Corn Silk Extract

Can corn silk be eaten? The views at home and abroad are basically the same. The US FDA considers corn silk to be a safe and non-toxic food, and medicines made from corn silk extract are over-the-counter drugs. In Japan, Korea, China, and other East Asian countries and regions, corn silk also has a history as traditional food.

The content of plant flavonoids in corn silk extract accounts for about 3% of the dry weight. Flavonoids are natural antioxidants and have potential applications in scavenging free radicals, inhibiting bacteria, and regulating blood lipids. There are several kinds of polysaccharides in the corn silk extract. Through the observation of experimental animals, it is found that it has a specific effect on regulating blood sugar.

In addition, corn silk polysaccharide also has diuretic, antioxidant and other activities. Corn silk saponin, another active ingredient, was tested on diabetic mice and found that it also has the effect of lowering blood sugar with fewer side effects.

At present, there are not many industrial applications of corn silk, but many products have been developed. Such as beverages and fermented beverages made with corn silk extract.