Youthful Skin and Spot-Removal Loofah Dish
The tender green loofah is fresh, fragrant, crisp, and sweet—ideal for cooling heat and detoxifying in summer. Loofah is not only nutritious but also has medicinal value, making it a treasure throughout. According to Dr. Gao Guangyan from Wuhan Guangyan TCM Acupuncture Clinic, loofah contains rich nutrients, including interferon inducers that stimulate the body to produce interferon, achieving antiviral and anti-cancer effects. Generally, young loofah offers better taste, nutrition, and therapeutic benefits.
Loofah is cold in nature and sweet in flavor, possessing functions such as clearing summer heat, promoting bowel movement, removing wind and phlegm, cooling blood, detoxifying, unblocking meridians, and regulating qi. It can treat bloody stools and assist postpartum lactation, but excessive consumption may cause diarrhea. People with weak constitution, poor spleen and stomach function, or indigestion should consume sparingly.
Loofah is also an excellent natural beauty agent for fading freckles, whitening skin, and reducing wrinkles. Regular consumption or applying loofah juice to the face can make skin smooth and delicate, offering special effects such as anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, preventing and eliminating acne and melanin deposition.
Here are several ways to use and prepare loofah:
1. Green and white loofah: Stir-fry ginger threads until fragrant, add loofah, stir-fry, then add green peppers and a little garlic. Cook until loofah is tender, then briefly boil with lily bulbs before serving.
2. Ice Beauty Jade: Peel and wash loofah, cut into 1.5 cm pieces, steam over boiling water for 7 minutes, discard liquid. Heat oil in pan, stir-fry garlic paste, pour over steamed loofah, then add a little soy sauce and sesame oil.
3. Wash fresh loofah, chop finely, wrap in gauze, squeeze out juice, mix with equal amount of medicinal alcohol and honey, blend well. Apply to face and arms with cotton ball, leave on for 20 minutes, then rinse with clean water. Apply once nightly for one month to reduce wrinkles and improve skin texture and elasticity.
4. Loofah leaf decoction bath: Boil fresh loofah leaves and use the liquid to bathe, which cleanses skin, reduces wrinkles, cools down, detoxifies, and helps prevent prickly heat.
5. Sores, swellings, and toxins: Take one young loofah, crush and apply externally.<Freckles>