When you are studying Chinese medicine, have you ever felt that certain words appear particularly frequently? For example, dampness, dampness removal, phlegm-dampness constitution, etc. The reason for this is actually very simple. It is mainly because many people now have poor living habits, and everyone has more or less moisture in their body. Therefore, these words gradually became “hot searches”.
However, some people with a foundation in traditional Chinese medicine will not care, because they have magic weapons such as Poria cocos, adzuki beans, winter melon rinds, and corn silks in their hands, so they can naturally sit back and relax. But the coix seed introduced to you today is definitely the finishing touch, let’s take a look!
Coix kernel, also called barley, has many aliases, such as bodhi beads, barley kernels, soil corn, Qishi, barley beads, Huihui rice, rice kernel, six millet seeds, etc. Speaking of barley, it is definitely the ancestor of medicine and food. It is so senior that it is hard to say. How high is it? Gao Dao is actually related to the Dayu we are familiar with. It is recorded in the "Wuyue Spring and Autumn Annals": "Gun married a daughter of the Youxin family, named Nuxi. When he was still young, he played in Tuishan and swallowed her coix. , meaning that people feel it, so they become pregnant, and they cut off the body and give birth to high density."
Let’s not talk about whether eating barley can lead to pregnancy out of wedlock. Just because it appears in myths and stories, and the ancients always talked about it, you can know that this barley is not an ordinary thing.
After being here for a long time, should we talk about the benefits of coix kernel, or barley, to our health? Coix seed is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine. It has a sweet and slightly cold nature and has the functions of diuretic and swelling, invigorating the spleen and removing dampness, relaxing muscles and removing paralysis, clearing away heat and expelling pus. It is a commonly used medicine for diuresis and dampness.
01 Don’t underestimate this coix seed. It has the effect of clearing away heat and draining pus. When there is pus in certain parts of the body, especially when there is moisture at the same time, it is very appropriate to use coix seed.
For example, in "Qianjin Prescription", coix kernels are used to treat intestinal carbuncle, plus paeonol bark, peach kernels, and melon petal kernels; in "Jin Gui Yao Lue", the treatment of intestinal carbuncle is coix seed and fuzi baijiang powder, and the formula is The composition is coix seed, plus aconite and soybean grass.
This intestinal carbuncle can be understood as the current appendicitis, or other intestinal ulcer diseases. In the treatment of these diseases, coix seed plays an important role.
02
In addition, coix seed has a very good therapeutic and health-care effect on the skin, and is very good at treating various warts. Sometimes, we see some warts on some people’s faces. These raised bumps are not acne, they should be called flat warts. If you insist on taking coix seed, you will get good treatment. Of course, warts can be eliminated not only on the face but also on the body.
03Of course, we can’t forget the function of coix seed—removing dampness.
"Compendium of Materia Medica" records the use of coix seed to treat rheumatism and strengthen the spleen. Grind coix kernels into powder, add koji rice and brew it together to make wine and drink it in an appropriate amount. Or take half a tael of ephedra, one tael of licorice, half a tael of coix seed, and ten almonds and boil it to clear away heat and cure rheumatism. In addition, decoction of coix seed and daily consumption can cure back pain and so on.
Regarding coix seed to remove dampness, a passage in "New Compilation of Materia Medica" is good evidence: "Coix seed is the best at diluting water and will not deplete the true yin energy. It is most suitable for people with dampness in the lower body, depending on the severity of the disease. , the correct amount of medicine can be used, the yin and yang will not be damaged, and the dampness disease will be easy to go. Therefore, when encountering water-dampness disease, use one or two taels of coix seed as the king, and use it as a supplement to strengthen the spleen and remove dampness, and it will be effective quickly. Also, it will be of no use if you neglect the gentleness of its scent and use it lightly."
Speaking of the issue of removing dampness, do you have such a question? That is, there are so many dehumidifying medicines, what is the difference?
This question is really on point. Antidampness medicines can be roughly divided into four types: bitter and dehumidifying, aromatic and dehumidifying, warming and diluting dampness, and diuretic and dampness. We can briefly sort them out.
●First of all, bitterness dries dampness. Bitterness can dryness, and dampness and dryness are two opposite qi. Therefore, we use the treatment principle similar to "heat causes coldness" to reason, and we can conclude that "dampness causes dryness." . Representative medicines include Sophora flavescens, Gentian, Cortex Phellodendron, etc. The familiar Danggui Sophora Pills and Ermiao Pills are formulated based on the characteristics of bitterness and dampness.
