Coix seeds can be ground into a flour and used to make bread or used in any of the ways that rice is used.
The pounded flour is sometimes mixed with water like barley for barley water. It is also husked and eaten out of hand like a peanut.
A tea can be made from the parched seeds, whilst beers and wines are made from the fermented grain. A coffee is made from the roasted seed. Coix seed is used as both a healing herb and a food.
The seeds, with the husks removed, are important in traditional Chinese medicine. It is said that a tea made from the boiled seeds will help to cure warts, and that in general coix is good for the skin, helping to nourish and soften it so that it looks smooth and healthy. It enhances immune function, is an anti-inflammatory and lowers the blood sugar level.
Size: 4-6mm wide, 7-9mm long
Color: dark brown
The seed contains about 52% starch, 18% protein, 7% fat.
