Oryza sativa.  大 米  Dà mǐ  Rice   Family: Gramineae   
糙 米 Cāo mǐ  Rice grain- Brown     
Brown unhulled rice is the whole grain rice. It has a mild, nutty flavor, and is chewier and more nutritious than white rice, but goes rancid more quickly because the bran and germ—which are removed to make white rice contain fats can spoil.
Nature- neutral  FLAVOR: Sweet   CHANNEL: Spleen, Stomach
FUNCTIONS
1. Tone up the middle Heater, benefit Qi, strengthen Spleen, harmonize Stomach, relieve mental depression, quench thirst, stop diarrhea.[2]
COMBINATIONS
Deficiency Heat in the Lung: Clears and drains Lung Heat, relieves coughing and wheezing Morus & Lycium- XIE FEI SAN- Added to this formula to protect the middle Heater from the coldness of the formula
PREPARATIONS: Boil or cook.[2].
白 米 饭 Bái mǐ fàn  Polished round grained rice - White rice       
Nature- warm, neutral  FLAVOR: Sweet   CHANNEL: Spleen, Stomach
FUNCTIONS
1. Invigorating the middle Heater and replenishing Qi.[3] Energy tonic and a Spleen tonic.[3]
2. Strengthening the Spleen and regulating the Stomach.[3]
3. Relieving thirst and restlessness.[3]
INDICATIONS
1. Dysentery.[3] Diarrhea.[3,4]
2. Morning sickness- with ginger.
CONTRAINDICATIONS: Patient with Endogenous Cold should eat less.[3]
PREPARATIONS: To be eaten steamed, made into gruels, or compounded into medicated diet or medicated gruel.[3]

- Relieve morning sickness- Fry 1 bowlful polished rice with fresh ginger juice unitl the rice becomes yellowish. Chew 20-30 grains before getting up in the morning.[4]
- Cure diarrhea, particularly in children- Boil rice in wate as you would normally, but cook it a little onger than usual to allow a thick crust of charred rice to form on the bottom of the pan. This charred pan rice has a neutral nature and bitter and sweet flavor. Boil 150 g browned crust of rice with an equal amount of lotus fruits and sugar in an adequate amount of water. Drink 2 teaspoons each time, 3 times a day.[4]
Oryza sativa var. glutinosa 糯 米  Nuò mǐ  Glutinous rice    
Glutinous rice is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia, which has opaque grains, very low amylose content, and is especially sticky when cooked. It is called glutinous (latin) in the sense of being glue-like or sticky, and not in the sense of containing gluten. While often called "sticky rice", it differs from non-glutinous strains of japonica rice which also become sticky to some degree when cooked. There are numerous cultivars of glutinous rice, which include japonica, indica, and tropical japonica strains.
Nature- warm FLAVOR: Sweet   CHANNELS: Spleen, Stomach and Lungs
FUNCTIONS
1. Energy tonic.[4]
INDICATIONS|
1. Excessive urination.[4]
2. Excessive perspiration.[4]
3. Diarrhea.[4]
PREPARATIONS:
- Stop excessive perspiration- Fry sweet rice with ehat bran and grind into powder. Take 10 g powder in warm water each time, 3 times a day.[4]
- Relieve pulmonary tuberculosis, neurasthenia, anemia, and various kinds of chronic diseases- Cook 50 g sweet rice with 60 g Job's tears and 8 red dates. Eat at meals.[4]

Oryza sativa var. glutinosa 糯 稻 根 须 Nuò dào gēn xū  Glutinous rice root
Nature: Neutral, slightly warming FLAVOR: Pleasant, Sweet CHANNELS: Kidney, Liver, Lung
FUNCTIONS
GROUP: Astringents
1. Counteracts perspiration.[1] Stop night sweat, tonify the stomach, promote the secretion of saliva, abate fever due to Yin deficiency.[8]
2. Kills worms.[1]
INDICATIONS
1. Drenching sweats, spontanous hydrosis.[1]
2. Filariasis.[1]
3. Spontaneous perspiration, night sweat, fever due to Yin Deficiency, hepatitis, filariasis, dry throat with thirst.[8]
PREPARATIONS: 1-30 g in decoction.[1] 15~30 g, large dosage can be 60~120 g.[8] It is preferred to use the fresh product.[8]



米 糠  Mǐ kāng  Rice bran       
Rice bran is the hard outer layers of cereal grain consisting of the aleurone and pericarp. It is a by product of the rice milling process converting brown rice to white rice.
