Written by Frouzindeh Annelise Dyouya — Monday, May 13th, 2013

Rice: a Graminae plant very famous for its seeds

Everybody wants it!

The rice grain is one of the most famous foods in the world after wheat, barley and millet and the first in Asia from where it comes from. Among numerous varieties the Kalijiira one from Bangladesh can be collected in addition to the Kalimantan one from Indonesia, the Hasan Sari from Iran, the Basmati one from Pakistan, the Jasmine one from Thai. Practically, half of the population of the world depends on this cereal, e.g China - it produces more of 30% of the worldwide population and India with Joha, Patna, Jyothi, Sona Masuri varieties. It’s not known when it exactly entered in Europe, probably about 800 BC by the Muslim invasion in Spain and then it spread in Italy and France.

The majority of the varieties of rice comes from two wild species, the Oriza sativa and the Oriza glaberrima. Rice is a much more productive species than other cereals, allowing farmers to realise several harvest every season: this is the reason of its success as first nutritional plant in Asia.

Rice

Rice is a natural medicine

Rice is a major source of dietary energy and it is also an excellent medicine, especially in popular tradition. In fact it’s antidiarrheal and antigastritic/demulcent: the broth of boiled rice has been used from old times to stop such a kind of upset. Also the water of rice is often used in the ayurvèdica medicine of India in case of fever, inflammations of the internal like dissenteria.

Again, rice is a valid remedy:

to fight against obesity, thanks to the presence of the potassium: it eliminates leftover liquids of your body;
to eliminate edemas;
to reduce the arterial pressure;
to release glucose in a moderate and constant way so that the sugar levels in the blood become stable, being very useful to people who have diabetes;
to reduce the cholesterol level.

The powder of rice is an interesting alternative to talc powders, dealing with pruritus or also after the change of diapers. You can easily buy it in pharmacies and herbalist’ shops, or make it yourself by crushing some grains with a grinder.