About Sponge Gourd for Menorrhagia

This post is about 絲瓜 Luffa cylindrica, the sponge gourd, Egyptian cucumber, or Vietnamese luffa. It is an annual species of vine cultivated for its fruit, native to South and Southeast Asia.

This recipe is inspired by Master Tung’s family dietary recipes published in 1973. Master Tung's direct disciple  Dr. Wei-Chieh Young also included Master Tung’s recipes in his book called Yang Sheng Shi Liao Bao Dian 《養生食療寶典》.

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《本草綱目》甘， 涼， 入肝，胃經
From Ben Cao Gang Mu: Sponge gourd is sweet and cool, enter Liver and Stomach channels

Master Tung's recipe:
絲瓜半斤， 白糖一兩煎水服， 治女人月經過多及血崩.
For menorrhagia drink sponge gourd 250g with white sugar 37.8g decoction.
There is no information about how much water is added to the decoction or how long to cook it. In general, add enough water to cover the sponge gourd and cook it until it is soft. Since sponge gourd is cooling, this recipe is for heat in the blood type of menorrhagia.

Dr. Wei-Chieh Young’s recipe:
烏骨雞絲瓜湯： 烏骨雞一隻， 去骨取肉，絲瓜半條， 共煮熟， 分二至三次吃肉喝湯，烏骨雞能養陰血， 退虛熱，專治婦女崩漏帶下；絲瓜涼血清熱，亦治崩漏，可隔天食用，連續食用三至五隻雞。
Silky chicken and sponge gourd soup: one boneless silky chicken, half of a loofah, cooked together, eat the meat and drink the soup separate into two to three servings.
The silky chicken can nourish the yin and blood, relieve deficiency heat, and treat women’s menorrhagia or leukorrhea; sponge gourd cools the blood and clear heat, also treats menorrhagia.
Silky chicken and sponge gourd soup can be consumed every other day, continuous consumption of three to five chickens as a course.
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For general daily consumption of silky chicken and sponge gourd soup, one can add scallion, garlic, ginger, salt, and cooking wine as seasonings.
Ingredients:

1. 200g of silky chicken meat
2. One whole sponge gourd cut into medium pieces
3. 4 pieces of ginger
4. Small bunch of scallion
5. 1-2 cloves of garlic
6. 5 ml of cooking wine

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a saucepan
2. Add scallion, ginger, and garlic
3. Add 1 L of water
4. After it’s boiled, add the silky chicken and cooking wine
5. Bring it to a boil, clear the white foam on top, simmer 4 to 5 minutes
6. Add the sponge gourd
7. Cook until sponge gourd is soft
8. Add salt to taste before serving