How to Use Corn Silk

A simple ear of corn is a versatile food and craft product. Roast the kernels to enjoy a butter-drenched treat. Make popcorn for a great movie experience or mash the kernels to make potent whiskeys. Use the husks as campfire food wraps before making cornhusk dolls for the kids. And now, once thought to be no more than organic refuse, corn silk is serving on the front lines of medical progress as an oral medicine, tea and poultice.

Instructions

• 1

  Add corn silk to your daily vitamin and mineral regimen to stay healthy and active. Reap the benefits of corn silk capsules packed with silicon, B vitamins, PABA, iron, zinc, potassium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. Chinese medical advice suggests adding corn silk to your diet for improved blood clotting.

• 2

  Take corn silk to treat conditions related to your urinary tract. Ingest about 2g a day to use as a diuretic, flushing away toxins and renewing the urinary system. Ingest corn silk to combat kidney stones and remedy simple urine-flow issues. Take a recommended dosage of 500 ml of corn silk per day as an infusion with other supplements to treat a case of cystitis.

• 3

  Improve bile and liver functions. Ingest measured amounts of the herbal remedy (follow package or bottle dosage recommendations) to fight jaundice, and help with the production of bile and the maintenance of healthy liver function. Corn silk also can help lower your blood pressure.

• 4

  Fight cancer with corn silk. Packed with flavonoids and polyphenols, phytochemicals in the antioxidant family, corn silk is being studied for its cancer-fighting properties and is often recommended, in addition to other herbals, for alternative cancer treatment regimens.

• 5

  Use corn silk to help you lose weight. Helpful amounts of mucilage, a water-absorbing substance, are found in corn silk. Prepare corn silk tea for use with your eating plan to help you drop pounds. Mix 2 teaspoons of dried corn silk in 8 ounces of boiling water, steep the brew for five minutes and strain before drinking.

• 6

  Try corn silk tea to relieve the irritability and discomfort experienced before and during menstruation. One cup per day for up to 10 days is the recommended dosage. Add corn silk tea to your diet as a way to combat the symptoms of PMS.

• 7

  Make a poultice of corn silk to treat boils. Mix dried corn silk powder with a little water to form a paste. Spread the poultice on a piece of gauze large enough to cover the boil. Tape the bandage in place and allow it to infiltrate the boil for about two hours. Expect some discomfort as the poultice works. Reapply another dose if the first doesn't completely heal the boil.