 The luffa "sponge", also spelled "loofah", which is commonly sold for use in the kitchen or the shower, is not derived from an animal but mainly from the fibrous "skeleton" of the sponge gourd ("Luffa aegyptiaca", Cucurbitaceae).Sponges have medicinal potential due to the presence in sponges themselves or their microbial symbionts of chemicals that may be used to control viruses, bacteria, tumors and fungi.Lacking any protective shell or means of escape, sponges have evolved to synthesize a variety of unusual compounds.