❀ Food Therapy & Herbs

Materia Medica for Diet Therapy: Jīngmǐ — Chief of the Five Grains, Ancestor of All Flavors

Rice, glutinous rice, *jīngmǐ*, and *shú*: the four grains share one nature yet differ in use; *jīngmǐ* is the daily staple — it nourishes the spleen and stomach, boosts qi and strength, builds flesh, and quells vexation-thirst.

About 8 min

「Jīngmǐ (non-glutinous rice): flavor sweet and bitter, level, non-toxic. Governs the boosting of qi, quelling of vexation, and stopping of diarrhea.」 (「粳米,味甘、苦,平,无毒。主益气,止烦,止泄。」)

— Tao Hongjing, Míngyī Biélù · Middle Grade · Section on Rice (《名医别录·中品·米部》, Liang dynasty) (the original Běnjīng contains no jīngmǐ entry; this text is Tao’s supplement to the Běnjīng)

「Jīngmǐ: sweet, bitter, level, non-toxic. Boosts qi, quells vexation, stops diarrhea, harmonizes stomach qi, builds flesh, strengthens sinews and bones, frees the channels, replenishes essence and fortifies will, and beautifies the complexion.」 (「粳米,甘、苦,平,无毒。益气,止烦,止泄,和胃气,长肌肉,壮筋骨,通血脉,益精强志,好颜色。」)

— Li Shizhen, Běncǎo Gāngmù · Section on Grains · Jīng (《本草纲目·谷部·粳》, Ming dynasty) (compiled from the sayings of earlier physicians)

「Jīngmǐ: sweet, level. Best cooked as porridge. Porridge and rice-water are the foremost supplementing things in the world.」 (「粳米,甘,平。宜煮粥食。粥饮为世间第一补人之物。」)

— Wang Shixiong, Suíxī Jū Yǐnshí Pǔ · Class of Grain Beverages (《随息居饮食谱·谷饮类》, Qing dynasty)

I. Nomenclature: The Discrimination of Rice, Glutinous Rice, Jīngmǐ, and Shú

Jīngmǐ (jīngmǐ, non-glutinous rice, japonica) is the seed-kernel of an annual herbaceous plant of the grass family, the rice plant (Oryza sativa L.); once hulled, it becomes the rice eaten daily.

Li Shizhen’s discrimination is the most thorough:

「Rice, glutinous rice, jīngmǐ, and shú: of these four grains, rice and shú are of one kind. The glutinous is nuò; the non-glutinous is jīng. Nuò means soft; jīng means hard; shú is the early-ripening and sweeter variety of nuò.」 (「稻、糯、粳、秫,此四谷者,稻、秫一类也。黏者为糯,不黏者为粳。糯者,懦也;粳者,硬也;秫者,糯之早熟而甘美者也。」) — Li Shizhen, Běncǎo Gāngmù · Section on Grains · Rice (《本草纲目·谷部·稻》, Liu Hengru punctuated edition)

In brief:

  • Rice (dào): the general name of the grain.
  • Jīng: the non-glutinous kind, i.e. the rice eaten daily; it is “hard.”
  • Nuò (glutinous rice): the glutinous kind, used for brewing wine and making cakes; it is “soft.”
  • Shú: an early-ripening variety of nuò, also called “glutinous shú,” sweeter than ordinary glutinous rice; sometimes used by the common folk for brewing.
  • Rice and shú are of one kind: Li Shizhen explicitly states “rice and shú are of one kind,” which stands in contrast to nuò as “the glutinous kind of rice”; they must not be confused with jīng.

Tao Hongjing likewise observes:

「Jīngmǐ: people today call it rice; the white and lustrous kind is level in nature; the red kind is the same.」 (「粳米,今人呼为稻米,其白而润泽者,性平;赤者,亦同。」) — Běncǎo Gāngmù citing Tao Hongjing

In present-day classification, jīngmǐ is further divided into early jīng, late jīng, and xiān–jīng (colloquially “sīmiáo”), among other varieties; the late jīng is glutinous in texture and sweet in flavor, with the strongest supplementing power; the early jīng is somewhat harder and excels at fortifying the spleen.

