat all blood diseases".

MODERN PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIONS
1) Effect on the liver. Oleanolic acid contained has a therapeutic effect on carbon tetrachloride induced acute liver injury in rats. It can reduce the degeneration and necrosis of the liver cells;
2) Other effects. Oleanolic acid has cardiotonic and diuretic effects. In addition, it can inhibit the growth of S-180 tumor strains.