Coix Seed – 1 lb (454 g)

Coix Seed, known in Chinese as 薏苡仁 (Yìyǐrén) and scientifically as Semen Coicis, is a valued herb in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). This TCM herb has been traditionally used to support natural wellness, maintain vitality, and encourage holistic balance. At TCMforyou.com, we provide premium-quality Coix Seed carefully sourced to preserve its therapeutic properties.

As a herbal supplement, Coix Seed helps promote overall well-being and supports natural energy, immunity, and balance. Integrating this herb into your wellness routine offers a gentle, time-tested approach to enhancing daily health. Whether brewed as tea, added to herbal remedies, or taken as part of a TCM formula, Coix Seed provides a safe, natural way to experience the benefits of traditional Chinese medicine.

Trusted for centuries, Coix Seed has been used in TCM to harmonize the body and encourage optimal functioning of key systems. At TCMforyou, we prioritize authenticity and quality. Each batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure purity and potency, delivering an herbal product aligned with traditional practices.

Experience the natural support of Coix Seed, promoting immune health, vitality, and holistic well-being. Embrace the wisdom of TCM and incorporate this gentle, effective herbal remedy into your daily wellness journey.

[Overview] This herb is also known as Yi Mi, Yi Ren, Hui Hui Mi, and Yi Ren. It is the mature seed of Coix lachryma-jobi L. var. mayuen (Romanet) Stapf, a plant of the Poaceae family. It is produced in most regions of China, with main production areas in Fujian, Jiangsu, Hebei, and Liaoning provinces. The plant is harvested in autumn when the fruit matures; the stalks are cut and dried, the fruit is threshed, and the outer shell, yellow-brown seed coat, and impurities are removed to collect the seed kernel. It promotes urination.

[Properties] Taste: sweet, bland; nature: cool. Enters the Spleen, Stomach, and Lung meridians.

[Actions] Promotes urination and drains dampness; strengthens the spleen and stops diarrhea; dispels bi syndrome and reduces swelling.

[Applications]
1. Used for edema, beriberi, and turbid painful urinary dribbling. For edema due to spleen deficiency with dampness and urinary difficulty, often combined with Ren Shen (Ginseng), Bai Zhu (Atractylodes), Fu Ling (Poria), as in the formula Shen Ling Bai Zhu San. For beriberi with swelling, often combined with Fang Ji (Stephania), Mu Gua (Papaya), Cang Zhu (Atractylodes), etc. For damp-heat painful urinary dribbling, often combined with Che Qian Zi (Plantago seed), Hua Shi (Talcum), Ze Xie (Alisma).
2. Used for spleen deficiency diarrhea, leukorrhea, and early-stage warm-damp febrile disease. For diarrhea and leukorrhea due to spleen deficiency with dampness, often combined with Ren Shen, Bai Zhu, Fu Ling, as in Shen Ling Bai Zhu San; if diarrhea is chronic and uncontrollable, combined with Lian Zi (Lotus seed), Wu Wei Zi (Schisandra), Chi Shi Zhi (Halloysitum Rubrum). For early warm-damp febrile disease with pathogen in the qi level and predominant dampness, symptoms of alternating chills and fever, body aches, nausea, and poor appetite, combined with Xing Ren (Apricot kernel), Ban Xia (Pinellia), as in San Ren Tang.
3. Used for wind-damp bi pain and muscle spasms, often combined with Fang Feng (Saposhnikovia), Du Huo (Angelica pubescens), Qiang Huo (Notopterygium), Wei Ling Xian (Clematis). For wind-damp bi affecting the surface with generalized body pain, combined with Ma Huang (Ephedra), Xing Ren, Gan Cao (Licorice), as in Ma Huang Xing Ren Yi Yi Gan Cao Tang. For chronic bi syndrome with kidney deficiency and low back and knee pain, combined with Chuan Duan (Dipsacus), Sang Ji Sheng (Taxillus), Dang Gui (Angelica sinensis). For damp-heat bi syndrome with joint pain, combined with Cang Zhu, Huang Bai (Phellodendron), Niu Xi (Achyranthes), as in Si Miao Wan.
4. Used for lung abscess and intestinal abscess. For lung abscess with chest pain and purulent sputum, often combined with fresh Lu Gen (Reed rhizome), Dong Gua Zi (Winter melon seed), Tao Ren (Peach kernel), as in Wei Jing Tang. For intestinal abscess with abdominal pain, combined with Fu Zi (Aconite), Bai Jiang Cao (Patrinia), as in Yi Yi Fu Zi Bai Jiang San. Additionally, this herb can be used to treat flat warts.

[Dosage and Administration] Internal use: decocted, 9–30 g; or used in pills or powders; can also be used in soups, porridges, or rice dishes. To strengthen the spleen and stop diarrhea, it is best stir-fried; to promote urination, drain dampness, dispel bi syndrome, and reduce swelling, it is best used raw.

[Cautions] Use with caution in cases of spleen deficiency without dampness, constipation, and during pregnancy.

[Modern Research]
1. Chemical constituents: The seed contains coixenolide, crude protein, lipids, palmitic acid, stearic acid, cis-8-octadecenoic acid, glucans, coix polysaccharides, etc. The seed also contains volatile oils with 69 identified components including hexanal and hexanoic acid.
2. Pharmacological effects: Ethanol extracts of Coix seed inhibit proliferation of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells and significantly prolong survival time in mice. Early studies identified coixenolide as the active anticancer component; current analysis shows unsaturated fatty acids (linoleic acid) as the main anticancer constituents. Coix seed oil inhibits contraction of frog skeletal muscle, an effect related to saturated fatty acids; it excites isolated frog heart at low concentrations and inhibits it at high concentrations. Coix polysaccharides A, B, and C have hypoglycemic effects, especially polysaccharide A. Hot water extracts enhance humoral immunity and exhibit analgesic, antipyretic, and anti-inflammatory effects.
3. Clinical reports: 1) Purulent appendicitis: Coix seed 100 g, processed Fu Zi and Bai Jiang Cao 30 g each, decocted and taken orally. In 25 cases, 21 cured, 2 markedly effective, 2 ineffective; total effective rate 92%. [Beijing Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1987,(5):32]
2) Molluscum contagiosum: raw Coix seed 10 g ground into fine powder, mixed with appropriate white sugar, taken with boiling water 3 times daily. In 42 cases, 39 cured, 3 improved; effective rate 100%. [Hebei Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1990,(1):36]
3) Severe functional dysmenorrhea: Coix seed 100 g washed and boiled into thin porridge, taken once daily starting 3 days before menstruation until pain disappears. In 26 cases, marked effectiveness rate 90%. [Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1998,39(10):599]
4) Ischial tuberosity bursitis: raw Coix seed 60 g decocted with 300 ml water to 200 ml, taken in two doses daily. In 25 cases, after 26–45 days of continuous use, cysts were completely absorbed and swelling pain disappeared. [Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1987,28(1):66]