I found an article in the Meet the Herbs section of Everydayhealthtcm blog about making a summer drink from corn silk. It looked delicious, but I decided to try it before posting about it. It was delicious, like drinking a fresh ear of corn. "According to Bensky's Materia Medica, Yu Mi Xu promotes urination, reduces edema, and unblocks painful urination. It also clears damp heat from the Liver and Gallbladder in connection with hepatitis, cholecystitis, or gallstones."
I did as they suggested, putting the light golden raw cornsilk into a jug overnight. It turned pale yellow color. My ankles swell a little in the summer, so I think I will drink more and see if it does reduce edema.
see http://everydayhealthtcm.blogspot.com/2008/08/meet-herbs-yu-mi-xu.html for the full article.
According to http://tcm.health-info.org/Herbology.Materia.Medica/yumixu-properties.htm :"Orally, corn silk is used for cystitis, urethritis, nocturnal enuresis, prostatitis, and acute chronic inflammation of the urinary system."
Using cornsilk as an herbal treatment
According to http://holisticonline.com/herbal-med/_Herbs/h225.htm
As a soothing diuretic, Corn Silk is helpful in any irritation of the urinary system. It is used for renal problems in children and as a urinary demulcent combined with other herbs in the treatment of cystitis, urethritis, prostatitis and the like.
Contemporary herbalists recommend corn Silk for the following conditions:
- catarrhal cystitis,
- lithaemia (stones),
- bladder irritation,
- gonorrhoea,
- all catarrhal conditions of the urinary passages,
- dropsies due to heart disease, and
- edema.
The stigmas should be collected just before pollination occurs, the timing depends upon climate. It is best used fresh as some of the activity is lost with time.
Infusion: pour a cup of boiling water onto 2 teaspoonfuls of the dried herb and leave to infuse for 10-15 minutes. This should be drunk three times a day.
Tincture: take 3-6 ml of the tincture three times a day.
A Remedy for Bedwetting
Methods of stopping this bedwetting (enuresis) include having the child exercise
during the day, drink fewer beverages in the evening, and drink a cup
of cornsilk tea one hour before bedtime. Cornsilk could be the only
ingredient in the tea. However, cornsilk can be part of an herbal
combination if bedwetting is caused by lack of nervous control of the bladder. It is also a remedy for urinary
conditions experienced by the elderly. http://www.answers.com/topic/cornsilk
