ob’s tears are as white as pearls and have the effect of removing dampness and strengthening the spleen. However, the Chinese idiom “薏苡明珠” has a negative connotation

Fu Bo dined on coix seed, a divine remedy against瘴氣. It could dispel the poisons of the Wu Xi region, but could not save one from the wounds of slander. Slander, like a storm, eventually passes, and瘴氣 too will eventually disappear. Neither is worthy of much concern, for we should simply cherish the growth of plants. Each plant has its own unique qualities, and precious products abound in the southern wilds. Crimson pouches hold litchis, and snow-white starch is extracted from the桄榔 tree. Who would have thought that among the common weeds and reeds, there would be both medicine and food? When pounded, they become round like芡珠, and when cooked, they smell as fragrant as菰米. Zi Mei gathered acorns, and yellow essence filled his empty belly. But what of me? These jade-like grains illuminate my room.       “Job’s Tears, a Poem by Su Shi of the Northern Song

In his later years, Su Shi was exiled to the Lingnan region. Due to its remote location and scarcity of medical supplies, he cultivated ginseng, rehmannia, goji berries, chrysanthemum, and coix seeds in his own garden. He then wrote the poem “Five Songs of the Small Garden,” in which he described how he pounded the “divine remedy” coix seeds into round grains and cooked them like fragrant coix millet, incorporating them into his daily diet and thus beginning his practice of therapeutic food.

According to the fourth edition of the Taiwan Chinese Medicine Pharmacopoeia, Coix Seed (http://en.whatsintcm.com/dt_articles/%e8%96%8f%e8%8b%a1%e4%bb%81/) is the dried mature seed of the grass family plant Coix lacryma-jobi L. var. ma-yuen (Rom.Caill.) Stapf. It is mainly produced in regions such as Fujian, Hebei, Liaoning, and Zhejiang. Notable varieties include “Pu Coix” from Pucheng, Fujian; “Qi Coix” from Anguo (Qizhou), Hebei; and “Guan Coix” from Liaoning. Taiwan also has sporadic cultivation, mainly in the central region. The indigenous Saisiyat people in central Taiwan use Coix Seed to make a traditional item called tapanga san or bei xiang, used in festivals. The Coix Seed cultivated in Taiwan is primarily introduced from Japan and is smaller than imported varieties, which helps in distinguishing it. Imported Coix Seeds in Taiwan mainly come from Laos and other Southeast Asian countries and are exported from Thailand to Taiwan. The medicinal material is usually harvested in the autumn when the fruits mature, dried, and then the seeds are extracted, cleaned, and further dried. Due to its diverse origins and long usage history, it has many names, including Coix Seed, Job’s tears, Adlay, and others. In English, it is known as Job’s Tears or Adlay; in Thai, it is called Duay; in Japan, when used as food, it is called Hato Mugi (鳩麦), and when used as a medicinal material, it is called Yokuinin (薏苡仁). When purchasing, look for seeds that are dry, large, full, white, and unbroken.

    The idiom “薏苡明珠” originates from a story about Ma Yuan, a famous general during the Eastern Han Dynasty. While fighting in Jiaozhi (present-day Vietnam and surrounding areas), Ma Yuan frequently consumed coix seeds to combat the region’s dampness and malarial conditions. Due to the exceptional quality of coix seeds in the south, he loaded a whole cart of them when returning home. However, after Ma Yuan’s death, someone falsely accused him to the emperor, claiming that the coix seeds were actually precious pearls obtained from the south. As a result, Ma Yuan’s family was terrified and almost dared not hold a funeral. Therefore, the idiom “薏苡明珠” is used to describe someone who is falsely accused and suffers from unjust blame. It can also be used in the phrase “薏苡之嫌,” meaning “the suspicion of being falsely accused.

    The idiom “薏苡明珠” originates from a story about Ma Yuan, a famous general during the Eastern Han Dynasty. While fighting in Jiaozhi (present-day Vietnam and surrounding areas), Ma Yuan frequently consumed coix seeds to combat the region’s dampness and malarial conditions. Due to the exceptional quality of coix seeds in the south, he loaded a whole cart of them when returning home. However, after Ma Yuan’s death, someone falsely accused him to the emperor, claiming that the coix seeds were actually precious pearls obtained from the south. As a result, Ma Yuan’s family was terrified and almost dared not hold a funeral. Therefore, the idiom “薏苡明珠” is used to describe someone who is falsely accused and suffers from unjust blame. It can also be used in the phrase “薏苡之嫌,” meaning “the suspicion of being falsely accused.

    As coix seeds are not only a traditional Chinese medicine but also a commonly consumed food, the Food and Drug Administration has implemented regulations to ensure food safety. Effective January 1, 2017, food manufacturers are required to include the actual raw material name on the outer packaging of barley products in addition to generic terms such as “small coix seeds,” “foreign coix seeds,” or “pearl coix seeds.” For instance, the label should read “barley (small coix seeds),” “barley (foreign coix seeds),” or “barley (pearl coix seeds).” Additionally, the Taiwan Chinese Pharmacopoeia sets forth limits for heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead, as well as residual sulfur dioxide. Furthermore, given that coix seeds are a type of seed-based medicinal material, limits for aflatoxin content have also been established. As a result, consumers can have peace of mind when using coix seeds.

Image provided by Professor Zhang Xianzhe, Authentic Medicinal Materials Illustrated Guide http://en.whatsintcm.com