Cereals – Poaceae (Gramineae).
Pharmacy name: corn stigmas – Maydis stigmatum (formerly: Stigmata Maydis), corn starch – Maydis amylum (formerly: Amylum Maydis).
Botanical description. An annual herbaceous plant with an elevated, up to 2 m, strong stem and broadly lanceolate leaves. Male flowers are collected in the final panicle, female – in the axils of the leaves, from which the well-known corn cobs develop.
Corn stigmas are harvested as soon as they emerge from the beginning of flowering, but before pollination, and dried quickly in the shade. This is the medicinal raw material.
Homeland – tropical America; cultivated in all states with a warm (and temperate) climate.
Active ingredients: fatty oil, saponins, flavones, tannins, a large amount of potassium, bitterness, resins and essential oil.
Application. Corn silk is used as a diuretic and for sand in the bladder. In folk medicine, they are used as a remedy for diabetes and in course treatments for obesity; however, the anti-diabetic properties of medicine are disputed. In homeopathy, it is used for heart diseases with edema. Cornstarch is an integral part of the bulk of powders and tablets.