Luffa Sponge, a name in traditional Chinese medicine, refers to the vascular bundles of the dried, mature fruit of Luffa cylindrica (L.) Roem., a plant belonging to the genus Luffa in the Cucurbitaceae family. It is primarily produced in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. This product has the effects of dispelling wind, unblocking meridians, promoting blood circulation, and stimulating lactation. It is primarily used to treat arthralgia and stiffness, distension and pain in the chest and flanks, insufficient lactation, and swollen and painful mastitis.
Luffa Sponge
Luffa Sponge, a name in traditional Chinese medicine, refers to the vascular bundles of the dried, mature fruit of Luffa cylindrica (L.) Roem., a plant belonging to the genus Luffa in the Cucurbitaceae family. It is primarily produced in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. This product has the effects of dispelling wind, unblocking meridians, promoting blood circulation, and stimulating lactation. It is primarily used to treat arthralgia and stiffness, distension and pain in the chest and flanks, insufficient lactation, and swollen and painful mastitis.
Chinese Name : 丝瓜络
Latin Name : Luffae Fructus Retinervus
Aliases : Luffa tendrils, loofah net, loofah shell, loofah pith, loofah pulp, loofah fibers, loofah tendrils, loofah pulp, thousand-layer tower, loofah sponge
Authentic Producing Area : Jiangsu, Zhejiang
Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Neutral in nature, sweet in taste; enters the Lung, Stomach, and Liver meridians
Benefits & Efficacy
Benefits
Dispels wind, unblocks meridians, promotes blood circulation, and promotes lactation.
Indications
Mainly used for arthralgia and stiffness, distending pain in the chest and flanks, insufficient lactation, and swollen and painful mastitis.
Usage and Dosage
1. Internal use: Decocted, 5–12 g; or charred until carbonized, ground into powder, and taken at 1.5–3 g per dose. 2. External use: Apply an appropriate amount of the charred, ground powder mixed with a carrier.
Precautions
Not yet established.
Chemical Constituents
This product primarily contains polysaccharides such as xylan, mannan, and galactan. It also contains components such as oleanolic acid.
Pharmacological Actions
This product possesses anti-inflammatory, analgesic, sedative, antitussive, and lipid-lowering effects.
Relevant Discussions
1. *Yilin Zuanyao*: “Cools the blood, promotes blood circulation, unblocks meridians, and expels smallpox toxins.”
2. *Yaoxing Qieyong*: “Indicated for heat-induced bi syndrome.”
3. *Bencao Zaixin*: “Harmonizes the blood vessels, resolves phlegm, and regulates qi.”
Applications
Clinical Applications
1. For treating rheumatic pain, stiffness of tendons and meridians, and limb numbness, it is often combined with Qin Jiao, Fang Feng, Dang Gui, and Ji Xue Teng.
2. For treating distending pain in the chest and flanks caused by stagnation of qi and blood, it is frequently combined with Chai Hu, Xiang Fu, Gua Lou Pi, and Yu Jin.
3. To treat insufficient lactation or blocked milk ducts after childbirth, it is often used in combination with Wangbuliu Xing, Lulutong, Manchurian Pangolin Scale, and pig’s trotters; to treat swollen and painful breast abscesses, it is frequently combined with Dandelion, Zhebei Mother-of-Pearl, Trichosanthes Rind, and Green Tangerine Peel.
Related Compatibility
1. Luffa Sponge Combined with Mulberry Twigs: Luffa sponge dispels wind, unblocks meridians, and promotes blood circulation; mulberry twigs dispel wind-dampness and relieve joint stiffness. When used together, these two herbs enhance the effects of dispelling wind and unblocking meridians, making this combination suitable for rheumatic arthralgia or chest and flank pain caused by wind-dampness invading the meridians.
2. Luffa Sponge Combined with Trichosanthes Fruit: Luffa sponge dispels wind and dampness, and invigorates blood to unblock the meridians; Trichosanthes fruit clears heat, resolves phlegm, regulates qi, and disperses nodules.Luffa fiber acts on the blood, while Trichosanthes fruit acts on the qi. When combined, these two herbs regulate both qi and blood, enhancing the effects of clearing lung heat, resolving phlegm, unblocking the meridians, and dispersing nodules. This combination is suitable for chest pain and tightness, chest and flank pain, cough with phlegm due to lung heat, and swelling and pain from mastitis.
3. Luffa Sponge Combined with Dandelion: Luffa sponge is sweet and neutral in nature, entering the Lung, Stomach, and Liver meridians; it unblocks the meridians and promotes lactation to treat swollen and painful mastitis. Dandelion clears heat, detoxifies, reduces swelling, and disperses nodules, and is particularly effective for mastitis. When used together, these two herbs clear heat, detoxify, resolve abscesses, and disperse nodules, making them suitable for treating swollen and painful mastitis.
Medicinal Identification
Luffa Sponge and Chuan Shan Long: Both herbs are used to dispel wind-dampness; they can dispel wind, unblock the meridians, and invigorate blood circulation, and are used to treat rheumatic arthralgia and trauma-induced injuries. However, Luffa Sponge has a sweet, neutral nature and enters the Lung, Stomach, and Liver meridians; it excels at dispelling wind and unblocking the meridians, and can be used for distending pain in the chest and flanks;Because it harmonizes the blood vessels, unblocks the meridians, promotes lactation, and reduces swelling, it is also commonly used for postpartum women with stagnation of qi and blood, blocked milk flow, and swollen, painful breast abscesses. Chuan Shan Long has a sweet and bitter taste and a warm nature; it enters the Liver, Kidney, and Lung meridians. It can also invigorate blood circulation and relieve pain, making it suitable for trauma and sprains; it also has the ability to relieve cough and calm wheezing, and is used for conditions such as cough and shortness of breath.
