Shrubby herbaceous plant, 1-2 m. tall. Stems glabrous, hollow. Leaves alternate, strap-shaped, base surrounding the stem; margins wavy.
Gramineae
Coix lachryma-jobi L.
Local names:
English name:
Jobs tears.
Description:
Shrubby herbaceous plant, 1-2 m. tall. Stems glabrous, hollow. Leaves alternate, strap-shaped, base surrounding the stem; margins wavy. Inflorescence in erect axillary spikelet; flowers unisexual, the two sexes on the same plant. Fruit oval, shining, smooth, greyish, with a thick and hard pericarp.
Flowering period:
May - December.
Distribution:
Grows wild but is also cultivated in many parts for its edible fruit.
Parts used:
Grains of ripe fruit, collected in winter. After drying, the fruit is pounded in a mortar to separate the husk from the grain. The husks are discarded and the grains roasted before use.
Chemical composition:
The grains contain carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, amino acids, leucine, lysine, arginine, tyrosine, coixol, coixenolid, sitosterol, dimethyl glucoside.
Therapeutic uses:
The grains are considered to be nutritious by virtue of their high protein and fat content. They are used for the treatment of enteritis, persistent diarrhoea in children, oedema, urinary lithiasis, rheumatism and acrodynia. Doses of 10 to 30 g per day in the form of powder or decoction are given.