Learn About Chinese Herbs -Yi Yi Ren (Semen Coicis)-
Yi Yi Ren (Semen Coicis)
This product is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine. Formerly known as Coix Man. "Shennong's Materia Medica" 《神农本草经》 is listed as the top grade.
Synonyms: Yi Mi, Yi Ren Mi, Cao Zhu Zi.
Source: Mature and dried kernels of Coix lacryma-jobi L. var. ma-yuen (RPman) Stapf, an annual herbaceous plant in the Poaceae family, mostly cultivated but also wild.
Origin: In the past, the main production was Pucheng, Fujian, in Putian it was called "Pu Mi Ren", Hebei Anguo, in Fuping was called "Qi Yi Mi"; in Liaoyang, Liaoning, Zhuanghe was called "Guan Mi Ren", currently all provinces in the country cultivate Yi Yi Ren.
Trait identification: the kernel is ovate-oval, slightly flat at the base, and obtuse at the apex. The surface is milky white. Smooth. There are often a small amount of pale brown seed coat remaining, with a concave base and a dotted seed umbilicus in the center. There is an ingual groove on the side, and the groove is pale brown (with residual seed coat). According to the longitudinal section of the groin, the endosperm is large, white and silty, the shield is narrow and long, pale yellow, oily, and the embryo is elongated, located on the side of the groin, the upper end is the radicle, and the lower end is the germ. The kernel is cross-cut and kidney-shaped, hard and sweet. It is considered to be of higher quality to have large grains, white color, complete, no broken grains, and no powder impurities.
Main ingredients: Contains fatty oil, coixol, sterols, amino acids, vitamin B1, coixenoli-de.
Pharmacological effects: It can help to clear water and dampness, help clear away heat and pus, and treat muscle rheumatism. Regarding the latter, modern medicine has confirmed that the use of Yi Yi Ren oil on frog muscle can indeed reduce muscle contractures, which provides a preliminary scientific basis for the experience of predecessors "Yi Yi Ren cures dampness and spasm". This product can also strengthen the spleen and stop diarrhea, which may be related to the vitamin B1 it contains.
Preparation: raw or stir-fried.
Taste: Sweet, light.
Meridians: into the spleen, stomach, and lungs.
Function: Relieve dampness and clear heat, strengthen the spleen and lungs.
Used to Treat: edema, beriberi, lack of appetite and diarrhea, dampness and spasms, pulmonary carbuncles, intestinal carbuncles.
Clinical application: as an adjuvant drug, it is used for diuresis and anti-inflammatory, removing dampness and relieving pain, and for spleen strengthening and stopping diarrhea.
（1） It is suitable for the treatment of mild edema, especially beriberi edema. For patients with chronic nephritis and mild edema, diuretic swelling one can use herbs such as Yi Yi Ren and Yu Xing Cao can be used, and tonic herbs such as Du Zhong, Tu Si Zi, and Huang Qi can be added according to the patient's spleen and kidney yang deficiency, such as the formula “Yi Yi Du Zhong Tang”.
（2） It is used to treat internal carbuncles. For example, the Wei Jing Tang formula for the treatment of pulmonary carbuncles and the intestinal carbuncle prescription for the treatment of intestinal carbuncles are all combined with this product.
（3） It is used for the treatment of damp heat and paralysis (such as rheumatoid myositis, polyneuritis), can relieve muscle contracture pain, regardless of heat and cold syndrome, for heat symptoms it can be used with Luo Shi Teng, Xi Qian Cao; for cold symptoms it can be used with Ma Huang, such as in the formula “Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang”; for heavy dampness, it can used with cang zhu, such as in the formula “Yi Yi Ren Tang”.
（4） It is used to strengthen the spleen and stop diarrhea. Although the effect of Yi Yi Ren is not as good as that of Huai Shan, it can still increase appetite, help digestion, treat beriberi and spleen deficiency and diarrhea. It is also often used in spleen-strengthening formulas, such as in “Shen Ling Bai Zhu San”.
In addition, this product can also treat flat warts on the skin. You can use 1 tael, decoction in water, or cook porridge with 2 taels, take it for about a month, and it will have a certain amount of effect against the wart.
Attached： (1) This product is mainly used for raw use, and is only processed by stir-frying to strengthen the spleen; (2) The effect of this product is slower, so the dosage tends to be higher;(3) It is reported that experimental studies have found that coix lactone has an inhibitory effect on cancer cells. In clinical practice, Yi Yi Ren paired with Bai Hua She She Cao, Quan Xie, Gan Cao and other herbs for the treatment of breast cancer has also been tried, but the efficacy remains to be further observed. The antitumor effect of acetone extract from Yi Yi Ren is uncertain.
Dosage: 15~30g, large doses can be used up to 60~90g.
Prescription examples
（1） Yi Yi Du Zhong Tang: of raw Yi Yi Ren 24g, Du Zhong 12g, Tu Fu Ling 30g, Tu Si Zi 9g, Jin Gou Ji 18g, Huang Qi 30g,Yu Xing Cao 18g, Si Ye Shen 30g, decoction in water.
（2） Ma Xing Yi Yi Gan Cao Tang ("Golden Recipe" 《金匱要略》): Ma Huang 4.5g, Xing Ren 6g, raw Yi Yi Ren 15g, Gan Cao 3g, decoction in water.
（3） Yi Yi Ren Tang ("Zhang's Yitong"《张氏医通》): raw Yi Yi Ren 24g,Cang Zhu 9g, Ma Huang 6g, Gui Zhi 6g, Dang Gui 9g, Bai Shao 9g Sheng Jiang 9g Gan Cao 3g, decoction in water.
Disclaimer: All above articles are for reference only. If patients are interested, please consult a professional practitioner Traditional Chinese Medicine for a consultation.