Common corn – Zea mays L. Ukrainian name – corn zvichayna.
The grass family is Roaseae (Gramineae).
For therapeutic purposes, corn columns with stigmas are used.
A well-known fodder and food plant grown in fields and gardens.
Stocks of raw materials are very large – hundreds of tons can be harvested annually.
The average annual harvest of stigma corn bollards in the republic for three years (1974-1976) amounted to 36.7 tons.
Billets are produced in the phase of milky cobs (August), traditionally on crops intended for ensiling. Bundles of columns are torn off by hand or cut with knives, removing the blackened parts.
Dry raw materials in attics under an iron roof or under sheds with good ventilation, laying out or hanging in a thin loose layer (1-2 cm). Can be tumble dried at temperatures up to 40°. After fire drying, it is left for 1-2 days for self-moisturizing, so that the raw materials are not crushed during the pack. With slow drying or drying with a thick layer, the raw material turns brown, moldy and acquires an extraneous odor. The yield of raw materials is 25%.
According to FS 42-984-75 Art. 540 raw material consists of intertwined silky threads, consisting of long columns with forked stigmas at the top, from light yellow to reddish brownish. The smell is weak, characteristic. The taste is sweetish. Humidity is not higher than 13%. In raw materials, no more than 3% of blackened stigmas and 0.5% of organic and mineral impurities are allowed.
Dry columns are packed, pressed, in bales or fabric bags weighing 15 and 30 kg. Store in dry, well-ventilated areas on pallets or racks. The raw material is very hygroscopic. Storage period up to 3 years.
Corn columns with stigmas contain sistosterol, sigmasterol, essential oil, vitamin K, ascorbic acid, resinous substances, saponins, bitter glycosides, gums. They are used as a choleretic agent for cholecystitis, cholangitis, hepatitis, as well as a hemostatic and diuretic for kidney and bladder stones, in the form of infusion and liquid extract.