II. Nature, Flavor, and Channel Entry: Sweet and Level, Entering the Spleen and Stomach

Synthesizing the various bencǎo (materia medica) sources:

Source Nature Flavor Channel Entry Remarks
Míngyī Biélù · Middle Grade (《名医别录·中品》) Level Sweet, bitter — Boosts qi, quells vexation, stops diarrhea (the original Běnjīng has no jīngmǐ; this text is Tao Hongjing’s supplement to the Běnjīng)
Qiānjīn Yàofāng · Shí Zhì (《千金要方·食治》) Level Acrid, bitter — Governs heart vexation, checks dysentery
Rìhuázǐ Běncǎo (《日华子本草》) Level — — Strengthens sinews and bones, supplements the intestines and stomach
Yǐnshàn Zhèngyào (《饮膳正要》) Level Sweet, bitter — Boosts qi, quells vexation, stops diarrhea, harmonizes stomach qi, builds flesh
Běncǎo Gāngmù (《本草纲目》) Level Sweet, bitter Enters spleen and lung channels (concurrently enters stomach, large intestine, and small intestine) Detailed discussion of the distinctions among jīng, nuò, and shú
Suíxī Jū Yǐnshí Pǔ (《随息居饮食谱》) Level Sweet Enters spleen and stomach channels Best cooked as porridge

Summary: Jīngmǐ is sweet in flavor and level in nature; its substance is balanced and harmonious; white in color, it enters the lung; sweet in flavor, it enters the spleen; it specifically enters the foot-taiyin spleen channel and the hand-yangming large-intestine channel, and is what the spleen and stomach delight in.

The Běncǎo Gāngmù is more detailed:

「Jīngmǐ… qi and flavor sweet and bitter, nature level; enters the spleen and stomach channels, and concurrently enters the heart, lung, large intestine, and small intestine. Supplements the center and boosts qi, fortifies the spleen and harmonizes the stomach, quells vexation and slakes thirst, stops diarrhea and dysentery.」 (「粳米,……气昧甘苦,性平,入脾胃二经,兼入心肺大小肠。补中益气,健脾和胃,除烦止渴,止泻止痢。」) — Běncǎo Gāngmù · Section on Grains

Li Zhongzi, in his Léigōng Pào Zhì Yào Xìng Jiě, likewise states:

「Jīngmǐ: white in color, it enters the lung; sweet in flavor, it enters the spleen; supplements the center and boosts qi, hardens sinews and bones, frees the channels, replenishes essence and fortifies will, beautifies the complexion, quells vexation-thirst, and stops diarrhea and dysentery.」 (「粳米,色白入肺,味甘入脾,补中益气,坚筋骨,通血脉,益精强志,好颜色,止烦渴,止泄痢。」)

III. Indications and Efficacy: Boosting Qi, Harmonizing the Stomach, Quelling Vexation, Stopping Diarrhea, Building Flesh

The virtues of jīngmǐ lie first and foremost in the spleen and stomach.

Tao Hongjing’s Míngyī Biélù opens with the statement: it governs boosting qi, quelling vexation, and stopping diarrhea. Later bencǎo all took this as their foundation and gradually expanded:

  1. Supplementing the center and boosting qi: The five viscera all receive qi from the stomach; jīngmǐ, sweet and level, nourishes the stomach; when the stomach qi is nourished, the qi of all five viscera flourishes. Wang Shixiong says:

    「Jīngmǐ: sweet, level. Porridge and rice-water are the foremost supplementing things in the world. When the poor suffer a depletion pattern, they substitute thick rice-water for shēn decoction, and remarkable results are obtained each time.」 (「粳米,甘,平。粥饮为世间第一补人之物。贫人患虚证,以浓米饮代参汤,每收奇绩。」) — Suíxī Jū Yǐnshí Pǔ · Class of Grain Beverages

  2. Fortifying the spleen and harmonizing the stomach; building flesh: The spleen governs transportation and transformation, and governs the flesh. Jīngmǐ banks up the earth (the spleen belongs to earth) to engender metal (the lung belongs to metal); when qi is full, the flesh becomes full. Chen Jiamo’s Běncǎo Méngquán says:

    「Jīngmǐ: beneficial to people; fortifies the spleen and nourishes the stomach; those with diarrhea may add it; it can also strengthen sinews and bones, and boost qi and strength.」 (「粳米,益人,健脾养胃,泻者加此,亦可壮筋骨,益气力。**」)

  3. Quelling vexation-thirst: When jīngmǐ is cooked into porridge, it bears aloft the clear fluid, which can nourish yin and engender liquids, and thus quell vexation-thirst. Li Shizhen:

    「Jīngmǐ porridge: disinhibits urination, quells vexation-thirst, and nourishes the intestines and stomach.」 (「粳米粥,利小便,止烦渴,养肠胃。」) — Běncǎo Gāngmù · Section on Grains, citing earlier physicians

  4. Stopping diarrhea and dysentery: When jīngmǐ is parched until fragrant, it astringes the intestines and stops diarrhea; when parched until scorched black, it additionally has an astringent action. The Shèngjì Zǒnglù (“Parched-Rice Decoction”) treats unrelenting diarrhea, employing precisely this principle.

  5. Freeing the channels, replenishing essence and fortifying will, beautifying the complexion: These are the effects of long-term consumption. This doctrine first appears in the Míngyī Biélù entry for jīngmǐ (Tao Hongjing’s supplement to the Běnjīng):

    「Jīngmǐ… frees the channels, replenishes essence and fortifies will, and beautifies the complexion.」 (「粳米,……通血脉,益精强志,好颜色。」) — Tao Hongjing, Míngyī Biélù · Middle Grade (《名医别录·中品》, Liang dynasty)

    Sun Simiao’s Qiānjīn Yàofāng · Shí Zhì also records the effect of “building flesh” in its jīngmǐ entry; taken together with “replenishing essence and fortifying will, beautifying the complexion” (from the Biélù), one sees that the post-Zhang-Zhongjing physicians all built upon the Biélù in their expositions.

IV. Textual Discrimination of Varieties: Early Jīng, Late Jīng, Red Jīng

Within jīng, one may further distinguish the early, late, red, and white kinds; Li Shizhen’s Běncǎo Gāngmù discrimination is most detailed:

「Jīng has early, middle, and late harvests; the late white rice is the foremost. The red kind: supplements the spleen and stops diarrhea; the white kind: supplements the stomach and quells vexation.」 (「粳有早、中、晚三收,以晚白米为第一,……赤者,益脾而止泄;白者,益胃而止烦。*」) — *Běncǎo Gāngmù · Section on Grains

  • White jīng: white in color; moistens the lung and nourishes the stomach.
  • Red jīng (chì jīng): red in color; enters the heart and nourishes the blood; Li Shizhen grounds his argument on “the red kind supplements the spleen and stops diarrhea,” and the Běncǎo Gāngmù also cites the Jīnkuì Yàolüè in support, yet the “Chì Xiǎodòu Dāngguī Sǎn” of the Jīnkuì · Bǎihé Húhuò Yīnyáng Dú Bìng chapter is originally formulated with “chì xiǎodòu three shēng (soaked until sprouts emerge, sun-dried) and dāngguī ten liǎng”, and the substance used in this formula is chìxiǎodòu (adzuki bean), not “red rice”, and must not be confused with red jīng rice.
  • Late jīng: glutinous in texture and sweet in flavor; supplementing power is the strongest.
  • Early jīng: somewhat harder; excels at fortifying the spleen and stopping diarrhea.

V. Processing and Dietary Therapy: Soup, Porridge, Cooked Rice, and Parched Rice

1. Jīngmǐ Soup (Rice-Water, Rice-Oil)

Jīngmǐ soup is the thick liquid that floats to the top when rice is boiled (colloquially “porridge-oil” or “rice-oil”). Zhao Xuemin of the Qing, in his Běncǎo Gāngmù Shíyí, records:

「Rice-oil: its power can fill the pores of the body, and it fattens people most. The Yue physician Quan Danruo said: one dark and lean who eats it becomes fat and fair within a hundred days; owing to its yin-nourishing virtue, it surpasses shúdì (cooked rehmannia).」 (「米油,力能实毛窍,最肥人。越医全丹若云:黑瘦者食之,百日即肥白,以其滋阴之功,胜于熟地。」) — Běncǎo Gāngmù Shíyí, Scroll 8

Jīngmǐ soup is the foremost wonderful item for nurturing after illness, after childbirth, and in old age, and the Suíxī Jū Yǐnshí Pǔ praises it as “the foremost supplementing thing in the world.”

