Medical expert of the article
New publications
Corn stalks for weight loss
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025

All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.

Corn silk for weight loss is used in the form of infusions and decoctions, as well as extracts.
Corn silk is the long fibers that have matured on the corn cob and surround the cob. They are collected during the ripening period of the corn, namely when it becomes milky white. The silk is carefully picked by hand and then dried using special devices or in the open air in some darkness. This medicinal raw material has long been used for many health purposes, one of which is weight loss.
The healing effect of corn silk is explained by its rich chemical composition. The active components that heal the human body include:
- vitamins K, C (ascorbic acid) and B5 (pantothenic acid);
- fatty and essential oils;
- macroelements – iron, chromium, copper, manganese, aluminum;
- various beneficial substances such as tannins, saponins, gum, cryptoxanthin, inositol and bitter glycoside.
Corn silk recipes for weight loss
There are several ways to use corn silk to reduce excess weight. Here are some recipes for using this useful plant material for weight loss:
- Take four heaped tablespoons of corn silk, pour boiling water over them and leave in a dark place for at least two to three hours. The healthy drink can be infused in a regular glass jar or ceramic dish. But it is best to use a thermos for these purposes. After the allotted time has passed, the infusion is filtered, the plant mass is squeezed out and thrown away. It is recommended to take the tincture one tablespoon thirty minutes before each meal. Store the remaining drink in the refrigerator.
The course of taking the healing fat-burning remedy lasts from two to four weeks. After which it is recommended to take a break for two to four weeks, and then repeat the intake of the infusion. The only remark that should be taken into account during the "treatment" is that the duration of the first course, the break and the second course coincide. For example, if the initial course was carried out for two weeks, then the "pause", accordingly, should be two weeks. The second course should also last fourteen days.
- Take one teaspoon of dry corn silk, which can be replaced with one dessert spoon of fresh raw material. The "medicine" is placed in an enamel bowl and filled with boiling water. After that, the corn silk is boiled for one minute, and then left to infuse in a dark place, tightly closed with a lid, for one hour. After this time, the decoction must be filtered. The prepared drink is used thirty minutes before meals, one third of a glass. It should be noted that this decoction is prepared only for one day, and the next day you need to take freshly prepared "medicine".
The course of using the drink for weight loss is the same as in the previous case, that is, from two to four weeks. After which a break is taken, and then the course of "treatment" is repeated. Similar to the first recipe, the duration of the initial and repeated intake of the drink, as well as the break, must strictly coincide. For example, the first time corn silk is used for three weeks, the "pause" should be for three weeks, and you need to drink the decoction again, also for three weeks.
- Take half a glass of dry raw material and brew it in half a liter of boiling water. After that, leave the infusion for two hours and then strain it. Take the drink one hundred to one hundred and fifty ml and twenty minutes before eating.
- You can make a slimming tea that combines the beneficial properties of several plants. For these purposes, you need to take one part of dried currant leaves, one part of natural green tea and two parts of corn silk. All ingredients should be finely ground and thoroughly mixed with each other. At the same time, they should be stored in a glass container with a tightly closed lid. In order to make one glass of tea, take two tablespoons of the mixture, pour boiling water over it and leave for two hours. Take one glass of slimming tea thirty minutes before meals. The duration of the "treatment" course is one month. At the same time, you need to know that in this case it is recommended to follow a low-calorie diet.
Corn silk extract for weight loss
Corn silk extract is a drug sold in pharmacies, which is a concentrate of extracted pistils and silks of common corn, prepared with alcohol and water. The above extract is produced in liquid form, with one gram of liquid corresponding to one gram of the original raw material. This result can only be achieved in industrial conditions, using special equipment. In some cases, corn silk extract is called corn silk extract, which is a similar product.
It should be noted that home-made tinctures, which are prepared from dried raw materials, as well as water or alcohol, are not extracts of corn silk. It is also worth noting that the raw materials for making home-made tinctures may not be of high enough quality, which affects the healing properties of the product and the results of its use. Corn fibers must be collected at the stage of milk maturity of corn cobs, which may not be observed at home. Storage conditions are also important for the manufacture of a high-quality medicine - home methods are unlikely to achieve the required temperature and humidity at which corn fibers should be stored. This is a really important aspect, since corn silk has increased hygroscopicity and a tendency to accumulate pathogenic microorganisms and fungi. Raw materials for the preparation of medicines must be stored in a dry, clean and well-ventilated room, which is almost impossible to do at home. Therefore, experts recommend not to replace factory-made corn silk extracts with home remedies for weight loss purposes.
To combat obesity, nervous bulimia and simply for weight loss, corn silk extract is used as follows:
- Forty drops of liquid extract are added to a glass of warm green tea; the drink should be taken twenty minutes before meals, three to four times a day.
Corn silk extract is also produced in dry form. In this case, it is a component of various industrially produced weight loss teas and herbal teas, which must be used in accordance with the instructions included with the teas and herbal teas.
Corn silk decoction for weight loss
Corn silk decoction is a drink that is prepared in water using fresh or dry crushed raw materials by boiling for some time. For weight loss, one of the decoction recipes indicated above in the relevant section is used. Corn silk decoction is used twenty to thirty minutes before meals several times a day and in accordance with the quantities described in the recipe.
Benefits of Corn Silk
If you start using corn silk for weight loss, it is useful to familiarize yourself with the health benefits that can appear as a result of the course of “treatment”.
Decoctions of corn silk have a strong choleretic effect and a gentle diuretic effect. Therefore, corn silk has long been used to treat many dysfunctions of the gallbladder, such as cholecystitis, as well as a number of diseases of the urinary system - pyelonephritis, urolithiasis. Due to the diuretic properties, corn silk helps remove stones from the kidneys and bladder, and also eliminates edema, which is a consequence of heart or kidney dysfunction.
