Luffa originated in India and was introduced to China in Yuan Dynasty. At present, it is widely cultivated in southwest, central and southern provinces of East China, and it is one of the main vegetables in summer. Botanically, luffa can be divided into common luffa and angular luffa (alias angular luffa). Loofah cultivated in Shanghai and the Yangtze River valley are common loofah, while those cultivated in Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian are mostly angular loofah. The former tastes soft and waxy, while the latter is crispy.
Luffa is rich in nutrition. The contents of protein, starch, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamins A and C in melon vegetables are relatively high, and the calories it can provide are second only to pumpkin. Luffa is a kind of melon that tastes tender. Its meat is tender and soft, fragrant and smooth, and can be served with fried meat or soup. Delicious, it is the main seasonal vegetable in summer.
Luffa also has a good medicinal effect. Luffa contains saponins, citrulline and other ingredients. Cold in nature, sweet in taste, and has the function of clearing heat. It is good to eat loofah in hot summer. "Herbal Medicine in Southern Yunnan" states that "Luffa flower can clear lung heat, reduce phlegm and qi, relieve cough, stop throat and throat diseases, relieve polydipsia and purge fire". Put the towel gourd flower in a porcelain cup, brew it with boiling water, cover it for a few minutes, and then add honey. The towel gourd flower in the water is still light yellow, and you can cure cough by drinking it several times a day. When melons get old, they become tendons, that is, loofah used in traditional Chinese medicine, which can relax tendons and activate collaterals. Luffa seeds can resolve phlegm, and there is leaf liquid in Luffa rattan, which also has the effect of clearing heat. You can eat more loofah if you have more prickly heat in summer.
Peel the loofah when you eat it. Can be cold, fried, baked, made into soup or juice for dietotherapy. For example, it can be washed and sliced, cooked in boiling water, mixed with sesame oil, soy sauce and vinegar, and made into cold towel gourd. Fried loofah is light and delicious, clearing away heat and promoting diuresis; Burn mushrooms and loofah to replenish qi and blood and dredge meridians; Tomato and loofah soup can clear away heat and toxic materials, eliminate irritability, and is especially suitable for eating when you are hot, thirsty and dry throat. Take a proper amount of raw loofah, wash it and juice it, and mix it with honey according to the ratio of 10: 1. Raw towel gourd juice has the effects of clearing away heat, relieving cough and resolving phlegm. (Source: Beijing Youth Daily)
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