by Matt Weik, BS, CSCS, CPT, CSN
Think about standing in your kitchen, husking ears of corn for dinner. As you peel again the inexperienced layers, these pesky silky threads (corn silk) cling to the cob, your fingers, and even sneak into your tooth once you lastly get to eat it. Like most individuals, your first intuition may be to discard them and not using a second thought. Nevertheless, you’re about to find a centuries-old custom that sees corn silk in a wholly completely different mild.
Native People, in addition to folks in China, Turkey, and varied different international locations, have lengthy regarded corn silk as extra than simply an annoyance. They’ve harnessed its natural energy for medicinal functions. Right now, as the recognition of corn silk and merchandise like corn silk tea and dietary supplements continues to rise, it’s time to rethink this humble (however generally annoying) byproduct of corn.
On this article, we are going to dive deeper and focus on vital the reason why you would possibly need to save, fairly than trash, corn silk the following time you’re husking corn.
Disclaimer: This text is for informational functions solely and isn’t meant to deal with or diagnose any situation. It is strongly recommended that you just converse along with your physician earlier than making any modifications to your diet program.
What’s Corn Silk?
While you take a look at an ear of corn, it’s made up of 4 elements: the outer inexperienced layer, the golden silky strings (that’s the corn silk), the juicy corn kernels we eat, and a center stalk.
Most individuals suppose the corn silk is simply there to guard the corn, and there’s nothing particular about it. However that’s not true, corn silk is fairly wholesome and helpful because it comprises nutritional vitamins like B, C, and Ok, and minerals like calcium and potassium. You possibly can maintain it dry or moist, and it nonetheless has all these nice vitamins in it.
So, the following time you’re husking corn, you would possibly need to save that corn silk as an alternative of throwing it away. It’s extra helpful than you suppose!
5 Well being Advantages of Corn Silk
Whereas there’s solely just a little human analysis on corn silk, some research, totally on animals, trace at its potential well being advantages.
Under are some doable advantages of corn silk:
- It could assist deal with hypertension
In comparison with relying solely on hypertension medicines and traditional treatments, combining corn silk tea with anti-hypertensive medicine has proven to be a more practical technique for decreasing blood strain. This benefit will be attributed to the accessibility of corn silk, which units it aside from different anti-hypertensive medicines.
Scientific research additional underscore the potent anti-hypertensive potential of corn silk tea, particularly when infused with the zesty essence of lemon. By merely including a slice of lemon to your corn silk tea, you’ll be able to get pleasure from a flavorful and efficient method to managing your blood strain, all inside the comforting sip of this healthful beverage.
- Could cut back blood sugar
Corn silk extracts have performed a big function in each Native American and conventional Chinese language drugs on the subject of managing diabetes. Analysis means that these extracts can contribute to decreasing blood sugar ranges and probably supply safety in opposition to problems related to diabetes, comparable to neuropathy, as proven in a single examine.
Different analysis findings level to the power of corn silk extracts to decelerate the absorption of starchy meals inside the physique, thus serving to to forestall sudden spikes in blood sugar ranges.
- Could assist with the remedy of UTI
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a typical well being concern for a lot of people, and corn silk is usually a easy and pure strategy to cut back irritation when coping with a UTI.
Corn silk serves as a protecting coating for the liner of the urinary tract, decreasing irritation. Ingesting corn silk tea can successfully soothe the infected bladder and urinary tract.
Furthermore, corn silk tea promotes elevated urination, which aids in stopping the buildup of dangerous micro organism within the urinary tract. It will also be helpful for soothing an irritated prostate gland. Corn silk provides a mild and accessible treatment for managing UTIs and selling urinary well being.
- It could cut back ldl cholesterol
Corn silk’s potential to decrease levels of cholesterol is noteworthy, as supported by analysis. One examine on mice demonstrated that corn silk extract led to substantial reductions in each complete ldl cholesterol and LDL (unhealthy) ldl cholesterol whereas concurrently growing HDL (good) levels of cholesterol.
One other examine involving mice on a high-fat weight loss plan confirmed that these supplemented with corn silk skilled a big lower in complete ldl cholesterol in comparison with these with out the complement.
- Could cut back blood sugar
Corn silk extracts are an integral a part of each Native American and conventional Chinese language drugs for managing diabetes.
In accordance with a examine, corn silk extracts have demonstrated that they will probably decrease blood sugar ranges and mitigate problems comparable to diabetes-related neuropathy. Moreover, different analysis means that corn silk extracts might successfully sluggish the physique’s absorption of starchy meals, serving to to forestall abrupt spikes in blood sugar ranges.