Corn silk has proven itself to be effective in treating hepatitis. An infusion of corn fibers helps reduce elevated levels of bilirubin in the blood.
Corn silk also helps with diseases associated with metabolic disorders, such as diabetes. In this case, decoctions and infusions from this useful plant material help reduce elevated blood sugar levels.
Corn silk can be used to prevent atherosclerosis. Thanks to polyunsaturated fatty acids, phosphatides and sitosterols, which are part of the corn cob threads, excess cholesterol is removed from the body. It is known that with an elevated level of cholesterol in the blood, it is deposited on the walls of blood vessels, which narrows their lumens and can lead to blockage.
People who complain of various disorders in the functioning of the nervous system, it is useful to periodically use corn silk to stabilize it. Nerve cells, like other cells in the body, need to be saturated with nutrients. Corn cob threads, which have a rich set of useful components, help to effectively replenish the necessary elements. Decoctions and infusions of corn silk help to calm and stabilize the nervous system, which affects the improvement of mood and well-being, improved productivity, getting rid of irritability and sleep disorders.
The list of useful properties of corn silk will be incomplete without mentioning their ability to restore hematopoiesis functions and promote the hemostatic effect of the body. Corn silk improves the composition of the blood, due to the blood-purifying effect, which also has a good effect on improving the quality of blood clotting. Therefore, infusions and decoctions of corn silk are recommended for women tired of heavy, debilitating menstrual bleeding. The same recommendation can be given to people who suffer from increased bleeding.
And finally, corn silk promotes weight loss and helps fight obesity. The benefits of corn silk for weight loss are that decoctions and infusions from this useful plant material promote the following health effects:
- appetite decreases, which, accordingly, affects the amount of food eaten and its caloric content;
- the feeling of hunger is dulled, which eliminates the need for snacks, which usually consist of sweets or flour products;
- the body is cleansed of accumulated waste and toxins that accumulate in the intestines, liver, gallbladder, kidneys and other vital organs;
- the metabolism improves, which is manifested in the good absorption of microelements, vitamins, proteins, fats and carbohydrates useful for the body, as well as in the qualitative increase in the functioning of the whole organism;
- cholesterol levels are reduced, which reduces the formation of fat deposits and affects the reduction of the amount of cellulite;
- the water-salt balance inherent in a healthy person is restored, which affects not only the improvement of fat metabolism, but also the condition of the skeletal system, blood vessels, skin, and so on;
- tissue swelling is reduced due to the removal of excess fluid from the body.
Reviews of corn silk for weight loss
Do not think that there is a universal medicine that suits absolutely everyone. Each organism's reaction to the proposed recipes for weight loss is absolutely individual. For some, the "potions" from corn silk will come in handy so much that the effect of slimness will appear right before your eyes. And someone who wants to lose extra pounds will be, to put it mildly, disappointed with the method used. In the latter case, do not despair, since infusions and decoctions from corn silk, undoubtedly, have benefited the body in the form of improved metabolism and functioning of the genitourinary system. But for an external result - a decrease in the thickness of the waist, hips and buttocks - it is worth turning to other means for weight loss.
In addition to the individual reactions of each person to any substance, there are also contraindications to the use of corn silk, which must be heeded. After all, in many cases, a negative result of treatment with herbs or medicinal plants is caused by their improper independent use. So, corn silk is not suitable for people with low body weight, no matter how strong they seem to themselves, in need of a diet. People with poor appetite should also refuse to use decoctions, infusions and extracts from corn fibers. If you are prone to increased blood clotting and thrombosis, have thrombophlebitis and varicose veins, you should not even think about using corn silk to improve your figure.
You should not start a course of correction of excess weight without consulting a doctor. Since the diuretic effect of corn silk can cause cystitis in people prone to bladder dysfunction. Also, drinks from corn fibers contribute to the leaching of such essential substances as magnesium and potassium from the body. Their deficiency will need to be replenished by switching to a diet enriched with these components, as well as taking special drugs. Therefore, negative reviews when using corn silk, as a rule, are caused by the inappropriate use of these drugs for a particular person.
A specialist consultation will also be necessary in case of urolithiasis or cholelithiasis. Drinks from corn silk will help flush out stones from the kidneys and gall bladder, but large stones, having shifted from their place, can cause serious harm to health, blocking the urinary and biliary tract.
Contraindications to the use of corn silk are also monthly menstrual bleeding in women. At this time, this method of losing weight cannot be used, and the course should begin on the second day after the end of menstruation.
In cases where all precautions are taken, reviews of corn silk for weight loss are positive. It is believed that the use of corn silk before each meal can reduce the need for sweets and flour products. In some cases, decoctions and infusions work "miracles" - they contribute to the fact that a lifestyle in which sweets are completely excluded becomes a reality. An important condition, in this case, is the regular use of healing agents - systematically and without omissions. At the same time, a parallel healing effect is observed - swelling goes away, the kidneys, liver and bladder begin to function better, performance and overall vitality improve, irritability and anxiety pass, and night sleep becomes stronger.
Although, some ladies who have tried to use the healing properties of corn silk in practice believe that they should be used in combination with other methods. For example, a special balanced diet and constant exercise in the gym. This is a necessary condition, since drinks from corn silk do not burn fat deposits, but help to normalize metabolism and remove excess toxins from the body.
Some of those who have tried corn silk to achieve the slimming effect believe that it is more effective to take the drug "Xenical" and use corn silk to remove toxins and waste from the body and improve well-being. It is impossible to give such a recommendation without consulting a specialist, so in this case, it is best to seek advice from a doctor.
In conclusion, we can briefly summarize that corn silk for weight loss is a useful method not only for achieving slimness, but also for maintaining a good level of health and vitality.