This product is the dried mature seed of the plant Coix lacryma-jobi L.var.ma-yuen (Roman.) Stapf, belonging to the family Poaceae. The plants are harvested in autumn when the fruits are ripe, dried, threshed, and then further dried. The outer shell, yellow-brown seed coat, and impurities are removed to collect the seeds.
【Properties】 This product is broad oval or elongated oval in shape, measuring 4-8mm in length and 3-6mm in width. The surface is milky white and smooth, occasionally with remnants of yellow-brown seed coat; one end is bluntly rounded, while the other end is wider and slightly concave, with a light brown dot-like hilum; the back is rounded and convex, and the belly has a wider and deeper longitudinal groove. The texture is solid, with a white cross-section that is powdery. The aroma is faint, and the taste is slightly sweet.
【Identification】 (1) The powder of this product is light whitish in color. It mainly consists of starch granules, which are either single, round, or polyhedral, with a diameter of 2-20μm, and the hilum is star-shaped; compound granules are rare and generally consist of 2-3 single granules.
(2) Take 1g of the powdered product, add 30ml of petroleum ether (60-90℃), and treat with ultrasound for 30 minutes. Filter and take the filtrate as the test solution. Additionally, take the coix seed oil reference extract, and prepare a solution containing 2mg per 1ml using petroleum ether (60-90℃) as the solvent, as the reference extract solution. Perform thin-layer chromatography (TLC) tests according to the general rules (0502), applying 2μl of each solution onto the same silica gel G TLC plate, using petroleum ether (60-90℃)-ether-acetic acid (83:17:1) as the developing agent. After development, dry and spray with 5% vanillin-sulfuric acid solution, heating at 105℃ until the spots are clearly visible. In the test solution chromatogram, spots of the same color as those in the reference extract chromatogram should appear at corresponding positions.
(3) Take the coix seed oil reference extract and triglyceride reference substance, and prepare solutions containing 1mg and 0.14mg per 1ml, respectively, as the reference extract and reference substance solutions. Perform tests under the chromatographic conditions specified in the content determination section, injecting 10μl of the test solution, reference substance solution, and the aforementioned reference extract solution into the liquid chromatography system. The chromatogram of the test solution should show peaks with retention times consistent with those of the reference substance; and should exhibit 7 major peaks with retention times consistent with those of the reference extract.
【Examination】 Impurities must not exceed 2% (General Rule 2301).
Moisture must not exceed 15.0% (General Rule 0832, Method 2).
Total ash must not exceed 3.0% (General Rule 2302).
Aflatoxin must be determined according to the mycotoxin determination method (General Rule 2351).
This product must contain no more than 5μg of aflatoxin B1 per 1000g, and the total amount of aflatoxins G2, G1, B2, and B1 must not exceed 10μg.
Zearalenone must be determined according to the mycotoxin determination method (General Rule 2351, Method 1).
This product must contain no more than 500μg of zearalenone per 1000g.
【Extractable matter】 Determined by the method for measuring alcohol-soluble extractives (General Rule 2201) using absolute ethanol as the solvent, must not be less than 5.5%.
【Content determination】 Determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) (General Rule 0512).
Chromatographic conditions and system suitability tests should use octadecylsilyl-bonded silica as the stationary phase; acetonitrile-dichloromethane (65:35) as the mobile phase; and evaporative light scattering detection. Theoretical plate number based on the triglyceride peak should not be less than 5000.
Preparation of reference solution: Take an appropriate amount of triglyceride reference substance, accurately weigh, and dissolve in the mobile phase to prepare a solution containing 0.14mg per 1ml.
Preparation of test solution: Take approximately 0.6g of the powdered product (passed through a No. 3 sieve), accurately weigh, place in a stoppered conical flask, and accurately add 50ml of the mobile phase. Weigh again, soak for 2 hours, treat with ultrasound (300W, 50kHz) for 30 minutes, cool, weigh again, and use the mobile phase to make up for the weight loss, shake well, filter, and take the filtrate as the test solution.
Determination method: Accurately inject 5μl and 10μl of the reference solution, and 5-10μl of the test solution into the liquid chromatography system, and determine using the external standard two-point method for logarithmic equation calculation.
This product, calculated on a dry basis, must contain no less than 0.50% triglyceride (C57H104O6).2. Chinese Herbal Pieces
【Processing】 Coix Seed: Remove impurities.
【Examination】 Impurities must not exceed 1% as with the herbal material.
Total ash must not exceed 2.0% as with the herbal material.
【Properties】【Identification】【Examination】 (Moisture, Aflatoxin, Zearalenone)【Extractable matter】【Content determination】 same as herbal material.
Roasted Coix Seed: Take clean coix seeds and roast them according to the roasting method (General Rule 0213) until slightly yellow.
【Properties】 This product resembles coix seeds, slightly bulging, with a light yellow surface.
【Examination】 Moisture must not exceed 12.0% as with the herbal material.
Total ash must not exceed 2.0% as with the herbal material.
【Content determination】 same as herbal material, containing triglyceride must not be less than 0.40%.
【Identification】【Extractable matter】 same as herbal material.
【Taste and Meridian Affinity】 Sweet, bland, and cool. It enters the Spleen, Stomach, and Lung meridians.
【Functions and Indications】 Promotes diuresis and dampness elimination, strengthens the Spleen and stops diarrhea, alleviates pain, expels pus, detoxifies and disperses masses. Used for edema, beriberi, difficult urination, Spleen deficiency diarrhea, dampness obstruction and contraction, lung abscess, intestinal abscess, warts, and cancerous tumors.
【Dosage】 9-30g.
【Caution】 Use with caution in pregnant women.
【Storage】 Store in a ventilated and dry place to prevent insect infestation.3. Authenticity Identification
1. Authentic Product: Coix Seed
This product is the dried mature seed of the plant Coix lacryma-jobi L.var.ma-yuen (Roman.) Stapf, belonging to the family Poaceae. The plants are harvested in autumn when the fruits are ripe, dried, threshed, and then further dried. The outer shell, yellow-brown seed coat, and impurities are removed to collect the seeds.
This product is broad oval or elongated oval in shape, measuring 4-8mm in length and 3-6mm in width. The surface is milky white and smooth, occasionally with remnants of yellow-brown seed coat; one end is bluntly rounded, while the other end is wider and slightly concave, with a light brown dot-like hilum; the back is rounded and convex, and the belly has a wider and deeper longitudinal groove. The texture is solid, with a white cross-section that is powdery. The aroma is faint, and the taste is slightly sweet.
2. Non-authentic Product: Grass Pearl
It is the dried seed of the plant Coix lachryma-jobi L. This product is broad oval in shape, measuring 0.4-0.5 cm in length and 0.4-0.6 cm in width. The surface is milky white, slightly transparent, smooth, occasionally with remnants of red-brown seed coat, both ends are flat, one end has a brown-black dot-like hilum, the back is rounded and convex, and the belly has a wide and deep longitudinal groove. The texture is solid, with a white or semi-transparent keratinous cross-section. The aroma is faint, and the taste is slightly sweet.
3. Non-authentic Product: Sorghum
It is the dried seed of the plant Sorghum vulgare Pers. This product is nearly flat and round, slightly bulging on both sides, with a diameter of 0.4 cm. It is milky white, with remnants of seed coat that are light brown, one side has a shallow indentation, and the other side is smooth. The cross-section is whitish and slightly sweet. The taste is slightly astringent and strong in color.
4. Non-authentic Product: Barley
It is the dried seed of the plant Hordeum vulgare L. This product is elongated oval, slightly bulging on both sides, measuring 0.3-0.6 cm in length and approximately 0.3 cm in diameter. It is grayish-white, with most of the seed coat removed, one side has a shallow indentation, and the other side is smooth. The cross-section is whitish and powdery. The aroma is faint, and the taste is slightly sweet.
4. Specifications and Grades
1. Specification: The coix seed herbal material is used to distinguish different trading categories during circulation.
Note: Based on different sources, coix seed herbal material is divided into “domestic coix seed” and “imported coix seed” specifications.
2. Grade: Under each specification of coix seed herbal material, it is used to distinguish the trading varieties based on the quality of coix seed.
Note: Under each specification, grades are classified based on the size and integrity of the coix seed herbal material.
3. Specification and grade classification must meet the requirements, and the property diagram can be referred to in Appendix A.
5. Requirements
— No discoloration;
— No insect damage;
— No mold;
— Impurities less than 3%.