Common names: Corn Silk, Corn Style, Indian Corn Style, Yu Mi Xu
Taxonomic name: Zea mays
Family: Poaceae
Related herbs: grasses
Area of origin: Mexico
Parts used: the styles (the tassels at the end of the cob)
Can be used medicinally for: urinary and bladder issues, blood pressure, boils, burns, inflammation, prevent dandruff
Organ/System affinities: urogenital organs, Kidneys, heart, skin
Healing Actions: antibacterial, diuretic, demulcent, emollient, kaliuretic (encourages retention of sodium and excretion of potassium),
Taste: bitter, sweet
Tissue states: hot/ dry or moist
Energetics: astringent, cooling, either drying or moistening
Healing constituents: proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, fiber, volatile oils, thymol, menthol, complex polysaccharide, tannins
Warnings: Corn Silk is a very potent diuretic so should be used with care if you have blood pressure issues. Do not use if you are taking pharmaceutical diuretics such as Lasix (furosemide) for fluid retention.
Description
Corn Silk is the female part of the corn’s flowers which come in two parts – the male part flowers earlier and higher up on a spike. This distributes abundant pollen which falls onto the Silks which are style of the flower, further below. Each hair in the Corn Silk, when pollinated, gives us one corn kernel on the cob. You can easily find the Corn Silk on the end of corn cobs and pull it away from the cob.
Medicinal uses
Corn is highly nutritious and a great way to restore vitality and energy, but it is the ‘silk’ from the flowers that we are concerned with here. Drying and moistening?
Many herbs have a specific relationship to specific organs or systems and Corn Silk works directly on the organs of the urinary tract. Interestingly, though (and this is just my interpretation), it works best on those parts that come after the kidneys, from the bladder onwards.
Corn Silk is useful in many urinary tract issues. This makes it an interesting learning herb, as we can see how it can be used both as a tonic to increase tissue activity in the urinary tract, as well as toning and strengthening the mucous membranes directly.
Corn Silk does these things because it has a high level of tannins which are astringent, tightening and toning the membranes, reducing inflammation. It also contains saponins (soap like compounds) that have a direct soothing effect on those membranes. These aren’t affected by the acidity of the stomach but begin to work when they reach the alkaline conditions of our urinary tract. Corn Silks also contain the potent antimicrobial thymol (the same as in Thyme) and menthol, which can also be found in Mints.
Corn silk is a kaliuretic, which means that it encourages retention of sodium and excretion of potassium (anything with ‘kali’ at the beginning has a relationship with potassium) which means that those on heart or kidney medications should be careful. The potassium balance is also important for muscle function and the heart is a muscle too.
Corn Silk is a diuretic, that is, it increases the flow of urine, washing out irritating materials. It is also sweet. In many forms of medicine, sweet plants are a tonic, helping improve the functioning of the body as a whole, helping fight infections and damage.
Corn Silk can also be used for blood pressure problems, as it can normalise blood pressure by eliminating excess fluids through urination. Many guides recommend it for congestive heart problems without working directly on the heart. Always get advice in situations involving that organ.
It’s best used fresh to maximise its cooling property, but dry works quite well too. The best time to harvest the silk is before it gets pollinated, but if you do that, you won’t get the cob. There will always be some dry silk on the plant, so it is always available through the life of the plant.
Other herb pages on Ligaya Garden
We cover a lot of ground on many herb related topics here on our website. There are whole pages devoted to different topics as well as frequent posts. Some of the links are –
