Do you enjoy chewing on fresh corn? What about corn silk? It’s difficult to find anyone who doesn’t. What if I told you that corn silk has a lot to offer you? Normally you’ll throw the silk away once you pluck out the food, but that is about to change.
In this article, we will be giving you lots of reasons why you need to save all that corn silk you’ve been wasting. All you have to do is read further to learn all about the benefits of corn silk.
How corn silk is processed for usage?
Once you peel off the greenish layer of coverage that comes with your fresh corn con, the next layer you’ll see is one of the stringy silky fibres. These fibres are known as corn silk, and you can use them either fresh or dried.
You will need to pull off every strand of corn silk and store them in a pot, or if you want to store them fresh, you can put them in an airtight container and save in your fridge.
Your corn silk can last a week or two when stored in the fridge, but it can last longer if you stored them dried. Depending on the weather, you can have your corn silk sun-dried so it can last you for as long as possible.
How to make corn silk tea?
As you must have guessed already, corn silk isn’t palatable as a snack on its own. You have to make it in such a way that you enjoy all the wonderful benefits of corn silk without having any strand stuck between your teeth.
You should always go for organic and fresh corn to gather the silk but if you are unable to get those you corn silk capsules arms powders available in the market. Below are two ways you can prepare a cup of delicious corn silk tea
Procedure 1:
This is the easiest and most popular method of making corn silk tea. The ingredients you need are:
- Water
- Wet or dried corn silk
- Lemon juice
- Put some water in a pot and allow to boil for some time.
- Once the water begins to boil, drop the corn silk in the water and stir for a few minutes
- Allow the water and corn silk to boil more till the water begins to change colour from clear to caramel.
- Strain and serve the tea once it’s changed colour
- Once your tea is ready, you can serve it hot or cold depending on your mood or taste
- Lemon juice is optional, but some people prefer to add it to their tea just to make the tea taste better.
- Leftover tea can be kept for a few days in the refrigerator. Be assured it’ll still taste as good when next you heat it up or decide to drink it as iced tea.
Procedure 2:
If you are one of those who wants to enjoy all the natural benefits of corn silk, this method is the best option for you.
- Dried corn silk (nicely chopped)
- Honey
- Water
- This method is very easy and doesn’t need any boiling
- Pour a good amount of water in a glass jar with cover
- Get the dried or fresh corn silk and add it to the water
- Put the lid on the jar and have it rest in the sun for an entire day
- Carry the jar inside your house at the end of the day and add some honey then stir carefully but thoroughly.
- Keep it in your refrigerator and serve chilled whenever you want.
The fact is that corn silk has been used for decades and even centuries, and it has since been discovered to possess plenty of health benefits. Native Americans more specifically have used corn silk for ages as medicine to treat a lot of illnesses.
While some of the claims and findings have been scientifically backed by research, many others are yet to be validated. However, there are lots of amazing benefits you can derive from using corn silk because of its antioxidant and nutrient qualities.
Some of the key nutrients that corn silk contains include vitamin K, vitamin B2, vitamin C, calcium, potassium and many other things.
Some of the most prominent benefits of consuming corn silk include:
There are many benefits of using corn silk, but I will only share two of them here. To know more about the benefits of consuming corn silk you can check out our article on the health benefits of corn silk.
1. Treatment of urinary tract infection
Corn silk works amazingly as for urinary tract infections as an anti-inflammatory substance. What it does is to coat the lining of the urinary tract to prevent more irritation. Consuming corn silk tea is a great way to soothe the inflamed bladder in the urinary tract.
You need to urinate more if you must reduce the number of bacteria in this system and corn silk tea helps you to pee more often. If you have an irritated prostate gland, the corn silk tea is an impressive way to soothe it.
2. It works as a diuretic agent
Corn silk tea has been used as a natural diuretic agent for many decades. It promotes the expulsion of excess waste and water from the body, therefore reducing our eliminating any water retention problems.
Several studies have shown that the use of diuretics helps to prevent problems such as kidney disease and heart failure in the long run.
Now that you know what corn silk is and all the numerous reasons why you need to use it, there is no need for throwing them into the trash can whenever you buy fresh corn.
If you do not want to buy fresh corn or you need corn silk when corn is out of season, you can purchase some corn silk products from the pharmacy or a store.
Please leave a comment violates below to let us know what you think.