2. Jīngmǐ Porridge

Cooking porridge is the most suitable method for jīngmǐ.

Wang Qishi’s Lǐxū Yuánjiàn holds that the treatment of depletion has three roots — lung, spleen, and kidney — and jīngmǐ porridge is most suited to the nurturing of dual lung-spleen depletion.

The Shòushì Qīngbiān (Qing, You Cheng) compiles a spectrum of dietary-nurturing porridges, such as lotus-seed porridge, Chinese yam porridge, and Job’s-tears porridge, all using jīngmǐ as the porridge base, supplemented by various other ingredients.

3. Parched Jīngmǐ and Scorched Jīngmǐ

When jīngmǐ is parched until slightly yellow, it is called parched rice; when parched until scorched black, it is called scorched rice.

  • Parched jīngmǐ: aromatic and awakens the spleen; opens the stomach and promotes appetite.
  • Scorched jīngmǐ: astringent and stops diarrhea; for those with chronic diarrhea or non-stop dòng xiè (fulminant diarrhea), substituting scorched-rice soup for tea to drink is extremely effective. Sun Simiao’s Qiānjīn Yìfāng · Scroll 19 · Miscellaneous Diseases records the method of using parched rice to stop dysentery.

4. The Combinations of Jīngmǐ with Other Medicinals

In Zhang Zhongjing’s Shānghán Lùn (Treatise on Cold Damage) and Jīnkuì Yàolüè (Synopsis of the Golden Chamber), jīngmǐ is incorporated into a great many formulas:

  • Báihǔ Tāng (White Tiger Decoction, Shānghán Lùn): shígāo, zhīmǔ, gāncǎo, jīngmǐ, drawing upon jīngmǐ’s meaning of “protecting stomach qi and preserving fluids”, treats the yangming qi-aspect heat-exuberance pattern of great sweating, great thirst, and a surging pulse.
  • Zhúyè Shígāo Tāng (Bamboo-Leaves and Gypsum Decoction, Shānghán Lùn): using jīngmǐ to assist rénshēn (ginseng) and màidōng (ophiopogon), it boosts qi and harmonizes the stomach, nourishes yin and engenders fluids, and treats the late stage of heat disease, with residual heat uncleared and dual injury to qi and fluids.
  • Màiméndōng Tāng (Ophiopogon Decoction, Jīnkuì Yàolüè): màiméndōng, bànxià, rénshēn, gāncǎo, jīngmǐ, dàzǎo, treats lung-wilting with cough and sore throat.

Zhang Zhongjing’s use of jīngmǐ always draws upon its virtue of being sweet and level, nourishing the stomach, harmonizing the center, and boosting qi; this likewise became the ancestral method for later generations in nurturing stomach qi through porridge.

VI. Dietary Prohibitions and Contraindications

The prohibitions for jīngmǐ recorded in the various bencǎo are roughly as follows:

  1. New jīngmǐ is slightly cool in nature and easily stirs wind-qi; aged jīngmǐ (old stored rice) is level in nature and nourishes people. Li Shizhen:

    「As for jīng: new rice stirs wind, old rice bears qi downward; the sick especially benefit from it.」 (「粳,新米动风,陈米下气,病人尤宜。」) — Běncǎo Gāngmù · Section on Grains, citing earlier physicians

  2. Jīngmǐ must not be eaten together with horseflesh: Sun Simiao’s Qiānjīn Shí Zhì:

    「Jīngmǐ… eaten with horseflesh, it will provoke chronic disease.」 (「粳米,……和马肉食之,发痼疾。」) — Qiānjīn Yàofāng · Shí Zhì

