Coix Seed (Job's Tears)
Pinyin: Yìmǐ · traditional food ingredient
AT A GLANCE
The pearl-white grain the tradition calls its chief 'damp-drainer' — simmered into soups and teas for heavy limbs, puffy mornings and muggy-weather sluggishness.
The traditional view
Coix seed (Yìmǐ, 薏米) is classified sweet, bland and slightly cold, associated with spleen and lung systems — the backbone of every 'damp-draining' combination in the tradition, most famously alongside gorgon seed and poria in Four-Herbs soup.
Dry-toasting before cooking is the classic preparation — it softens the seed's cold edge and brings out a nutty aroma.
How it is used in the kitchen
Coix & winter melon soup: coix 30 g, winter melon 300 g, simmered 30 minutes — the muggy-day classic.
Coix water: 30 g dry-toasted, simmered in 1,200 ml water for 30 minutes — the everyday drink.
Coix duck soup (冬瓜薏米煲鸭): winter melon 200 g, duck, coix and red dates, slow-simmered — from the food-therapy reference (妇科 chapter).
Who should go easy
Slightly cold and slippery by tradition — the references advise caution in early pregnancy and with very cold constitutions; toasting mitigates the cold.
Classic source
《本草纲目》 lists coix (薏苡仁) in the grain section as a top-grade food-medicine; it is the single most prescribed 'damp' grain in classical formularies.
Questions people actually ask
What is Job's tears good for?
Traditionally: draining damp — heavy limbs, puffy mornings, muggy-weather fog. In the kitchen: a chewy, nutty grain for soups and waters.
How do I cook Job's tears?
Soak 2+ hours (or overnight), then simmer 40–60 minutes until the grains split. Dry-toast first for a nuttier, less cold result.
Can I drink coix water every day?
A cup a day is a common habit in the tradition — steady and moderate, with a break during early pregnancy or very cold days.
