How to Make Corn Silk Tea
This post may contain affiliate links, view our disclosure policy for details.
Learn how to make corn silk tea. This is a simple tea that is very beneficial to our body and another way to use corn. Corn silk can also be preserved by drying which means you can easily make corn silk tea year round!
We pretty much live in corn country here in central NC. Local farmers sell 12 ears of corn at the market for $4. It’s so affordable it almost doesn’t make sense to grow it yourself. We eat so much of it every summer, and every summer I dry the silk and use it for corn silk tea.
It’s really cool how useful corn is. We use the husk for art (the kids make dolls and such), the silk for “corn hair tea” (as my kids call it), the corn as food, and we give the cob to the chickens as a snack… We use every bit of it!
How to Make Corn Silk Tea…
What is Corn Silk?
Corn silk is the “hair” that you find under the husk of the corn. The stringy stuff can be used fresh or dried (I’ll show you how I dry it in a minute). It will change its color and darken a little bit if you decide to dry it but it will hold for a long long time.
Corn Silk Tea Benefits…
- Corn silk is high in potassium and, therefore, has a diuretic effect on the urinary system. In other words, it promotes the production of urine which means it makes you pee, a lot.
- Corn silk will also help prevent kidney stones and is useful with other urinary problems like nephritis (inflammation of the kidneys), cystitis (urinary tract infection), and prostatitis (swelling and inflammation of the prostate gland).
- Corn silk is also known to reduce water retention in the body and may be beneficial in treating high blood pressure and gouty arthritis (uric acid builds up in the blood and causes inflammation in the joints). HERE is a good research for further learning.
- Another research shows that corn silk tea can be used to treat metabolic syndrome and assist in weight loss…
“Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a very common medical problem worldwide. It includes obesity, hypertension, hyperglycemia, and abnormal levels of triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. It is closely associated with insulin resistance and may lead to diabetes mellitus, liver diseases, or cardiovascular diseases. Corn silk (CS), a traditional Chinese medicine, has been reported to have multiple beneficial effects, including hypotensive, anti-diabetic, and hypolipidemic properties. This suggests that corn silk could be used to treat or prevent metabolic syndrome.”
You can read the research HERE.
Ingredients…
- Corn cobs with the husk still on
- Honey, maple, or sugar if you like to sweeten your tea
A Simple Corn Silk Tea Recipe…
Step one – remove the silk. Start by removing the corn husk to expose the silk. Then peel the silk off the corn cob. The top part of the silk, the part that wasn’t covered by the husk, is usually dark and dirty looking. Cut that part off and discard.
Step two – dry the silk. There are two ways to do this… The first is to place the corn silk on a paper towel on the kitchen counter at room temperature and let it be for a few days. Every other day, turn it to make sure that it’s drying well. Within a few days, it will be dry and ready for tea. The other option is to place it in the dehydrator at 95 degrees F for 8-12 hours. Both ways are fine, choose whatever works best for you.
Step three – make corn silk tea. Grab about a tablespoon of dry corn silk and place it in a mug. Add boiling water and let the corn silk steep for five minutes before drinking.
Kitchen Notes…
- How to store corn silk – to store your dry corn silk, place it in a ziplock bag or a mason jar and leave it at room temperature on the self or in the pantry.
- Remove the silk or don’t – I usually leave my corn silk in the hot water as I drink my tea, however, if you like, you can remove it after letting it steep for a few minutes. You can also place it in a tea mesh bag so it’s not just floating around and is easier to remove if you choose to.
- Use the silk fresh – someone in the comments was asking why not use the silk when it’s still fresh. I think that you can, however, I feel like it tastes better when it’s dried (the water content is down and the flavor isn’t diluted) and I also feel that it’s easier to handle.
- Taste – of course, corn silk tea tastes a bit like corn! I don’t think that it tastes bad, however, feel free to add it to other teas to adjust the flavor. You can add fresh mint, or you can add it to any other kind of loose-leaf or bag tea that you make.
Frequently Asked Questions…
I would start with three or four cups a week and see how you feel.
I don’t think that this will work but I’ve never tried.