  3. Jīngmǐ must not be eaten together with raw cāngěr (cocklebur): Zhang Zhongjing’s Jīnkuì Yàolüè · Chapter on Prohibitions and Treatment for Fruits, Vegetables, and Grains states explicitly:

    「When eating white-rice porridge, do not eat raw cāngěr; this will produce zǒuzhù (running-rheumatism).」 (「食白米粥,勿食生苍耳,成走注。」)

    “Zǒuzhù” refers to the sign of migratory wind-impediment pain; therefore, when taking white-rice porridge, one must not eat raw cāngěr. The sayings concerning “sudden heart pain, death on the spot” relate to the poisoning from eating cāngěr itself, and are not a jīngmǐ–cāngěr compatibility prohibition; the two matters must be distinguished.

  4. When taking cāngzhú or báizhú, one must abstain from peaches, plums, sparrow meat, sōngcài (bok choy), and qīngyú (black carp): This is the prohibition for taking “zhú” alone; Tao Hongjing’s Běncǎo Jīng Jí Zhù and Li Shizhen’s Běncǎo Gāngmù, in the section on zhú, both state explicitly: zhú “avoids peaches, plums, sparrow meat, sōngcài (bok choy), and qīngyú (black carp).” Among the jīngfāng (classical formulas), jīngmǐ is often combined with shígāo, màidōng, fùzǐ, and so on (as in Báihǔ Tāng, Zhúyè Shígāo Tāng, Màiméndōng Tāng, Fùzǐ Jīngmǐ Tāng, and Táohuā Tāng); direct jīngfāng combinations of “zhú” with “jīngmǐ” are exceedingly rare, and need no further elaboration here.

  5. Diabetics and those with exuberant internal damp-heat: Jīngmǐ, being sweet and level, supplements the center, is nonetheless rich and cloying, and obstructs the spleen; those with severe damp-heat, phlegm-damp, or xiāokě (wasting-thirst) should reduce the amount, or substitute yìmǐ (Job’s-tears), chìxiǎodòu (adzuki bean), or qiáomài (buckwheat), This is a later modification, not recorded in the original jīngfāng.

VII. Summary of the Bencǎo Schools

Dynasty Author Source Core View
Liang Tao Hongjing Míngyī Biélù · Middle Grade · Section on Rice (《名医别录·中品·米部》) Boosts qi, quells vexation, stops diarrhea (the original Běnjīng has no jīngmǐ entry; this text is Tao’s supplement to the Běnjīng)
Tang Sun Simiao Qiānjīn Yàofāng · Shí Zhì (《千金要方·食治》) Level, acrid-bitter; governs heart vexation, checks dysentery, builds flesh
Tang Meng Shen Shíliáo Běncǎo (《食疗本草》) Boosts qi, quells vexation, stops diarrhea; cook as porridge to eat
Five Dynasties Rihuazi Rìhuázǐ Běncǎo (《日华子本草》) Strengthens sinews and bones, supplements the intestines and stomach
Yuan Husihui Yǐnshàn Zhèngyào · Class of Rice and Grains (《饮膳正要·米谷品》) Level, sweet-bitter; harmonizes stomach qi, builds flesh
Yuan Jia Ming Yǐnshí Xūzhī (《饮食须知》) Detailed discussion of prohibitions for jīngmǐ and the distinctions among the grains
Ming Ning Yuan Shíjiàn Běncǎo (《食鉴本草》) Fortifies the spleen and opens the stomach, stops diarrhea and dysentery
Ming Li Shizhen Běncǎo Gāngmù · Section on Grains · Jīng (《本草纲目·谷部·粳》) The great compendium of predecessors; discriminates rice, nuò, jīng, and shú
Ming Gong Tingxian Shòushì Bǎoyuán · On Diet (《寿世保元·饮食》) Jīngmǐ porridge nourishes the stomach; aged rice supplements the spleen
Qing Wang Shixiong Suíxī Jū Yǐnshí Pǔ · Class of Grain Beverages (《随息居饮食谱·谷饮类》) Sweet and level; porridge is the foremost supplementing thing in the world
Qing Zhao Xuemin Běncǎo Gāngmù Shíyí · On Rice-Oil (《本草纲目拾遗·米油》) Rice-oil’s yin-nourishing virtue surpasses that of shúdì (cooked rehmannia)

VIII. Conclusion

Jīngmǐ — chief of the five grains, ancestor of all flavors — used daily without awareness, nurturing life without name.

