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Dr. Pan's Clinic of TCM
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YIYIREN By Dominic Vallee Overview The earliest record of Yiyiren comes from the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (Shen Nongกฏs Classic of Herbalism written around the 2nd century). It comes under various names like Coix Seed or Jobกฏs Tears Seed. Its Latin name is Semen Coicis, and it is commonly used to drain water and eliminate dampness, strengthen the spleen, eliminate Bi syndrome, purge heat and discharge pus. The properties are considered sweet, bland, and slightly cold. Yiyiren enters the spleen, stomach and lung meridians. The dosage varies between ten and thirty grams, which is more than the average because of its mild effect.
Chemical Composition: It mainly contains fixed oil which contains coixenolide and coixol. The root contains fixed oil, coixol, stigmasterol and gamma-sitosterol.
Applications: 1. Yiyiren is used for spleen Qi deficiency with accumulation of dampness manifested as dysuria, edema, or diarrhea. For edema, it is usually combined with Fuling, Baizhu and Huangqi. I found Yiyiren really effective for post-partum edema when taken as tea by itself. My wife drank 1.5 L./day of Yiyiren tea for two weeks and she flushed out quite a few pounds of water retention.
2. It is used for Bi syndrome (arthritis) to increase joint mobility and reduce spasms in chronic cases. The herbs combined vary according to the type of arthritis that is predominant; dampness, heat, or cold. Guizhi, Mugua, and Cangzhu are only a few examples of the different herbs being used with Yiyiren.
3. It is also used (although not commonly) for pulmonary and intestinal abscess. Lugen, Dongguaren, and Taoren are combined with Yiyiren for pulmonary abscess with cough and thick sputum; Baijiangcao and Mudanpi for the intestinal abscess.
4. The vitamin B oil extracts are used to make hair care cosmetics. They can nourish, smoothen and soften the hair, as well as prevent any hair loss.
Pharmacological Effects: 1. Antineoplastic Effect: Coixenolide inhibits Ehrlich ascites carcinoma and prolongs the survival period of the test animals.
2. Effect on Skeletal Muscle: Yiyiren oil inhibits muscle contraction in frogs by acting on the muscle fiber and not the neuromuscular junction.
3. Effect on CNS: Injection of Coixol has the following effects: Sedation on mice and rabbits by reducing the animalsกฏ spontaneous activity. Inhibition of polysynaptic reflex on cats. Hypothermia and antipyretic action on rats. Analgesic effect on mice and rats.
4. Cardiovascular Effect: Depending on its concentration, Yiyiren oil can either stimulate or inhibit the hearts of isolated frogs and guinea pigs. It can also cause a contraction or dilation of the blood vessels of a rabbit ear. Coixol can decrease the contraction amplitude and rate of an isolated toad heart.
5. Miscellaneous Actions: Yiyiren oil increases the tonicity and contraction amplitude of isolated uteri of rabbits and guinea pigs. The oil also weakly decreases the blood calcium of rabbits. In vitro tests indicate that the juice of the fresh whole herb or the decoction of the dried root were active against Staphylococcus Aureus and other bacteria.
6. Toxicity: There was no death or any abnormal manifestations on rats after administration of 20, 100, or 500 mg/kg PO for 30 days.
Clinical Studies 1. Lung Abscess: Three cases of lung abscess were cured using WenJing Decoction, which contains Yiyiren.
2. Verruca Plana: Yiyiren was tried in 27 cases of verruca plana; 9 cases were cured, 11 improved, and 7 unresponsive. Decoction of 10-30 grams of Yiyiren were administered daily as a single dose for 2-4 weeks.
3. Treatment of Cancer: A formula using Yiyiren and other ingredients was used to treat 168 cases of digestive tract cancer. The decoction was administered in three doses daily. Patients experienced increase of appetite and temporary improvement in general condition. The decoction was also effective in 30 of 36 cases who took the decoction for more than 3 months. No significant side-effects recorded.
4. Miscellaneous: A report stated that chewing and eating the root induced labour at mid-term pregnancy.
Reference 1. Chang H. Pharmacology and Applications of Chinese Materia Medica. 2. http://www.chinesenaturalherbs.com/bulkherbs/coixseed.htm 3. http://www.chinaherbs.nl/Yiyiren.doc 4. http://www.herbalshop.com/tcm/ChineseHerb_C087.html 5. http://beijingmuseum.gov.cn/cosmetic/herbs/1472.shtml 6. http://www.tcmbasics.com/materiamedica/semen_coicis.htm 7. http://www.tcmadvisory.com/2007/9-30/2007930165357.html |
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Last modified: 12/13/10 |