Food
Rice Water
The starchy water left from cooking or soaking rice, a simple traditional drink used to settle loose stools and soothe irritated skin.
🌱 What it is
Rice water is the cloudy liquid left behind after rice has been boiled or soaked. Rich in starch washed out of the grain, it has long been used as a gentle home remedy for both drinking and skin care.
✨ How it may help
- Traditionally used to help settle loose stools as a mild, starchy drink
- May help support gentle hydration alongside other fluids
- Traditionally used as a soothing rinse for irritated skin
- May help support comfort for an unsettled stomach
🥄 How to use it
Save the cloudy water from cooking or rinsing rice; sip it lightly salted to help settle the stomach, or use it cooled as a gentle skin rinse.
🥗 Nutrition
Per 1 cup (240 ml), home-prepared · about 15 calories
- Mostly water
- Carbohydrate (trace, from dissolved starch) ~3 g
- Trace minerals from rice
⚖️ Caution
Rice water helps firm stools but does not replace proper rehydration - for diarrhea, especially in children, use an oral rehydration solution and seek care if there are signs of dehydration. Use rice from a trusted source and vary grains over time, since rice can carry traces of arsenic. Make it fresh and keep it refrigerated, as starchy water spoils quickly.
🍃 A note from nature
Rice has fed more people through history than almost any other crop, and even its humble runoff water has been put to gentle use rather than wasted - a small lesson in not letting anything good go to waste.