The Chinese name Mǐ Kāng also means the husk, not part of the actual grain.
 Nature- neutral FLAVOR: Sweet and pungent  CHANNELS: Stomach, Large Instestine
FUNCTIONS
1. Pushes downwards.[4]
INDICATIONS
1. Difficulty in swallowing.[4]
2. Beriberi.[4]
PREPARATIONS
- Relieves difficulty when swallowing- Mix rice bran with honey and shape into tablets. Keep 1 tablet at a time in the mouth just as a cough drop.[4]
- Relieve beriberi- Fry 250 g rice bran until yellowish but not burned. Store in a jar for usage. Take 10 g of the yellowish rice bran with water each time, twice a day.[4]
谷芽 Gŭ yá, 秧 Yāng, Gu ya, Dao ya   Rice sprout       
Nature: warm    FLAVOR: Sweet, pleasant  CHANNEL: Spleen, Stomach
FUNCTIONS
GROUP: Digestive and Evacuants
1. Strengthen the Stomach/Spleen and promote digestion.[1] Wake up appetite.
2. Balances the central organs.[1] Harmonize middle region.[1]
INDICATIONS
1. Dyspepsia and anorexia with Spleen/Stomach Deficiency.[1] Indigestion.[1] Poor appetite.
2. Fullness in chest and abdomen.[1]
COMBINATIONS
- Spleen Qi deficiency with retention of Dampness, and Food Stagnation: Tonifies the Qi and strengthens the Spleen and Stomach, drains Dampness, regulates the Stomach and Intestines, reduces Food Stagnation Pseudostellaria Formula- Children Formula- JIAN WEI BAO TONG CHONG JI. 
- Spleen and Lung Qi Deficiency or Kidney Deficiency:Tonifies the Spleen, Lung and Kidney, aids the Kidney to grab the Qi, transforms Phlegm, redirects the Lung Qi downward, secures the Lung and the Kidney, and alleviates coughing and wheezing Astragalis & Psoralea- XIAO ER GU BEN KE CHUAN CHONG JI. 
- Disturbance of the Shen due to heat, Qi stagnation with accumulation in the Stomach and Intestines: Clear Heat and soothes irritability, calms the Shen and alleviates fright, regulates the Stomach and Intestines and promotes digestion Uncaria & Poria- XIAO ER NING YE CHONG JI.
- Indigestion due to Food Stagnation: Reduces Food Stagnation, regulate the Stomach and Intestines, disperses Accumulation Raphanus & Crataegus- XIAO SHI BAO TONG CHONG JI.
PREPARATIONS: Decoction- Rice sprout 10-15 g each dose.[1,2,3]
- Relieve indigestion and to promote appetite- Boil sweet rice sprouts in water with malt. Drink the soup.[4]
糯稻根  Nuò dào gēn   Dry root and stalk base        
Nature- neutral    FLAVOR: Sweet   CHANNELS: Kidney, Liver, Lung
FUNCTIONS
GROUP: Astringents
1. Check perspiration.[2]
INDICATIONS
1. Excessive perspiration, night sweat.[2]
PREPARATIONS: Dry root and stalk base 30-60 g.[2]
  米酒 Mǐ jiǔ   Rice Wine      Rice wine is made from the fermentation of rice starch that has been converted to sugars.