I never use it. I just have my corn silk tea in a jar on the shelf with the rest of my teas. If it has been dried properly it should be just fine.
Yes! Once the silk had time to steep in boiling water all you have to do is let the water cool to room temperature. Remove the silk and store the tea in the fridge.
Corn silk tea works fast! Five minutes after you drink it you’ll be visiting the potty. Then you’ll feel like you didn’t have a drink in two weeks so you’ll run to your kitchen and gulp down a big glass of water. It’s all good! This is exactly what it’s supposed to do. I hope that you’d give it a try!
More Natural Stuff…
- 47 Ways to Prevent and Treat Chigger Bites
- Homemade Aloe Vera Juice
- Licorice Tea, What Is It, How to Make it, and Why Drink It
- How to Get Rid of UTI Without Antibiotics
- What is Hemp Seed and How to Use it
- What is Flax Seed and How to Add it to Your Diet
Corn Silk Tea
A simple way to make corn silk tea.
Ingredients
- Corn cobs with the husk still on (as many as you want)
- Honey, maple, or sugar if you like to sweeten your tea
Instructions
- Start by removing the corn husk to expose the silk. Then peel the silk off the corn cob. The top part of the silk, the part that wasn’t covered by the husk, is usually dark and dirty looking. Cut that part off and discard.
- Next, dry the silk. There are two ways to do this… The first is to place the corn silk on a paper towel on the kitchen counter at room temperature and let it be for a few days. Every other day, turn it to make sure that it’s drying well. Within a few days, it will be dry and ready for tea. The other option is to place it in the dehydrator at 95 degrees F for 8-12 hours. Both ways are fine, choose whatever works best for you.
- Grab about a tablespoon of dry corn silk and place it in a mug. Add boiling water and let the corn silk steep for five minutes before drinking.
Notes
Kitchen notes...
- How to store corn silk – to store your dry corn silk, place it in a ziplock bag or a mason jar and leave it at room temperature on the self or in the pantry.
- Remove the silk or don’t – I usually leave my corn silk in the hot water as I drink my tea, however, if you like, you can remove it after letting it steep for a few minutes. You can also place it in a tea mesh bag so it’s not just floating around and is easier to remove if you choose to.
- Use the silk fresh – someone in the comments was asking why not use the silk when it’s still fresh. I think that you can, however, I feel like it tastes better when it’s dried (the water content is down and the flavor isn’t diluted) and I also feel that it’s easier to handle.
- Taste – of course, corn silk tea tastes a bit like corn! I don’t think that it tastes bad, however, feel free to add it to other teas to adjust the flavor. You can add fresh mint, or you can add it to any other kind of loose-leaf or bag tea that you make.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 30Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 2mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 2gSugar: 25gProtein: 3g
Hi! I’m Lady Lee. I help homesteaders simplify their homesteading journey while still producing a ton of food! I am a single mother of four, I was born in Israel and raised in an agricultural commune called a Kibbutz. Now I homestead in central NC.
Lee,
I have always thought of corn silk as a nuisance, as it gets all over the sink and sometimes on the floor. After reading your blog, I am going to start saving it and making tea. Thanks so much.
Steve
Happy this was healpful. It’s a healthy, easy resource that most people don’t know about.
Hi,
I read on a comment, if one wanted to lose weight, start drinking cornsilk tea, so I started looking, I know about fresh corn, and silks, but had never heard of such. Now I’ve found out the benefits, will it really help take off pounds, of course knowing a good diet goes along with it!
I’m happy that this was helpful! It’s a simple tea to make and it has a lot of benefits for sure! Thanks for stopping by.
This is a very nicely written article! Do you ever use the water leftover from boiling corn on the cob? If so, what for? We use it in our garden but would love to hear about other effective uses and the potential benefits…as a tea? as broth for soup? other? Any downsides to consuming the leftover corn on the cob water?
I’ve never thought about using the water but it’s a good idea. I guess you can use it in any recipe that calls for water as long as a little bit of corn flavor is something that will fit with the recipe. I don’t know if I’ll use it as tea, though… Even with the corn silk tea I usually have to add other leaves and some honey to make it taste better.
