What Are Luffa Sponges?
What Are Luffa Sponges?
Luffa is a genus of tropical and subtropical vines in the cucumber family (Cucurbitaceae).
In common non-technical language, the luffa, also spelled loofah, usually refers to the fruits
of the species Luffa aegyptiaca or Luffa acutangula. It is cultivated and eaten as a vegetable,
but must be harvested at a young stage of development to be edible. The vegetable is popular in
India, China and Vietnam and there is growing interest in the US.
If the fruit is left on the vine until fully ripened, it is very fibrous. The green fruit turns pale then brown as it ripens. The skin is peeled, the seeds removed and then dried. The fully developed fruit is the source of the Luffa Sponge which is used in bathrooms and kitchens.
Luffa fibers are one of nature's best-kept plant secrets. Luffa fibers are used to create all types of sponges, most notably exfoliating sponges that gently remove dead skin cells without irritating the skin.
These natural plant cellulose fibers have many uses – one being Luffa Soap.
Some call the plant and sponges Loofah and the names are interchangable. Our Luffas are home grown in our garden in the North Georgia Mountains without pesticides or harsh chemicals. They become a great scrubbing sponge when fully matured and the fruits become a tough mass of fiber. These natural plant cellulose fibers have many uses – one being hand-crafted Luffa Soap. It is this fiber, from Luffa plants grown in our garden, that we make our hand crafted Luffa Soap.
