Corn Silk: Benefits, Uses & Nutritional Value - A Comprehensive Guide

Corn silk is the thin, stringlike material at the end of a corn husk. Primarily, corn silk's function is to catch pollen. However, it can offer a variety of benefits for the body when it is part of a diet.

Considerations

• Corn silk can be taken right off the corn husk. Corn silk is usually taken in a tea form, but it also comes in the forms of dried powders, capsules or corn-oil mixture to be applied topically.

Significance

• Corn silk consists of a variety of healthy nutrients, such as vitamin C, hordenine, geraniol, limonene, menthol, niacin, riboflavin, selenium, thymol and vitexin.

Benefits

• Corn silk is a diuretic. The mild antiseptic properties found in it assist in treating minor wounds and infections. Corn silk offers other benefits, including prostate disorders, fluid retention, carpal tunnel syndrome and PMS. It additionally can help clear boils and treat obesity.

Size

• A dosage of corn silk is about 15 to 30 g. It can be boiled in water and imbibed. People taking it to treat urinary tract infections should ingest corn silk up to three times daily.

Warning

• People taking Lasix should not use corn silk.