I tasted it by itself and it was actually quite pleasant! I think it would be delicious in making rice or as the liquid for corn chowder or other soup. I wonder if the health benefits are the same/similar as the corn silk. I’m having a hard time finding any direct pro’s and con’s along with nutritional information and am surprised it isn’t more widely discussed. Thanks for your reply!
I heard the proven benefits of boiling corn hair from my elders when I was growing up. I love drinking tea but with the convenience of tea bags now I go for them.
I have to try making this corn silk tea again. Thanks you made it simple.
BTW do you store dry corn silk in fridge?
You can but it stores really well in a kitchen cabinet too. I heard about it from an older womnan too.
How often do you drink the cornsilk tea? Also, do you know of any teas that help cleanse the liver?
Maybe a couple of times a week. Not every day. I don’t know of any tea that helps cleanse the liver. I am using a blend of essential oils called Zendocrine from doTERRA to do that but I’m sure that there is something…
I’m not sure about tea, but dandelion & burdock root infused into in ACV is beneficial. It isn’t pleasant tasting though unless you use it as a salad dressing, then it’s great! You will have to search for instructions on how to prepare it properly.
I bought cornsilk capsuls
.they are large, i have trouble swallowing. Can u break them open and make tea?
I really don’t know… I’ve never tried the pills and I have no clue what other things they are putting in there.
Thanks soo much for this education, i and my family will defiantly try it and i shall be back with my feedback. Be blessed.
You are welcome! Thanks for stopping by.
Can I boil the tea and put in the fridge and drink. I want to be boiling it every weekend
Yes, you sure can!
Can you have the corn silk tea with any kind of other medications, because I take 24 meds a day. Don’t want any reactions Thank you
I am not a doctor but I don’t think it should be a problem.
Hi!
Good to know corn silk can take care of many medical conditions, but what if an anindividual is suffering from hypotention and want to treat bladder infection, cardiovascular issue and obesity? Is it advisable to use corn silk whilst it’s also used for hypertension?
Regards
Uyi
I am not a doctor so I can’t tell you exactly. However, I can’t see how using corn silk tea will be an issue in the cases you mentioned. Again, I am not a doctor, though. You’ll have to do some more research and maybe consult a doctor.
This is great. It helped dissolve my small kidney stone so that it could pass. I kept drinking it for a couple days and really helped with my water retention too. Since we consume a lot of fresh corn here in Texas too, keeping this in a ziploc bag made perfect sense. I suffer from MS so I can’t wait to see my lab results.
Wow, this is great! Thanks for sharing.
I am a lover of corn silk tea.
I drink mine without any additions and it taste great just exactly like corn.
I encourage us to form the habit of living, eating and drinking healthy.
Your health is your responsibility.
Enjoy a cup today and testify of its beautiful goodness.
Yes, I like it too! It’s an easy way to add a healthy drink to your day.
Hi
Can U Take it with greentea, Ginger, lemon or/and cinnamon
Definitely! You can add it to any kind of tea.
Thanks for the info – buying organically grown corn today (southern hemisphere) to dry corn silk to make tea. Will grow my own corn next season for leg aches (and more energy). Thanks again. (PS – Use corn silk capsules for my dalmatian dog’s sporadic incontinence).
You are welcome, Susan! I didn’t know there was such a thing corn silk capsules!
Can it cure high blood pressure?
I wouldn’t say cure, but yes, it is known for treating high blood pressure.
Pls how does this help stop bed wetting in children?
Since it helps pee it’s good to let kids drink it a few hours before bedtime. This way they can go empty their bladder well before they go to sleep.
Very interesting. The oddest thing about corn-on-the-cob is my cat “George’s” response when I bring it through the door! In his younger days he would actually jump into the refrigerator to get to it, every time I’d open the frig he’s jumping in. Now that he’s a old man and can’t jump like in his younger days I just put it on the floor for him. He loves to nibble on that silk! I think I’ll make some tea for me and Old George and see what he thinks…..nothing wrong with a good Pee!
LOL! Cats can be really funny!!
Wow I have never heard of this before. Thank you for sharing this great post. Weight loss mood activated. I really need to slim down
Good luck!