Luffa, Luffa Gourd (Luffa cylindrica)?

My grandfather was a herbalist, not professional,, but very knowledgeable. For stomach problems - and sleeplessness a few drops of tincture of Valerian on a cube of sugar was the remedy - and believe or not, I used it sometime now for restlessness and it works and taste just the way it did whenI was a kid. Hot compresses of vinegar water around the neck, covered with something water-proof and then a wrap of a wool-scarf was the remedy for sore throat - I hated it! That wool-scarf got so scratchy by and by! Chamomile or peppermint tea for stomach upsets. Hydrogen peroxide as first aid for cuts and scrapes - still my first disinfectant in the medicine cabinet. Comfort food; farina (cream of wheat) lightly toasted, thinned with broth (Angebrannte Griess Suppe) I still have it at times. My sister acquired pin-worms once and was treated with enemas of milk and garlic. There was a cough syrup made of hollowed out carrots, filled with brown crystal sugar, the juice was very nice, the winter cod-liver oil not so much. Spring-time Grandfather would gather the whole family for a purifying tea to thin the blood, even my father got caught in that one several times.

This was the thread that helped me put a name to the style of garden that I love best. I have been working towards the cottage style for many years and never get tired of the evolution of it. Loved reading them all again today. Cheryl

From the link above... THE single mother of octuplets born in California last week is seeking $2m (£1.37m) from media interviews and commercial sponsorship to help pay the cost of raising the children. Nadya Suleman, 33, plans a career as a television childcare expert after it emerged last week that she already had six children before giving birth on Monday. She now has 14 below the age of eight. Give me a break! Although still confined to an LA hospital bed, she intends to talk to two influential television hosts this week  media mogul Oprah Winfrey, and Diane Sawyer, who presents Good Morning America Sheesh...I wonder if Oprah or Diane even 'know' they are the chosen ones to tell her story. The whole matter is just disgusting. also from the link Angela Suleman, who is caring for the first six children  one of whom is autistic  while her daughter is in hospital, said yesterday that she had consulted a psychologist over NadyaÂs "obsession with children". Nadya Suleman, who describes herself as a "professional student" living off education grants and parental money, broke up with her boyfriend before the birth of her first child seven years ago. She sure knows how to work the 'system', and had better hope for big bucks so she will have a few left over after paying taxes and for the hospital bill. CA sure does not need another 8 children to be in the system