What are the benefits of drinking water boiled with luffa sponge?

Drinking water boiled with luffa sponge generally has effects including clearing heat and detoxifying, promoting circulation and removing blood stasis, promoting diuresis and reducing edema, facilitating lactation and dispersing nodules, as well as improving digestion. Detailed explanations are as follows:

1. Clearing Heat and Detoxifying: Luffa sponge is cool in nature. Drinking water boiled with it can help remove internal heat pathogens and alleviate symptoms such as dry mouth and throat discomfort caused by internal heat. For conditions like cough due to lung heat and yellow, thick phlegm, moderate consumption may help relieve respiratory tract inflammation and provide auxiliary effects of clearing heat and moistening the lungs.

2. Promoting Circulation and Removing Blood Stasis: Due to its fibrous texture resembling the body's meridians, traditional belief holds that drinking luffa sponge-boiled water can help unblock meridians and promote the circulation of qi and blood. For symptoms such as limb numbness or joint pain caused by qi and blood stagnation, combining luffa sponge with other ingredients or medicinal herbs in boiling water may assist in improving local blood circulation and relieving discomfort.

3. Promoting Diuresis and Reducing Edema: Luffa sponge has a diuretic effect that helps eliminate dampness. Drinking water boiled with it can promote the metabolism of excess fluid in the body, aid in reducing edema, and accelerate urine excretion, thereby alleviating bodily discomfort caused by fluid retention, such as difficult urination and body swelling.

4. Facilitating Lactation and Dispersing Nodules: During postpartum periods when breast milk is blocked or lumps appear in the breasts, drinking luffa sponge-boiled water may serve as an auxiliary method. Its meridian-unblocking effect can help clear blocked mammary ducts. When combined with ingredients such as carp or pig's trotters to make soup, it may promote milk secretion and relieve breast engorgement caused by blocked mammary glands.

5. Improving Digestion: Rich in dietary fiber, drinking luffa sponge-boiled water can stimulate gastrointestinal motility and enhance digestive function. For conditions such as indigestion, poor appetite, or mild constipation, it can stimulate intestinal peristalsis, aid digestion and nutrient absorption, and help maintain normal intestinal function.

When drinking luffa sponge-boiled water, the dosage should be adjusted according to individual constitution. Those with cold deficiency in the spleen and stomach should use it cautiously and avoid long-term or excessive consumption. If used to address specific conditions, it is recommended to use it under the guidance of a professional. Discontinue use immediately if any adverse reactions occur.