BROWN RICE

opponent to ‘incurable’ sickness

In order to understand the value of brown rice or whole grain which is called ‘Living grain’ by FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), would you do a small test: put some brown rice and white rice into two different boxes with water dressing inside. After a few days, brown rice germinates with nutty flavour while nothing happen with white rice. Then you will think of whether to choose between living brown rice and non-living white rice.

As far as the brown rice was concerned, yogis and Taoist advise to eat brown rice every time because it has life force (prana): brown rice falling in soil can become young rice plant, while polished white rice falling in soil remain null.

As Dr. Le Minh’s idea in his book ‘Whole grain – living grain’, there are the following compounds in 100g germinated brown rice flour

- Vitamin B1 (2.83 mg): versus beriberi hypertrophy and anorexia.

- Vitamin B2 (0.56mg): effect to growth.

- Vitamin B6 (5.30mg): versus stomatitis and neuritis.

- Vitamin E (37.60mg): rejuvenation, anti-aging.

- Niacin (6.8mg):  versus chronic stomach ulcers

- Pantothenic acid (24.60mg): supports healthy red blood, good complexion

- Manganese (39mg): effect to growth and development.

In addition, it can be found in brown rice Vitamin B12 which is useful for anaemia, glutathione – an anti-oxidant and anti-radiation, natural glutamic acid which stimulates taste of eating and mental relief, iron as a hemoglobin in the red blood cells, and other minerals such as calcium etc.

Also as Dr. Schallert’s, brown rice (riz complet - French) is yang nutritious and antipyretic, anti-neuritis and mental relief.

From a view point of Oriental Medicine, plain rice balances five depots (represents for five vital organs), nutritious for spleen, stomach, lung qi and kidney jing, harden bones, and strengthen the body and mind. In the ancient Chinese book ‘Huang Di Nei Jing’ also refers cereal as vital food for jing. For this reason, in Chinese, word ‘qi’ (internal energy) and ‘jing’(body’s essence) contain word ‘rice’.

By ratio comparing nutrition between brown rice and white rice (details as bellowed table): protein in brown rice is of 30% more, vitamin B1 is of four times, oil is of three-four times, pantothenic acid (or Vitamin B5) is of two times, especially in parboiled brown rice (nuka in Japanese) linoleic acid gets 30% of its compound. This acid can only be found in mother’s milk but cow’s milk. Moreover, brown rice has nine-teen different amino acids nine of which are essential for human growth.

How to choose brown rice: Please choose brown rice from natural planting without use of fertilizer and insecticides. Hard-boiled round grain brown rice (which is more Yang) needs more chewy than soft-boiled long grain white rice (which is more Yin).

Nutrition chart of 100g of brown rice compared with 100g of white rice

Source:  Health Revolution - Ishihara & Minoru, Creative Culture Publisher 1996/05 (Japan) 

How to cook brown rice: Wash brown rice, remove rice husk and so on, then put them into a closely woven basket and drain through the night, then cook it by the next morning. Please take note to use more water than white rice’s and put a little salt in. Or another way, soak brown rice for 1-3 hours before cooking, can add some millets and beans etc. The best way is to eat brown rice

with salted sesame only but to eat rice mixed with other meals (other meals such as soup, vegetables, Yin meals, water meals can be eaten first, then brown rice the last one). It is encouraged that you can create more cooking of brown rice in your own.

Chewing – key for prevention from and against diseases: For patients it is advisable to chew 120 times each mouthful or more, as meal then can become ‘medicine’ which cure our health. Why? There are three couples of salivary glands around our mouth which create the process of digestion in the mouth; and meals with different tastes by  chewing stimulates production of saliva from the these multiple glands. The first couple of parotid glands (located just under each ear) produce the most saliva which contains amylase (or Ptyalin) which in an enzyme that digests complex carbohydrates into simpler sugars. Another enzyme released by the parotid glands is Parotin, which activates cellular metabolism and helps tissues and organs to regenerate.  The second couple of submandibular glands (located under lower jaw) effect to digestion of oil meals, sour meals and meat. The third couple of sublingual glands (under tongue) effect to digestion of fruits and sugar meals. There are three stages of taste: the Attack phase, the Evolution phase and the Finish phase. By thorough chewing, we can distinguish and enjoy with all these tastes; the Finish taste is the true taste of the meal, or we can say it the best taste. Whole grain (brown rice) has the most delicious taste for everyone by chewing up to 120 times per mouthful. Moreover, proper chewing also stimulates the tonsils to cause the thymus to produce specialized cells known as Killer T- cells that protect against cancer, and increases immunity to all sorts of illnesses. 

Germinated brown rice? 

According to Dr. Hiroshi Kayahara (Shinshu University, Nagano, Japan),  germinating brown rice by soaking enhances its already high nutritional value. Germinated rice (or sprouted rice) contains much more fibre, vitamins and minerals than conventional brown rice, say three times the amount of the essential amino acid lysine, and ten times the amount of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), another amino acid known to improve kidney function.  

‘The birth of a sprout activates dormant enzymes in the brown rice all at once to supply the best nutrition to the growing sprout’, explained Dr Hiroshi Kayahara.

From 2000 to now, Japanese Traditional Medicine and American Oriental Medicine encourage patients to eat germinated brown rice. It is a need to choose fresh rice for soaking 10 hours in a temperature of 22-28°C and then to be drained and covered by a dark cloth for 12 hours more (totaled 22 hours) or whenever brown rice’s color changes to white with nutty smell. 

Please pay an attention to weather effect on the process of germinating brown rice, and do not use brown rice germinated in a different way. Please do not use brown rice stored too long or mouldy; do not use ungerminated brown rice after the germinating process is unsuccessful.

Translator by Bùi Xuân Trường

Edited by Ngọc Trâm,