The difference between grass beads and coix seeds

Grass beads and coix seeds are two similar foods. Many vendors in the market may sell grass beads as coix seeds to people who do not know the goods. But in fact, there are still big differences between the two. The nutritional value of coix seed is much higher than that of grass beads, and coix seed also has strong medicinal value, which is far inferior to grass beads. In addition, the surface of coix seed is smooth, while that of grass beads is not smooth, as follows.

1. Job's tears and grass beads are two different things. It is easy to distinguish them when they are in the shell, but it is difficult to distinguish the real from the fake after removing the shell. You need to identify the authenticity based on their properties, color and taste.

2. Grass beads are also called Huihui rice, coix beads, Chuangu, grass bodhi or bodhi seeds. They are the seeds of wild coix of the genus Coix. The shell is hard and shiny, like paint. Since grass beads have natural holes in the middle of their shell and are shiny, people often use them to make door curtains, Buddhist beads or bracelets.

3. The commonly eaten coix seeds and grass beads are of the same genus but different species. They are both plants of the genus Coix, but they are two different varieties. Although coix seed and grass beads have similar effects, the medicinal effect of grass beads is far lower than that of coix seed, which is the main reason why efforts are made to distinguish the two.

4. It is easy to distinguish between shelled Job's tears and grass beads, because grass beads are larger than Job's tears, and their shells are hard, smooth and shiny, while Job's tears are smaller than grass beads, and their shells are thin, brittle and dull.

5. The surface of coix seed is smooth, with occasional residual yellow-brown seed coat. One end is blunt and round, while the other end is wider and slightly concave, with a light brown dot-like hilum. The cross section is white and powdery. The surface of the grass beads is not smooth, with occasional residual reddish-brown seed coat, flat at both ends, with a brown-black dot-like hilum at one end, and the cross-section is white or translucent keratinous.

6. The color of real good coix seed is milky white with a slight bluish tint, while the color of grass beads is milky white with a slight transparent tint. The pinkish-white ones have been smoked with sulfur. No matter whether it is coix seed or grass beads, they are not suitable for food or medicinal use and are completely out of consideration.

7. Taste: Real good coix seeds taste slightly sweet after being cooked, and have a sticky texture, and are a bit sticky in the mouth. If they do not have this texture and taste, they are fake products such as grass beads. In addition, coix seed and grass beads will not be bitter or have any medicinal taste. If they taste rancid, bitter or have a medicinal taste, it means they have been stored for too long and are stale.

8. The starch content of grass beads is not as high as that of coix seed, but the protein content is higher than that of coix seed. Both are edible, but the edible value and medicinal value of grass beads are not great. If a Chinese medicine store uses grass beads as medicine, it is selling inferior products as good ones.