Related Medicines
Synovitis Granules, Wind-Dispelling Liquid, and Meridian-Unblocking and Lactation-Promoting Syrup.
Medicinal Diet Therapy
Prawn, Tongcao, and Luffa Soup:
1. Benefits: Regulates qi and blood in the breasts, promotes lactation, stimulates appetite, and resolves phlegm.
2. Ingredients: 2 prawns, 6 grams of Tongcao, 10 grams of luffa fibers, and small amounts of cooking oil, scallion segments, shredded ginger, and salt.
3. Preparation: Rinse the Tongcao and loofah fibers thoroughly. Remove the intestinal tracts from the shrimp. Place all ingredients in a pot with water and simmer to make a broth. Add scallions, ginger, and salt. Simmer over medium heat until nearly done, then add cooking oil. Bring to a boil and serve.
4. Usage: Serve as a side dish with meals.
Notes
Patients requiring treatment with traditional Chinese medicine should first consult a licensed TCM hospital, where a TCM practitioner will conduct a professional diagnosis and prescribe the appropriate herbal formula.
Processing & Preparation
Harvesting & Processing
Harvest in summer and fall when the fruits are ripe, the peel has turned yellow, and the interior is dry. Remove the outer peel and pulp, wash thoroughly, sun-dry, and remove the seeds.
Processing Methods
1. Luffa Sponge: Take the raw material, remove impurities and residual seeds, flatten it, and cut into small pieces.
2. Roasted Luffa Sponge: Place small pieces of the cleaned luffa sponge in a pan, heat over low heat, and roast until deep yellow; remove and let cool.
3. Charred Luffa Sponge: Place luffa sponge pieces in a pan, heat over high heat, and roast until the surface is charred black and the interior is charred brown; then spray with clean water, remove, and air-dry.
Storage Methods
Store in a dry place.
Crude Drug Identification
Identification
The powder of this product is grayish-white. Wood fibers are scattered individually or in bundles; they are slender, slightly curved, with obliquely pointed tips, and may be forked or short-branched, with a diameter of 7–39 μm and thin walls. Helical and reticulate vessels have diameters of 8–28 μm.
Properties of Crude Drugs
This product consists of interwoven filamentous vascular bundles, mostly in the form of elongated prisms or long cylinders, slightly curved, 30–70 cm long, and 7–10 cm in diameter. The surface is yellowish-white. It is light in weight, tough in texture, elastic, and cannot be broken. A cross-section reveals a three-chambered ovary, which appears hollow. It has a faint odor and a bland taste.
Properties of Processed Slices
1. Luffa Sponge: See “Characteristics of the Medicinal Material.”
2. Roasted Luffa Sponge: Resembles a block of luffa sponge; the surface is brownish-yellow with slight scorching.
3. Charred Luffa Sponge: Resembles a block of luffa sponge; the surface is charred black, and the interior is charred brown.
Botanical Information
Botanical Classification
Luffa, a plant of the genus Luffa in the Cucurbitaceae family.
Morphological Characteristics
An annual climbing herb. Stems and branches are rough, with ridges and grooves, and bear fine soft hairs. Tendrils are stout, usually numbering 2–4.Leaves are alternate; petioles are rough and nearly glabrous; leaf blades are triangular or nearly circular, usually palmately 5–7-lobed, with triangular lobes that are longer in the center and have serrated margins. Flowers are unisexual, with male and female flowers on the same plant; male flowers typically number 10–20 and are borne at the apex of a raceme, with a stout peduncle; the calyx tube is bell-shaped and covered with short soft hairs;the corolla is yellow, radiate, with 5 oblong lobes; the inner surface is covered with long, yellowish-white soft hairs, while the outer surface bears 3–5 prominent veins; there are 5 stamens (rarely 3), which are slightly fused at the beginning of flowering but eventually become completely separate; female flowers are solitary; the perianth is similar to that of the male flowers, with 3 rudimentary stamens; the ovary is long-cylindrical and pubescent, with 3 enlarged stigmas.The fruit is cylindrical, straight or slightly curved, 15–30 cm long and 5–8 cm in diameter, with a smooth surface, usually bearing dark longitudinal stripes; it is fleshy when immature and becomes dry upon maturity, containing reticulate fibers inside, and dehiscing by a cap-like split at the apex. The seeds are numerous, black, ovate, flattened, smooth, and with narrow wing-like margins. Flowering and fruiting occur in summer and fall.
Distribution Area
Found throughout China.
Growth Habits
It prefers a warm climate, tolerates high temperatures and high humidity, but is sensitive to low temperatures. It adapts well to a wide range of soil types; deep, moist, sandy loam rich in organic matter is ideal, while poor, infertile soils are unsuitable.
Propagation Methods
Propagated by seed, either by direct seeding or by raising seedlings and transplanting them.
Cultivation Techniques
1. Direct Seeding Method: In March–April, prepare the soil and create raised beds approximately 3 m wide. After soaking the seeds to promote germination, sow two rows along both sides of the bed.
2. Seedling Transplanting Method: In February–March, grow seedlings in nutrient pots on a heated seedbed. Transplant the seedlings when they have developed 2–3 true leaves.