Job’s Tears (Yi Yi Ren) (Seed kernel) (Oval sphere, milky white and smooth, blunt round top with a deep longitudinal groove on the ventral side, large endosperm with a long scutellum)

Red Job’s Tears (Yi Yi Ren)

Stir-fried Job’s Tears (Yi Yi Ren)

(Top) Job’s Tears (Yi Yi Ren) (Bottom Left) Prunus Seed (Yu Li Ren) (Bottom Right) Zizyphus Seed (Rui Ren)

【Naming】

Job’s Tears (Yi Yi Ren)

 【Source】

Hai Yao (Sea Materia Medica)

 【Commonly Used Degree】

B

 【Botanical Origin】

The dried, mature seed kernel of Coix lacryma-jobi L. var. ma-yuen Stapf. (Family Gramineae).

 【Characteristics】

Spherical or oval-spherical in shape, 5-7mm long and about 3-5mm wide. The surface is white and smooth, sometimes with residual yellowish-brown pericarp. There is a deep and wide longitudinal groove on the side, the bottom of the groove is rough and brown, and the top is blunt and round. Hard in texture, white inside after broken, with a powdery texture. It has a slight odor and a bland, sweet taste. Stir-fried Job’s Tears (Yi Yi Ren) has blister-like protrusions on the surface, is not smooth, and is slightly yellowish; charred Job’s Tears (Yi Yi Ren) is charred brown.

 【Processing】

1. Raw Job’s Tears (Yi Yi Ren) 2. Stir-fried Job’s Tears (Yi Yi Ren)

 【Identification】

Bencao Jing Ji Zhu: “Those with heavy grains are good.” Zheng Lei Ben Cao: “Those with a greenish-blue color are good.” Bencao Pin Hui Jing Yao: “Those from fields are best,” “Those with white and slightly green grains are good.” Ben Cao Gang Mu: “Those with greenish-white color are good.”
Those with large, plump, white, and complete grains that resemble glutinous rice are considered best. Those with poor color, small grains, and a hard texture like indica rice are considered inferior.

 【Category】

Seeds