Corn Silk

Corn silk is often assembled into loose clusters, styles are linear or whisker-like, and the intact ones are up to 30 cm long, 0.5 mm in diameter, light green, yellow-green to brown-red, shiny, slightly transparent, stigma 2-lobed, forked, Soft, gas-free, light taste. It is better to be soft and shiny.

Corn silk is sweet, plain, and neutral. Neutral means corn is not cold, not hot. It has a neutral property, selectively targeting the bladder, liver, and gallbladder energy channel(we call jingluo is energy channel here).

Corn silk is a natural diuretic that helps clear the liver and gallbladder system, relieve stranguria, stop bleeding, and lower blood pressure. Corn silk is used for acute and chronic nephritis, edema, urinary calculi, chyluria, diabetes, icteric hepatitis, cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, hematemesis, epistaxis, metrorrhagia, and hypertension.

Corn silk contains 2.5% fatty oil, 0.12% volatile oil, 3.8% gum-like substance, 2.7% resin, 1.15% bitter glycoside, 3.18% saponin, and 0.05% alkaloid. It also contains cryptoxanthin, ascorbic acid, pantothenic acid, inositol, vitamin K, sitosterol, stigmasterol, malic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, oxalic acid, etc. etc.

Pharmaceutical Study:

• Diuretic effect: Corn silk has a diuretic effect on humans or rabbits and can increase the excretion of chloride, but the effect is weak. The methanol-insoluble part of its water extract has the strongest diuretic effect after dialysis (A), whether oral, subcutaneous, or intravenous injection has a significant effect. The diuretic effect is mainly extrarenal and has a weak impact on the kidneys.
• Effects on the circulatory system: Intravenous injection of the decoction in anesthetized dogs have a significant antihypertensive effect, but for dogs with chronic carotid artery skin bridges, daily medication for 3 consecutive weeks has no antihypertensive effect. A has a dilating effect on peripheral blood vessels at low concentrations.
• The effect of lowering blood sugar: the fermented preparation of corn silk has a very significant effect on lowering blood sugar in rabbits.
• Choleretic and hemostatic effect: Corn silk preparation can promote bile excretion, reduce its viscosity, and reduce its bile pigment content so that it can be used as a choleretic drug for uncomplicated chronic cholecystitis and cholangitis patients with bile excretion disorder. It can also accelerate the blood coagulation process, increase the content of thrombin in the blood, and increase the number of platelets so that it can be used as a hemostatic drug and diuretic for bladder and urinary tract stones.

Clinical Application:

• Treatment of chronic nephritis:
  • Take 50 grams of dried cornsilk.
  • Add 600 ml of warm water.
  • Decoct with slow fire for 20-30 minutes.
  • Obtain about 300-400 ml of liquid medicine.
  • Filter it and take it orally once a day or in divided doses.
  Treated 9 cases of chronic glomerulonephritis. After more than 10 months of observation, 3 cases were cured, 2 cases improved, and the curative effect of the remaining 4 cases was not noticeable. The effect of corn silk is mainly manifested in diuresis, improvement of renal function, subsidence or reduction of edema, disappearance or reduction of urinary protein, etc. In some cases, no toxic side effects have been observed after continuous administration for 6 months.
• Treatment of nephrotic syndrome: use 60 grams of dried corn silk each time, wash and decoct. Morning and evening twice a day. At the same time, take 1 gram of potassium chloride, 3 times a day. 12 cases were treated clinically, among which 10 cases were accompanied by severe generalized edema, or had pleural effusion and ascites, and 2 cases had mild edema. After 3 months of treatment, 9 cases of edema completely subsided, and 2 cases mostly subsided. The edema disappeared in the fastest case 15 days after taking the medicine. Generally, diuresis begins after 3 days of taking the medicine. At the same time, urinary protein and non-protein nitrogen all decrease to varying degrees. In a few cases, plasma protein increases; in some cases, the phenol red test and blood pressure return to normal.
• Treatment of acute hemolytic anemia complicated with hemoglobinuria: 2 cases of this disease caused by the poisoning of edible wild plant "Zhaoniao stick" were treated, that is, 1 to 2 decoctions of corn silk were taken orally, and 2 cases were taken within 4 hours and 6 hours respectively After that, the urine output increased, and the soy sauce-like hematuria was no longer visible to the naked eye; jaundice subsided or disappeared later. During the treatment, 5% glucose saline, vitamin C, and blood transfusion were all given intravenously simultaneously. According to observations, corn silk is not only a diuretic but may have anti-hemolysis, anti-allergic, and detoxification effects.