For Luffa or Money

(Page 4 of 4)

March/April 1981
By Katherine Kelley and John Shobe 
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A VERSATILE PRODUCT

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There's an incredible range of uses for luffa sponges. Besides being handy bath accessories, they're great as pot scrubbers ... particularly for no-stick pans. During World War II, the durable fiber was used in surgical operations ... as filter material in the Navy's steam and diesel engines ... and—because of its insulating properties—in Army helmet linings. Luffa gourds have also been processed into potholders, doormats, gloves, sandals, and stuffing for mattresses and saddles.

The plant has served—for hundreds of years—as a healing herb as well. Luffa seeds are emetic and purgative, and the leaves are used by the Chinese in a treatment for skin diseases. In Japan, a preparation made from luffa is sold commercially as a skin softener. And, according to a sixteenth-century Chinese herbalist, "The fresh fruit is considered to be cooling and beneficial to the intestines."

In short, it would be very difficult to name any other single plant that can be put to more uses than the lovely luffa vine lends itself to ... both within the body and without!

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