Job's tears / Chinese pearl barley (yi yi ren)
On this page
1. Overview
Job's tears — yi yi ren, also called Chinese pearl barley or coix — are the dried seeds of Coix lacryma-jobi. They look like white pearls or barley and have a mild, slightly nutty flavour. They are one of the most important damp-resolving foods in Chinese cookery, useful for puffiness, oedema, sluggish digestion, joint stiffness, oily skin and weight retention. The Chinese tradition uses them as both an everyday grain and a daily tonic for damp constitutions.
2. TCM properties
- Thermal nature: Cool
- Flavour: Sweet, slightly bland
- Channels entered: Spleen, Stomach, Lung
- Actions: Drain damp through urination; clear damp-heat; relieve joint stiffness; clear the skin
3. Therapeutic uses
- Oedema and water retention (face, ankles, hands)
- Damp-heat skin conditions: oily skin, acne, eczema
- Joint stiffness from damp obstruction (damp-bi)
- Weight gain, sluggish metabolism
- Gentle support in PCOS and metabolic syndrome
- Sluggish digestion with loose stools and bloating
- Vaginal discharge with damp pattern
4. How to use
- Soak 2–4 hours, then cook with rice (1 part Job's tears to 2 parts rice)
- Red bean and barley soup — the classic damp-clearing dish
- Add to soup or congee
- Powder available as a daily damp-resolving tea
- Daily dose: 30–60g
5. Cautions
Avoid in pregnancy — traditional teaching is that Job's tears are mildly purgative and may stimulate uterine contractions. Avoid in cold-deficient digestion (very cool nature). Reduce in dry constitutions; balance with warming spices like ginger and cardamom.
