Healing Gifts from Nature: Corn Silk
Have you ever eaten dinner at a restaurant and woke up the next morning bloated with pudgy fingers? Me too! Sodium chloride (table salt) is the likely culprit. In comes...Corn Silk tea, it’s one of the most effective ways I’ve discovered to flush out excess fluid after ingesting a salt laden meal.
Corn silk are the silky hairs from a stalk of corn, a.k.a. Stigma maydis. There is one strand of silk for each kernel of corn. It’s rich in fixed and volatile oils, proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates and healing properties.
Aside from being an effective natural diuretic it's been known to:
·Help reduce hyperglycemia (sugar in the blood)
·Reduce fatigue & depression
·Soothe kidney and bladder inflammation
·Reduce symptoms from cystitis (bladder infections) and kidney stones
·Lower blood pressure
·Promote relaxation
·Rich in Calcium, Magnesium, Copper, Zinc
·Might help to reduce body fat
Corn silk has undergone extensive research. Some of my favorite research topics are:
·It’s ability to reduce body weight & fat[1] deposition
·Destroy certain cancer cells[2] [3]
·Possible toxicological effects[4]
·Nutritional compositions and antioxidant capacity[5]
Corn silk tea has been a staple in my home for years, it's especially delightful sipped warm just before going to bed. I was first introduced to it when I developed cystitis and kidney stones while traveling out of the country twenty-five or so years ago. A result of dehydration caused by dreading that the local water wasn’t safe to drink. I was desperate for a pain reducing (preferably) natural solution, so visited with one of the indigenous women in the village who graciously concocted a delicious cup of corn silk tea. It was truly a miracle remedy! The horribly irritating cystitis symptoms were alleviated within the hour and the stone moved out throughout the night.
The next time you're husking corn, save the corn silk and give a cup of tea a try...you'll be glad you did!
Here’s how I prepare it:
First I harvest fresh organic corn silk from both immature and mature corn. I freeze any extra corn silk portioned in snack size Ziploc bags. (frozen can be used the same as fresh) I boil a gallon of water and remove the pot from the heat allowing it to cool to 100 - 105 degrees (hoping to preserve health promoting enzymes using lower heat). Then I chop approximately 2-3 ounces of corn silk and add it to the water, stir, cover, and let steep overnight. The next morning I strain out the corn silk, bottle the tea and store it in the refrigerator. It can be enjoyed added to smoothies, heated, or as a refreshing cold tea.
I can’t resist taking a cup from the batch while it’s still hot to enjoy its delicate flavor, the longer it steeps the stronger and more delicious its sweet flavor is.
I would love to hear about your experience(s) with corn silk, feel free to email me at: Karen@balwell.com
You really CAN heal your body! Check out my “About Me” page to learn about my healing journey and to sign up for my BLOG and upcoming workshops & retreats: https://www.balwell.com
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Be blessed with ultimate health! Karen
[1] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311001746_High_maysin_corn_silk_extract_
reduces_body_weight_and_fat_deposition_in_C57BL6J_mice_fed_high-fat_diets
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25445226
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24056502
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5598422/
[5] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1018364713000773
[5] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1018364713000773
