Originating from East Asia and spread throughout the world, it has medicinal properties. Besides its medicinal properties, the fruit of this cultivated plant can be consumed as a porridge, while the wild variety has hard seeds and is used as accessories (beads on necklaces).

It grows well at an altitude of 500-700 m above sea level, with a pH of 4.5-8.4, rainfall of 600-4300 mm/year, and an average temperature of 10-28 °C. It prefers open, moist soil with high nutrient content, direct sunlight, and sufficient water availability.

• The roots are coarse and difficult to remove.

• The stem is upright, rounded, grooved, hairy, and brownish-green.

• The leaves are alternate, ribbon-shaped, with pointed tips, the leaf base wrapping around the stem, the leaf margins are smooth, the surface is rough, and the main leaf vein is prominent on the back of the leaf.

• Flowers emerge from the leaf axils, the panicles are branched, and produce spikelets.

• The fruit is a round, oval stone; certain varieties (ma-yuen) are white/blue-purple, and the skin is hard when ripe.

• Strengthens the spleen, diuretic, increases body resistance (immunity), removes pus and heals boils, treats cervical cancer, breast cancer, stomach disorders, anti-inflammatory, antitoxin, lowers cholesterol, diabetes, colon cancer, and gallstones.

Strengthens the spleen, diuretic, increases body resistance (immunity), removes pus and heals boils, treats cervical cancer, breast cancer, stomach disorders, anti-inflammatory, antitoxin, lowers cholesterol, diabetes, colon cancer, and gallstones.

Alkaloid, saponin, glikosida, flavonoid, fenol, tanin, steroid, coixenolides, tocopherol, tocotrienol, dodecanoic acid, tetradecanoic acid, dan dihydroxypropylester.