Botanical Name: Zea mays | Family: Gramineae
Common name(s): Corn silk, corn tassles
GROWING
- Annual | Zones 4-8 | Garden vegetable
- See this Old Farmer’s Almanac article on growing corn
HARVESTING
Harvest the silk when it is still golden/green and sticky (this is before corn is ready to eat).
PREPARATION / DOSAGE
Infusion: Pour 2 cups boiling water over 2 ounces of fresh herb (or 1 ounce dry) and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Drink 1/2 cup, 3x/day.
Tincture: 15-30 drops in water between meals and before bedtime.
MEDICAL
Constituents: Allantion, maizenic acid, saponins, sterols, vitamins C & K
Actions: Alterative, demulcent, diuretic
Uses: Urinary infections/inflammation, bed wetting, edema
Combinations: with dandelion root and golden seal for advanced urinary complaints – 4:2:1 ratio of corn silk to dandelion root to golden seal
CHINESE MEDICINE
- Sweet, bland, neutral
SOURCES
- The Way of Herbs, Michael Tierra
- Indian Herbology of North America, Alma R. Hutchens
- Back to Eden, Jethro Kloss
- photo credit: corn silk via photopin (license)
Corn silk?!!! I always just thought it was that annoying thing that was hard to get off of your fresh ears of corn! I’ve also read that it is a good thickening agent (kind of on the idea of cornstarch).