Nature- warm   FLAVOR: Sweet, bitter and pungent     CHANNELS: Heart, Liver, Lungs and Stomach
FUNCTIONS
1. Promotes blood circulation.[4]
2. Expels Cold Energy.[4]
3. Speeds up the effects of herbs.[4]
INDICATIONS
1. Rheumatism, muscular spasms, chest pain.[4]
2. Cold abdominal pain.[4]
PREPARATIONS
- Diarrhea due to Cold and with the discharge of a clear and long stream of urine, which indicates a Cold symptom.[4]
- Itching all over the body in women- Mix honey with rice wine and drink.[4]
- Heal numbness and pain in the joints, rheumatic pain, neuralgia, and anemia- Fry 500 g black soybeans until they appear over-fried and begin to crack. Place in an earthenware pot and pour 2-4 glasses rice wine into the pot; let it cool and strain it. Drink a cupful each time, twice a day.[4]
- External injuries- Drink 1 glass hot rice wind or grape wine to relieve pain caused by external inuries.[4]
Clinical report- For treatment of simple diarrhea after childbirth, bring 3 glasses rice wine to boil; add 150 g brown sugar and continue boiling for 2-3 mintues; let it cool and drink it all, or divide it into 2 parts to drink 3-4 hours apart. Among the 14 cases treated, 10 cases completely recovered. One case recovered naturally after stopping the treatment, 2 cases showed improvements, and 1 case no significant results. Some cases recovered completely within 3-4 days. Only 1 case complained about light headache during the treatment. No side effects were shown in all other cases.[4]
Remarks- There are basically 2 kinds of wine used in Chinese herbal therapy- rice wine (also called yellow wine) and hot wine (also called white wine or fire wine). Yellow wine contains only 10-20% alcohol; white wine contains a much higher alcohol level. White wine is suitable for drinking with meals. Wine is sometimes considered more harmful than beneficial, because many people have a tendency to drink too much and become intoxicated when drinking wine.[4]
红曲米 Hóng qū mǐ -"Red yeast rice" Red yeast rice- a bright reddish purple fermented rice, which acquires its colour from being cultivated with the mold Monascus purpureus.
In the late 1970s, researchers in the United States and Japan were isolating lovastatin from Aspergillus and monacolins from Monascus, respectively, the latter being the same fungus used to make red yeast rice but cultured under carefully controlled conditions. Chemical analysis soon showed that lovastatin and monacolin K are identical. The article "The origin of statins" summarizes how the two isolations, documentations and patent applications were just months apart. Lovastatin became the patented, prescription drug Mevacor for Merck & Co. Red yeast rice went on to become a non-prescription dietary supplement in the United States and other countries. Lovastatin and other prescription "statin" drugs inhibit cholesterol synthesis by blocking action of the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase. As a consequence, circulating total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol are lowered. In a meta-analysis of 91 randomized clinical trials of ≥12 weeks duration, totaling 68,485 participants, LDL-cholesterol was lowered by 24-49% depending on the statin. Different strains of Monascus fungus will produce different amounts of monacolins. The 'Went' strain of Monascus purpureus (purpureus = dark red in Latin), when properly fermented and processed, will yield a dried red yeast rice powder that is approximately 0.4% monacolins, of which roughly half will be monacolin K (identical to lovastatin)[5].

Most medical journals attribute the hypolipidemic effect of hong qu to one single component, lovastatin. This explanation, however, is neither sufficient nor entirely accurate. The therapeutic dose of hong qu delivers approximately 7.2 mg of lovastatin, while the synthetic drug lovastatin (Mevacor) contains from 10 mg to 40 mg of lovastatin. Yet, despite the lower dose of the supposed active component, the hypolipidemic effects of hong qu are much greater than the synthetic drug lovastatin. Thus, it is clear that lovastatin is not the only active component, and more research needs to be done on hong qu as an herbal medicine, not just on lovastatin as a single compound.[6]
FUNCTIONS: It strengthens the Spleen and Stomach and promotes digestion, and invigorates blood circulation and eliminates blood stasis. The normal dose is 6-12 grams in decoction.
INDICATIONS
1.Indigestion.[6]
2. Invigorate blood circulation and eliminates Blood statis.[6]
CONTRAINDICATIONS: Use with caution in Liver diseases, Pregnancy. May deplete CoQ10.[7]
COMBINATIONS
-Indigestion- it is generally used in combination with Shan zha (fructus crataegi) and Mai ya (fructus hordei germinatus). For food stagnation due to Spleen deficiency, it is used with Bai zhu (rhizoma atractylodis macrocephalae) and Dang shen (radix codonopsis).
- Invigorates Blood circulation and eliminates Blood stasis- It can be used to treat blood stasis in the upper body when combined with Jiang xiang (lignum dalbergiae odoriferae), Tong cao (medulla tetrapanacis) and Mo yao (myrrha). It also relieves pain due to trauma and injuries when combined with Yan hu suo (rhizoma corydalis), Dang gui (radicis angelicae sinensis), hong hua (flos carthami), Niu xi (radix cyathulae seu achyranthis), Mo yao and Ru xiang (gummi olibanum).
