Corn (maize) – zea mays l.
Botanical characteristic. Cereal family. An annual powerful plant 1-3 m high, with a highly developed fibrous root system, penetrating to a depth of 1.5 m. Stems solitary, rarely two, fleshy, knotty, bamboo-like. Leaves broadly lenticular, pubescent. The plant is monoecious, dioecious. Male flowers are collected in an apical panicle, female – in thick cobs located among the leaf axils. At the top of the cob, long filiform columns with stigmas hang in the form of a bundle from a leaf wrapper. Blossoms in August-September, fruits ripen in September-October.
Spreading. It is widely cultivated in the Soviet Union, especially in the forest-steppe and steppe regions. It grows mainly on fertile soils.
Medicinal raw materials. Use stigmas with columns (corn stigmas). They are harvested in whole bunches during the ripening period of the cobs, starting from milky ripeness. Only light yellow, golden yellow and reddish filamentous soft bunches are cut off by hand directly at the root or after harvesting at the place of storage. Blackened columns infected with pests and impurities are removed. Dry, laying out a thin layer, in the shade in the open air or indoors, also in dryers at a temperature of 40 ° C. Store 1-2 years in a closed container, in a dry place.
Chemical composition. Fatty oil, bitter glycosidic substances, saponins, cryptoxanthin, ascorbic and pantothenic acids, vitamin K, inositol, sitosterol, etc. were found in corn stigmas. The seeds contain starch, fatty oil, B vitamins, biotin, nicotinic and pantothenic acids, flavonic derivatives, etc.
Pharmacological properties and Application. Corn stigmas have a choleretic, diuretic and hemostatic effect, which is due to the complex composition of its biologically active substances. After ingestion, the secretion of bile increases, and its qualitative composition changes: the viscosity of bile and its density decrease, the content of bilirubin decreases. A significant content of vitamin K contributes to an increase in blood clotting by increasing the content of prothrombin and platelets in the blood. Corn stigmas are used as choleretic and diuretic products for cholecystitis, cholangitis, hepatitis, especially in cases of delayed bile secretion, nephrolithiasis and cardiac edema. As a hemostatic agent – with a decrease in the content of prothrombin in the blood.
Doses of corn stigmas inside: horses 30-60 g, sheep and pigs 20-40, dogs 10-20 g 3-4 times a day in the form of infusion or collection with food.
Corn oil, obtained from the seeds of the plant, is able to lower the level of cholesterol in the blood, and it is recommended along with other products for the treatment of atherosclerosis (for small cattle and pigs, a daily dose of 25-40 ml). The choleretic effect of oil has been experimentally proven.
Liquid corn stigma extract is prepared 1:1 in 70% alcohol. It is a transparent reddish-brown liquid with a peculiar odor and a bitter-burning taste. The application is similar. Small animals: 10-20 drops 2-3 times daily before feeding.