Amazing Health Benfits and Uses of Patola (Luffa or Gourd)

Patola 

Scientific name: luffa acutangula

English: luffa or ridge gourd 

Patola, is a tagalog term for luffa or ridge gourd. It belongs to the family of vegetables which is very common in the Philippines. Patola is the main ingredient in making Filipino soup dish. In my personal experience, patola is best when added to pork sinigang because it adds extra-ordinary taste that you'll surely love. 

Patola is very easy to grow. In Philippines' temperature, when you plant patola seeds, you just have to wait for 4-7  and you'll see its spring. The patola plant is considered as aerial plant because it grows creeping on trees or trellis. A single patola plant can bear more than 100 fruits if taken care. But patola plant doesn't live long, after it bears fruit it will eventually die after a month or two.

Health Benefits of Patola

• The raw patola fruit is a great source of calcium and iron and an incredible source of phosphorus and vitamin B. 
• The root is utilized as a stomach cleanser, it has the power to discharge the unwanted substance of the stomach.
• The decoction of the leaves is utilized within Java for uraemia and amenorrhea. Uraemia is aggregation in the blood of nitrogenous waste items (urea) that are typically discharged in the pee 
• The leaves are applied in the skin to cure splenitis, hemorrhoids, and leprocy. 
• The juice of the fresh leaves is dropped into the eyes of youngsters in granular conjunctivitis and is also known to be the best aid to diabetes. The juice also applied to injuries and the bites of poisonous creatures. 
• The oil of the seeds is utilized as skin lotion to cure skin diseases. 

Uses of Patola:

Patola fruit is vegetable with plenty of health benefits. Raw patola is a good source of calcium, iron and phosphorus. Patola fruit is considered as a fair source of vitamin B.

In some countries, patola leaf is used to  cure amenorhea and hemorrhoids. The leaves extracts is also believed to be a cure for animal bites. Some also believe that patola seeds when eaten can expel intestinal worms, and also leaf extract can be applied to eczema. There are studies that patola seeds can be used as insecticides.



Luffa Scrub

Dried patola fruit is used as sponge. Many sponge manufacturers use patola as the main material in making sponge or bath scrub. 

The rough texture of dried patola fruit when wiped with bath soap is enough to scrub the body's dirt and clods.