Coix lacryma-jobi

Common Name: Job's Tears

Family: Poaceae

Country of Origin: Indian Subcontinent to Taiwan and Pen. Malaysia

Description: This annual grass is native to south-east Asia and grows to a height of around 3 ft (1 m), with knobbly, bamboo-like stems from the bases of which new ‘tillers’ arise, these sometimes self- layering. The glossy deep green leaves are up to 2 in (5 cm) wide with slightly wavy edges. The flowering and fruiting spikelets are insignificant, but the shiny, pea-sized receptacles that enclose their bases harden in fall (autumn) to a pale bluish gray and have often been used for beads and other decorative purposes. Some selected strains are cultivated for their edible grains.

Uses: The fruits are used in folk remedies for various tumors, esophageal, gastrointestinal, and lung cancers. This folk reputation is all the more interesting when reading that one of the active constituents of the plant, coixenolide, has anti-tumor activity. The seed, with the husk removed, is anti-rheumatic and tonic. A tea from the boiled seeds is drunk as part of a treatment to cure warts. It is also used in the treatment of respiratory difficulties and the treatment of cancer.⁶

In TCM, it is an herb known as Yi Yi Ren used to clear Dampness and inference with the digestive system. Assists in removing water retention as it promotes urination. The seeds are sometimes cooked or used as a flour/bread base. The roots have been used in the treatment of menstrual disorders.

USDA Zone: 9-12

Accession #: 199800144

Accession Date: 1998-09-30 00:00:00

Bloom Status: 🪴 Not Flowering

Location: 1201

Quantity: 1

Source: Smith College Index Seminum

Division: Magnoliophyta

Class: Liliopsida

Subclass: commelinids

Order: Poales

Family: Poaceae

SubFamily: Panicoideae

Tribe: Sacchareae

SubTribe: Coicinae