Corn Silk (Zea mays) · Herb Profile

At a glance

Botanical name: Zea mays
Family: Poaceae
Part used: Silk (stigma)
Taste: Sweet, slightly salty, mild
Temperature: Cool
Moisture: Moistening (mild demulcent diuretic)

No pre-1900 source found for this part. The one old reading describes the grain, and this entry is about the silk.

Safety at a glance

In pregnancy

Generally considered safe in moderation (traditional use for pregnancy edema)

While breastfeeding

Generally safe during breastfeeding; traditional use for maternal edema in late pregnancy.

For children

Safe for children — pediatric enuresis and mild UTI (traditional)

Cautions

Generally very safe; may lower blood sugar mildly at high doses; rare allergy

General contraindications

Anuria or severe renal insufficiency (volume overload)

Stewardship

Corn Silk (Zea mays stigmata) is widely available as byproduct of corn cultivation; ethical harvest is straightforward from organic corn. Stewardship: a 'waste product' that is medicine — teaches whole-plant thinking and kitchen herbalism.

In the traditional record

Corn Silk (Zea mays, stigmata) — used by the Maya, Aztec, and indigenous peoples of North America (Cherokee, Iroquois) as a primary urinary remedy; adopted by the Eclectic physicians and documented in King's American Dispensatory as a soothing diuretic and demulcent for irritated urinary mucosa, cystitis, and renal calculi.

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Educational use

The Apothecary is educational and does not constitute medical advice. Nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a diagnosed condition.

On our sources

These entries draw on public-domain materia medica, most of it published before 1900, alongside a smaller number of modern reference works. Energetic qualities such as warming, cooling, drying and moistening are a traditional framework for describing how a plant behaves in the body, not a laboratory measurement. Where a period source states one, we cite it. Where none does, and for many North American herbs none exists, the value reflects modern herbal consensus rather than a historical text. When we cannot support a caution with real evidence, we say nothing rather than guess.