●Then there is aromatic dampness, "Earth loves warmth and likes fragrance." Aromatic traditional Chinese medicine can clear the air, dissipate dampness and turbidity, eliminate swelling and turbidity, support the spleen and improve transportation. Representative medicines include Atractylodes, Patchouli, Peilan, etc. At the same time, this type of medicine can also promote qi and stimulate menstruation, and unblock the qi in the middle burner. If the qi is unobstructed, dampness and stagnation will be relieved. The more familiar Chinese patent medicines include Huoxiang Zhengqi Water and Wushi Tea Granules. However, most aromatic dampness-reducing medicines are pungent, warm, fragrant and dry, and are easy to consume qi and damage yin, so those with yin deficiency, blood dryness and qi deficiency should use with caution.
●There are also Bixie Fenqing Wan and Wuling Powder that warm water and dampness. Both of these prescriptions remove dampness by warming the kidneys and supporting yang.
●Our protagonist today - coix seed belongs to the last item, a diuretic and dampness medicine. Diuresis and dampness refer to a class of drugs that can induce diuresis and dampness and facilitate urination. It is a diuretic in traditional Chinese medicine, but it is not exactly the same as a diuretic. It has diuretic, antibacterial and choleretic effects.
Dampness actually has two meanings. One is that tangible water is retained in the body, causing edema. Especially for those with obvious edema in the lower limbs, it is advisable to use diuretic and dampness-removing drugs to eliminate edema. The second is phlegm. The thick liquid is phlegm. For example, chronic bronchitis will cause a large amount of sputum to accumulate. Gastritis and other diseases will cause water or secretions to accumulate in the stomach, as well as abnormal fluids in the body cavity (pleural effusion, ascites, etc.). It belongs to phlegm syndrome and can be treated appropriately with diuretic and dampness-removing drugs. The most familiar Shenling Baizhu Powder contains coix seed. This prescription is mainly based on coix seed and poria cocos, supplemented by other spleen-strengthening and dampness-removing herbs.
Everyone knows almost everything. So, besides what the doctor prescribes to us, how can we use this coix seed ourselves?
The first dish I want to introduce is barley and pork ribs soup. This soup is mainly effective in treating anemia, urinary tract infections and insufficient milk supply after childbirth. Barley has a high protein content and is rich in B vitamins, trace elements and minerals, which is very helpful in improving anemia. Clinically, some anemias are mainly caused by a lack of iron, folic acid and vitamin B12, so it is necessary to pay attention to the intake of foods containing these nutrients.
First of all, before we make this barley and pork ribs soup, we need to soak the barley for three or four hours in advance. At the same time, we need to prepare an appropriate amount of ginger slices and green onions. Then we clean the ribs and blanch them. At this time, put an appropriate amount of water in the casserole and put it in Put the pork ribs, ginger slices, etc. prepared previously into the pot, bring to a boil over high heat and then turn down to low heat. After 20 minutes, add the barley prepared previously, turn down to low heat and simmer for about an hour. This dish can be said to be both delicious and nutritious. If office workers don't have time to cook at home, they can choose to make soup on the weekend. Being a health expert is also a good choice. Especially those with symptoms of anemia should cook this dish to recharge their physical energy.
Finally, what I want to introduce to you is a very classic way to eat barley - red bean and barley porridge. Regular use of barley food is beneficial to symptoms such as chronic enteritis and indigestion.
In addition, barley can enhance kidney function and prevent cancer. The coixenolate in barley is an anti-cancer agent that can inhibit Ehrlich ascites cancer cells and has good effects in the treatment of gastric cancer and uterine cancer.
The method of making red bean and barley porridge is also very simple, but the preparation time is a little longer. At the beginning, we need to soak the red beans and barley in warm water for half a day. During this period, we can wrap the agrimony with gauze and remove the pits of the jujubes and soak them at the same time. After the barley and red beans are soaked, put the barley, red beans, agrimony and jujube into the pot together, then add an appropriate amount of water and cook it into a gruel. When eating, you can choose whether to add sugar according to your preference.
Regarding the choice of red beans, it generally refers to adzuki beans. Red beans nourish the heart, and adzuki beans remove dampness. Judging from the shape, red beans are relatively round, while adzuki beans are slender, so we should choose adzuki beans. There is also the method of cooking red bean and barley porridge. It is best to soak adzuki beans and barley in hot water for three or four hours before cooking, otherwise it will be difficult to extract nutrients and cook them thoroughly.
In addition, I would like to remind you that you cannot take coix seed in the early stages of pregnancy because it may cause abortion. This is a message left by our ancestors. Although many doctors have confirmed that there is no problem, it is better to be careful.
