Cornsilk

Western Bulk Herbs – Cornsilk

Cornsilks are the silky tassels running the length of an ear of corn. They are used for conditions of urinary inflammation. They can also be used to treat inflammation caused by bacterial infection. Cornsilk helps retain sodium and the loss of potassium.

Cornsilk should be familiar to anyone who has harvested raw corn ears from the stalk or purchased the ears with the husks still on at the supermarket. When you peel the green husks back, a thick tuft of golden-white strands is revealed. Most people simply toss these strands out when they prepare the corn, however you can brew a medicinal tea from these. Fresh or dried, cornsilk is a wonderful herb to add to your collection.

Latin Name:
Zea mays

Common Names:
Indian Corn, Maidis Stigma, Maize Silk, and Stigma Maydis.

Parts Used:
Dried silk, whole or powdered.

Properties:

Traditional Uses:
Usually taken as a tea but can be used as an encapsulated powder or mixed with corn oil for application to the skin. May be used in a capsule or extract.

Topical Uses / Applications:
Mild stimulant, diuretic and demulcent

Culinary Uses:
Not used in cooking.

Chemical Properties:
cineole, alpha-terpineol, beta-carotene, beta-sitosterol, geraniol, hordenine, limonene, menthol, niacin, riboflavin, selenium, thymol, vitamin C, and vitexin.

Cautions:
GRAS: Generally Recognized As Safe. This herb can be safely consumed when used appropriately. It is often recommended to avoid using corn silk if you are taking prescription diuretic drugs.

Folk Lore:
N/A

*Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Resources:
PDR for Herbal Medicines, 2000. Medical Economics Company, Montvale, New Jersey.

The New Holistic Herbal. David Hoffmann, 1990. Barnes and Noble Books, New York.

A Modern Herbal, Mrs. M. Grieve, (Dover Publications, New York, 1971)

Major Herbs of Ayurvedic.Compiled by Dahur Research Foundation and Dahur Ayurvet Limited, Ghaziabad, India., 2002. Churchill Livingstone, London, England.

Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, Third Edition, Dan Bensky and Andrew Gamble, 1986. Eastland Press, Seattle, WA.