The fine golden threads pulled from an ear of corn, dried and steeped into a soft, grassy tea. Southern grandmothers saved corn silk that others threw away and brewed it for water retention, the bladder, and 'the kidneys.'
Saving corn silk is classic Southern Black thrift-medicine — nothing from the ear was wasted. The same hands that shucked corn for supper dried the silk on the windowsill for the next time someone couldn't pass water comfortably. It is kitchen medicine drawn straight from the garden.
Corn silk is a gentle, well-documented diuretic that increases urine output without the potassium-stripping of pharmaceutical diuretics — it is itself potassium-rich, which supports its mild blood-pressure-lowering effect. It has demulcent (soothing) and mild anti-inflammatory action on the urinary tract lining, the basis for its use in UTIs, cystitis, and bladder irritation. Maysin and other flavonoids provide antioxidant activity, and animal studies show modest effects on blood glucose and kidney protection. Allantoin soothes inflamed mucous membranes.
Use silk from organic, unsprayed corn. Steep 2 tablespoons fresh or 1 tablespoon dried silk in a cup of just-boiled water, covered, for 10-15 minutes. Strain. Drink warm. Can be brewed from the silk of corn you're already cooking — don't waste it.
Free, no account needed to ask.