We are always having corn – either as American sweetcorn to pepper out salads or as popcorn or even in the form of corn flakes. There are different of ways of eating corn. But most of us will not pay attention to the fact that corn hair is a very useful product too and there are many benefits of corn silk. In this article we will not talk about corn (because it’s something everyone knows about) instead we will talk about corn hair also known as corn silk and its benefits. It is something you throw away without giving much thought. But this article will make you think differently. Read on to know more!
How To Get Corn Silk Or Corn Hair?
Corn silk or corn hair is very easy to obtain. All you have to do is when shucking corn make sure to lay out the strands in a paper towel to absorb the moisture off them. The corn silk strands can only be used when they are dry. The Native Americans were the first people who came to know about the benefits of corn silk and started using them extensively. In fact, it is still considered a very sacred entity in their culture.
Benefits Of Corn Hair
Like we said before, not many of us know that corn hair can be utilized for treating a number of ailments. The Native Americans revere corn silk because it has so many medicinal properties. Corn silk extract has proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. The strands also have chemicals that act as diuretics and can help alter blood sugar levels and help reduce inflammation in injured parts. Read further to know more benefits of corn silk.
- Corn silk is considered very effective when treating bladder infections. It is also said to reduce bedwetting in children when they are given it as a part of their meals.
- The chemicals in the corn silk act as anti-inflammatory agents. As such inflammations of the urinary system or the prostate can be reduced with the help of corn silk.
- Women usually suffer from Urinary Tract Infections or UTIs. It is also considered as an effective treatment for UTI because of its property to act as a diuretic. If you are not keen to have antibiotics during a UTI, you can take a concoction of corn silk and drink it three times daily to get rid of your infections.
- Corn silk is also effective against kidney stones. Since it is a diuretic, it can be used to flush out the stones as well as clear out toxins from the bladder. It is also a great way to reduce blood pressure in the system.
- It can also be of great help in diabetes since it helps in regulating the blood sugar levels.
Now that you know about the benefits of corn silk, how are you planning to incorporate it in your food? There are two ways by which you can do it. First, you can have it as a concoction by boiling the corn silk threads in water. The second way of doing it is using the corn silk in tea.
There are fresh tea bags made of corn silk available or you can even add some corn silk or hair while making your tea. Corn silk tea bags are an easier option because they don’t get messy, but the best part is that you can make corn silk tea exactly like you make normal tea! It’s easy and effective. You would by default have at least one cup of tea everyday – so you can substitute the normal tea with corn silk tea to have maximum health benefits.