I have always associated the calabash gourd or wu lou as a symbol of health in feng shui and also as a water container used in the Kung Fu movies. Last week, I found out from my colleagues that one can make it into a dish. Since there is such a plant in the herb garden, my library assistant got one of the vegetables and took it home to cook. I'll get the recipe from her next time and share it here with you. That's not the end of my discovery about this vegetable. Today I found out that the Wu Lou is used as medicine as well.
The botanical name for this vegetable is Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl. Its pharmaceutical name is Pericarpium lagenariae. And so if you are in the habit of reading the ingredients in Chinese medicine, you will know if you are taking Wu Lou.
When the calabash gourd ripens, its peel is collected and dried in the sun. It is the dried peel which is used as medicine. How does it taste? It is supposed to be sweet. Consuming this peel is supposed to be good for the lungs and small intestien. The information that I got is that it promotes water metabolism and reduces edema.
Reference: http://www.herbalshop.com/tcm/ChineseHerb_C086.html
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