Job's tears

Job's tears

　　Job's tears, also known as Coix seed, Yi mi, Yi ren, native corn, Job's tears rice, Qishi, Job's tear beads, Huihui rice, Mi ren, or Liugu zi, is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine as well as a widely consumed food. With a sweet, bland, and slightly cool nature, it offers benefits such as promoting diuresis to reduce swelling, strengthening the spleen to eliminate dampness, soothing tendons and relieving numbness, and clearing heat to discharge pus. It is a frequently used diuretic and damp-draining herb. Job's tears are also considered a beauty-enhancing food. Regular consumption can help maintain smooth and radiant skin, reduce acne, freckles, age spots, pregnancy mask, and butterfly spots, and is effective in treating flaking skin, acne, chapped skin, and rough skin.

　　Job's tears are a valuable tonic and medicinal ingredient. According to analysis by medical authorities, Job's tears contain 16.2% protein, 4.6% fat, and 79.2% carbohydrates. In winter, stewing Job's tears with pig’s trotters, spareribs, or chicken makes for a nourishing dish. In summer, cooking Job's tears into porridge or using them in cold beverages like chilled Job's tears is an excellent way to beat the heat and boost health. Both the seeds and roots of Job's tears can be used medicinally. Li Shizhen recorded in *Compendium of Materia Medica* that Job's tears can strengthen the spleen and benefit the stomach, nourish the lungs and clear heat, dispel wind and overcome dampness. When cooked as rice, they help treat cold disorders. When decocted into a drink, they promote urination and relieve heat strangury. Recent scientific research and clinical practice have shown that Job's tears also possess anti-cancer properties. Preliminary findings suggest their inhibitory rate against cancer can exceed 35%. It’s no wonder a folk song from the Guilin area goes: “Job's tears surpass the ganoderma mushroom, high in both medicinal and nutritional value. Eating them regularly can prolong life and even contribute to turning back the clock.”