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| Departments » Herbal Medicine » Materia Medica » Zea mays |
Note - the monographs are provided for educational purposes only, and are not to be used for self-medication.
Zea mays (Corn Silk)
| Botanic Name | Zea mays L. |
| Common Name | Corn, Cornsilk 1 |
| Family | Poacea (Graminaceae) |
| Parts Used | Stigma from the female flowers of maize. Fine soft threads 10 to 20 centimetres long. 4 |
| Habitat | Indigenous to central America, but widely cultivated elsewhere 2 |
| Constituents | Flavonoids 3
Chlorogenic Acid 3 Saponins 2 Volatile alkaloid 2 Sterols 2 Allantoin 2 Tannins 2 Resin 2 Minerals 3 |
| Actions | Diuretic
with soothing influence on the urinary mucosa 2
(Urinary) Demulcent 4 Tonic 4 Antilithic 6 Antiseptic 9 |
| Applications | Urinary
infections and calculi 2
Cystitis, urethritis, prostatitis 4 Dysuria 3 Ammonia in the urine in infants 9 Enureis 9 |
| Dosage | Medium dose
herb
Dried Styles and Stigmas: 2 – 8 gm tds 2 Liquid Extract: 1:1 25% 4 – 8 ml tds 3 Tincture: 1:5 25% 5 – 15 ml tds 3 Syrup 8 – 15 ml tds 6 |
| Combinations | Agropyron
repens, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Achillea millefolium for cystitis
4
Aphanes arvensis, Eupatorium purpureum in phosphatic or uric acid gravel 6 Always with Althaea officinalis 9 Capsella bursa-pastoris 9 |
| C/I Cautions | Can be safely consumed when used appropriately 5 |
| BHP S/I | Acute or chronic inflammation of the urinary system 6 |
References
- Grieve, M., A Modern Herbal, Tiger, Great Britain, 1994.
- Mills, S., The Complete Guide to Modern Herbalism, Thorsons, Great Britain, 1994.
- Bradley, P.R.(Ed.), British Herbal Compendium Volume I, British Herbal Medicine Association, 1992.
- Hoffmann, D., The New Holistic Herbal, Element, Dorset, 1990.
- McGuffin, M., Hobbs, C., Upton, R., Goldberg, A., American Herbal Products Association - Botanical Safety Handbook, CRC Press, 1997.
- British Herbal Medical Association, British Herbal Pharmacopoeia 1983, British Herbal Medical Association, 1989.
- Motram, L., Herbal Materia Medica Course Notes, 1983.
- Willard, T., The Wild Rose Scientific Herbal, Wild Rose College of Natural Healing Ltd, Alberta, Canada, 1991.
- Priest, A.W. and Priest, L.R. Herbal Medication. A Clinical and Dispensary Handbook. London: L.N. Fowler & Co. Ltd.
- Brockhampton Press, Guide to Herbal Remedies, Brockhampton Press, London, 1996.
- Lust, J., The Herb Book, Bantam Books, USA, 1974.
- Singh Y. N., Blumenthal, M., Kava culture, then & now, Herbs for Health, Vol 2, No 6: 56-60, 1998.
- McCaleb, R., Herbal Help for Prostate Problems, Herbs for Health, Spring/Summer 1996, pp 26- 28.