PREPARATIONS: Two 600 mg capsules twice a day is often recommended by health practitioners. If there is no response then the dose may be increased to two 600 mg capsules 4 times/day for a total of 2400 mg/day.[7] Products should contain no citrinin- a poisonous secondary metabolite of Monascus species.[7]
References
Inner Path can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Constituents.
Research.
Hong qu mi
Beneficial impact of Xuezhikang on cardiovascular events and mortality in elderly hypertensive patients with previous myocardial infarction from the China Coronary Secondary Prevention Study (CCSPS).
Li JJ1, Lu ZL, Kou WR, Chen Z, Wu YF, Yu XH, Zhao YC; Chinese Coronary Secondary Prevention Study Group.
Collaborators (201)
Abstract
Coronary heart disease, hypertension, and dyslipidemia are highly prevalent and commonly coexist in people who are middle-aged and older. Previous data suggested that lowering cholesterol concentrations in individuals at high risk of cardiovascular disease improved clinical outcomes. Xuezhikang, a partial extract of red yeast rice containing statin, has a marked impact on lipids. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to evaluate the impact of Xuezhikang on reducing cardiovascular events and mortality in elderly Chinese hypertensive patients with a history of myocardial infarction (MI) enrolled in the Chinese Coronary Secondary Prevention Study. In this randomized trial, 1530 elderly hypertensive patients (> or = 65-years-old) with previous MI were assigned either to placebo (n = 758) or to Xuezhikang (n = 772) daily for an average of 4.5 years. The primary endpoint was recurrent coronary events; the secondary endpoint was all-cause mortality and other clinical events, including adverse effects. There were 68 cases of coronary events (8.8%) detected in the Xuezhikang group and 108 cases (14.3%) in the placebo group (38.2% risk reduction by Xuezhikang therapy). Death from coronary heart disease (CHD) totaled 49 cases in the Xuezhikang group (6.4%) and 68 cases in the placebo group (9.0%), indicating that Xuezhikang significantly decreased the risk of CHD death by 29.2%. Our study demonstrated that Xuezhikang therapy could effectively and safely reduce cardiovascular events and all-cause death in Chinese elderly hypertensive patients with previous MI. This finding may have an important implication for the treatment of elderly hypertensive patients with CHD. J Clin Pharmacol. 2009 Aug;49(8):947-56. doi: 10.1177/0091270009337509.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Evaluating the effect of rice (Oryza sativa L.: SRNC05053-6-2) crude extract on psoriasis using in vitro and in vivo models
Sumate Ampawong, Kanchana Kengkoom, Passanesh Sukphopetch, Pornanong Aramwit, Watcharamat Muangkaew, Tapanee Kanjanapruthipong, Theerapong Buaban
Abstract
Psoriasis is mainly caused because of inappropriate immune responses in the epidermis. Rice (Oryza sativa L.: SRNC05053-6-2) consists of anthocyanin, which exhibits strong antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. This study aimed to evaluate the role of this black-coloured rice crude extract in alleviating the symptoms of psoriasis using human psoriatic artificial skin and an imiquimod-induced rat psoriasis model. Psoriasis-related genes, cytokines and chemokines were examined; in addition, the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties and the immunohistopathological features of this condition were studied. The results showed that the rice extract reduced the severity of psoriasis by (1) decreasing the epidermal thickness, acanthosis, hyperkeratosis, epidermal inflammation and degree of apoptosis induction via caspase-3, (2) increasing the expression levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10 and TGF-β), (3) reducing the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, IL-20, IL-22 and TNF-α), chemokines (CCL-20) and anti-microbial peptides (psoriasin and β-defensin), (4) enhancing the antioxidative property (Nrf-2), (5) downregulating the levels of psoriasis-associated genes (psoriasin, β-defensin, koebnerisin 15L and koebnerisin 15S) and (6) upregulating the levels of psoriasis-improving genes (caspase-14, involucrin and filaggrin). Thus, the extract appears to exert therapeutic effects on psoriasis through its antioxidative and immunomodulatory properties.
Sci Rep 2020 Oct 19;10(1):17618. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-74634-4. PMID: 33077734 PMCID: PMC7573619 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-74634-4 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov