674 GRAMINE^. 



used as a food-stuff. The wild form, common in the plains, is 

 only used for medicinal purposes, and is considered to be 

 strengthening and diuretic. The Arab travellers in the East 

 became acquainted with the seeds and named them Damn 

 Daud "David's tears/' and afterwards Damu Ayub ^' Job's 

 tears-" Es-Saghani, who died about the year 1260, mentions 

 them in the Obdb as a well-known streno^thenini? and diuretic 



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medicine. The Arabs introduced the plant i"nto the West, 

 and it has become naturalized in Spain and Portugal, where it 

 is still known as Lagrima de Job. European botanists have 

 rather inappropriately given the name of Coix { Greek koi^ ) to 

 this genus, Coix being the name of a kind of palm growing in 

 Africa and mentioned by Theophrastus and Pliny. 



The following notice of 0, lacryma occurs in the Bescnj^five 

 Catalogue of the Vienna Exhibition, 1873 :—" The seeds known 

 as Job's tears are used as food in China and Malacca, under 

 the name of Eejin or Ee-yin. 'It is,' we are told, * the most 

 remarkable among food- grains for its chemical composition.' 

 Br. Smith writes that 'it is larger and coarser than pearl- 

 barle»but it is equally good for making gruel. As it is sold 

 for five pence per Chinese pound, it makes an excellent diet- 

 drink fcr hospital patients in China.' Dr. Hooker observes 

 that ' a great deal of Coix is cultivated in the Khasia Hills ; 

 the shell of the cultivated sort is soft and the kernel is sweet, 

 whereas the wild Coix is so hard that it cannot be broken by 

 the teeth ; each plant branches two or three times from the 

 base, and from seven to nine plants grow in each square yard 

 of soil ; the produce is small, not above 30 or 40 fold.' In 



ason's ^ Bnnnah' it is stated that a species of Coix, with 

 large esculent seeds, which are parched like Indian corn, are 

 often for sale in the bazars, and are cultivated very extensively 

 by the Red Karens.*' 



C. lacryma has also been introduced into Brazil, where it is 

 cultivated to some extent. For much interesting information 

 concerning the different species or varieties of 

 the economic uses to which the seeds are put, we must refer 

 the reader to the Bid. Econ. Prod, of India, ii., p. 492. 



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