Its nature is sweet and level, its substance mellow and harmonious; it enters the spleen and stomach, nourishes qi and yin, boosts qi and quells vexation, harmonizes the stomach and stops diarrhea, builds flesh and fills the pores of the body; porridge is the foremost supplementing thing in the world.

Wang Shixiong’s words are most apt:

「When the poor suffer a depletion pattern, they substitute thick rice-water for shēn decoction, and remarkable results are obtained each time.」 (「贫人患虚证,以浓米饮代参汤,每收奇绩。」)

A bowl of plain porridge in the morning — is itself the finest diet therapy.

Bibliography (Historical Classics)

  1. Han · Zhang Zhongjing, Jīnkuì Yàolüè · Chapter on Prohibitions and Treatment for Fruits, Vegetables, and Grains, the Twenty-Fifth (《金匮要略·果实菜谷禁忌并治第二十五》)
  2. Liang · Tao Hongjing, Míngyī Biélù · Middle Grade · Section on Rice (《名医别录·中品·米部》)
  3. Liang · Tao Hongjing, Běncǎo Jīng Jí Zhù · Jīngmǐ (《本草经集注·粳米》, Dunhuang fragments, reconstructed edition)
  4. Tang · Sun Simiao, Bèijí Qiānjīn Yàofāng · Scroll 26 · Shí Zhì · Rice and Grains (《备急千金要方·卷二十六·食治·谷米》)
  5. Tang · Meng Shen, Shíliáo Běncǎo · Jīngmǐ (《食疗本草·粳米》)
  6. Five Dynasties · Rihuazi, Rìhuázǐ Běncǎo · Jīngmǐ (《日华子本草·粳米》)
  7. Song · Tang Shenwei, Zhènglèi Běncǎo · Jīngmǐ (《证类本草·粳米》)
  8. Song · Wang Huaiyin et al., Tàipíng Shènghuì Fāng · Section on Shí Zhì (《太平圣惠方·食治门》)
  9. Yuan · Husihui, Yǐnshàn Zhèngyào · Scroll 2 · Class of Rice and Grains (《饮膳正要·卷二·米谷品》)
  10. Yuan · Wu Rui, Rìyòng Běncǎo · Section on Grains (《日用本草·谷部》)
  11. Yuan · Jia Ming, Yǐnshí Xūzhī · Class of Grains (《饮食须知·谷类》)
  12. Ming · Li Shizhen, Běncǎo Gāngmù · Section on Grains · Rice and Jīng (《本草纲目·谷部·稻、粳》, Liu Hengru punctuated edition)
  13. Ming · Ning Yuan, Shíjiàn Běncǎo · Class of Grains (《食鉴本草·谷类》)
  14. Ming · Li Zhongzi, Léigōng Pào Zhì Yào Xìng Jiě · Jīngmǐ (《雷公炮制药性解·粳米》)
  15. Ming · Chen Jiamo, Běncǎo Méngquán · Jīngmǐ (《本草蒙筌·粳米》)
  16. Ming · Gong Tingxian, Shòushì Bǎoyuán · On Diet (《寿世保元·饮食》)
  17. Ming · Gao Lian, Zūnshēng Bājiān · Chapter on Beverages, Food, and Clothing (《遵生八笺·饮馔服食笺》)
  18. Qing · Wang Shixiong, Suíxī Jū Yǐnshí Pǔ · Class of Grain Beverages (《随息居饮食谱·谷饮类》)
  19. Qing · Zhao Xuemin, Běncǎo Gāngmù Shíyí · On Rice-Oil (《本草纲目拾遗·米油》)
  20. Qing · Huang Gongxiu, Běncǎo Qiúzhēn · Section on Grains (《本草求真·谷部》)

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