Notes when drinking corn silk water

Although corn silk water is a healthy food, when using corn silk water, you also need to avoid the following things that have negative effects on your health.

Corn silk water has diuretic effects so avoid drinking too much. Photo: TL

Dehydration due to drinking too much

During the recent hot days, seeing her eldest grandson covered in prickly heat, itchy and uncomfortable, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Be (in Hanoi) listened to the neighbors' advice and took the trouble to boil corn silk, plantain, and lemon roots for her grandson to drink all day instead of water. After a few days, seeing that her grandson was often tired and had little movement, she took him to get checked. At that time, she was shocked to learn that her grandson had to be hospitalized for "dehydration". The doctor said that because her grandson drank too much diuretic liquid such as corn silk, he often had to urinate, urinated a lot, combined with the hot weather and sweating a lot, leading to dehydration.

According to General Practitioner Vu Quoc Trung (Vietnam Oriental Medicine Association), the reason for this condition is that corn silk has a very good diuretic effect, so when children drink a lot of it, it will lead to frequent urination, causing dehydration. Corn silk has a diuretic effect, increasing urine output by 3-5 times, increasing bile secretion and reducing bilirubin levels in the blood.

According to traditional medicine, corn silk has a sweet taste and neutral properties. It enters the kidney and bladder meridians and has diuretic, anti-inflammatory, blood-clearing, liver-calming, jaundice-relieving, and hemostatic effects. It is very good for cases of urinary retention and edema.

Doctor Quoc Trung added that there are few plants that contain as much nutrition as corn silk. Not only does it have the effect of making tea to quench thirst and cool down the summer, corn silk is also a mixed medicine containing many vitamins and micronutrients in natural form necessary for the body to fight oxidation better than any other tonic.

Corn silk contains vitamins K, A, B1, B2, B6, C... bitter substances, fatty oils, essential oils and many other trace elements. Therefore, when drinking corn silk water, you often feel sweet, creamy and cool. Drinking corn silk water every day has the effect of increasing bile secretion, reducing bile viscosity, making it easier for bile to enter the intestine. In addition, it also lowers blood sugar and makes blood clot quickly. The ratio of potassium and calcium salts is high, so drinking corn silk water does not fear losing minerals.

In medicine, corn silk is still known for its effects in treating cholecystitis, hepatitis and can be combined with vitamin K to stop bleeding. Regular use of corn silk water for people with kidney stones or bladder and ureter stones will dissolve stones formed by urate, phosphate, carbonate. In addition, it also helps prevent frequent urination in patients with inflammation or prostate enlargement. Thanks to its diuretic effect, corn silk can also lower blood pressure in people with high blood pressure.

Should only be taken continuously for 10 days.

According to Traditional Medicine Practitioner Quoc Trung, using corn silk as a beverage according to folk experience is a good habit because this type of drink is relatively benign, cheap and very beneficial for health. However, when using it, you should also pay attention to avoid harming your health. Corn silk is easily contaminated with pesticides from people spraying it, so when using it to boil water to cool down, you need to wash it thoroughly.

Many people have the habit of drying corn silk to use gradually instead of tea, which is also very good, but using fresh corn silk is still best because it contains more nutrients. Choose large, shiny, smooth silk fibers with a velvety brown color. To increase the effectiveness, it can also be combined with other diuretic herbs such as Plantago, Scratch Grass, Cogon Root, Reed Root, Moneywort, etc.

Experts also advise that if you are taking another medication to treat an illness, you should not use corn silk tea together. It is important to note that it should not be used together with any other diuretics, and you should consult a specialist. When using corn silk to treat an illness, you should only use it for about 10 days, then stop using it for about a week and then use it again to avoid electrolyte disturbances. In addition, you should avoid using these diuretic drinks too much in the evening, which will make it difficult for you to sleep due to frequent urination at night.

For young children, when using cool water to cool down in the summer, avoid using it continuously every day instead of filtered water, and only use it for a short time. Using a lot of diuretics for a long time can cause electrolyte imbalance, increase excretion, and poor absorption of some essential micronutrients for the body such as calcium, potassium, etc. The amount used is about 20 grams of fresh corn silk, and 10 grams of dried corn silk. Young children should only drink 1-2 small glasses of about 200-300ml per day. The amount of water supplemented is enough when the child's urine is clear, only light yellow.

Pregnant women drinking corn silk water is also very good. In the first few months, pregnant women often have heat. To overcome this condition, pregnant women can use herbs with cooling properties such as corn silk, sugar cane, and plantain. When using corn silk combined with sugar cane, pregnant women should note that corn silk has strong diuretic properties. If you drink too much, it will lead to frequent urination and low amniotic fluid. To be safe, pregnant women should only drink it twice a week. Pregnant women diagnosed with low amniotic fluid should limit the use of this type of water.

Some medicinal recipes from corn silk

- Kidney or urinary stones: Every day, take 10-20g of corn silk, boil it to get the water to drink. Or add it to 200ml of boiling water, boil it for 30 minutes to get the water. Use 20-60ml of corn silk water each time, 3-4 hours before meals.

- Diabetes treatment: Every day, use 40 - 50g of corn silk to boil and drink the water. Can be combined with other ingredients such as Ophiopogon japonicus, Asparagus cocos, Stevia, Anemarrhena aspera... to increase effectiveness.

- Urinary tract infection: Boil corn silk, pennywort, plantago, coix seed, and Indian pennywort 8-10 g in 1 liter of water, divide into doses to drink throughout the day, drink continuously for a week.

According to VOV