For western civilization, the story of corn began in 1492 when Columbus's men discovered this new grain in Cuba. An American native, it was exported to Europe rather than being imported, as were other major grains.
The grain is taken from the husk by hand, and when ground upon stones, makes an excellent flour, of which it yields much more, with much less bran, than wheat does, and exceeds it in crust, pancakes, puddings, and all other uses except bread; but a sweetness peculiar to it, which in all other cases makes it agreeable, is here less so. It is excellent for feeding horses, poultry and hogs, and fattens them much better and sooner than peas or barley.It was the only bread-grain known in America when first discovered by the Spaniardss, and is there called maize.
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Basic Instruction
Zea Mays,Sweet Corn,the uses and benefit of corn(maize)...
seminal trace...Corn Silk Extract.10:1.Cornsilk Extract,Stigmata maydis,Corn Stigma.Sitosterol 5%GC Stigmas and styles of Zea mays,Corn stalk extract.
Basic Botanical Data of Corn:
Corn,Indian
Botanical: Zea Mays (LINN.)
Family: Gramineae
Scientific Name:a).Zea mays L. b).Zea mays L. var rugosa
Common Name:a) Corn,Jagung Kuda; b).Sweet Corn,Jagung Manis
Common Names:Corn,Indian corn,Maize,Ix-im,Mais,Maiz,Thurah Safrah,Yu Kao Liang,Yu Shu Shu,Jagong
France:Granoturco,Frumentone.
Bactrian typha, Barbary corn, ble de Turquie, Corn, Cornmeal, Cucurutz, Dent maize, Egyptian corn,
Flint maize, Floury maize, Guinea corn, Indian corn, Indian meal, Kana,
Maize, Mealies, Milbo, Popcorn, Roman corn, Sara chulpi, Sicilian corn, Spanish corn, Sweet corn,
Syrian dourra, Turkie corne, Turkish wheat, Virginia wheat, Waxy maize, Welsch corn, Yellow maize
Ble De Turquie [E], Corn [E,B,L,P], Corn Silk [H], Dari [E], Ganma Sham [E], Indian Corn [H], Jagong [E],Yu Kao Liang [E],
Jagung [E], Mais [E], Mais Vert [E], Maiz [E], Maize [H], Misir [E], Oswego Arrowroot [H], Thurah Safrah [E], Yu Shu Shu
Common names:Arab wheat, corn, corn of Mecca, Indian corn, maize, mealie, Turkish grain, sweet corn,
ma guacho, teosinte,Sweet corn,Zea mays,Maize (Australia, United Kingdom), corn, sweet corn (United States), bok'olo (Ethiopia).
Synonyms,other Latin names: Mays vulgaris Seringe, Mays zea Gaert., Thalysia mays Kuntze, Zea alba Mill., Zea americana Mill., Zea curagua Mol., Zea segetalis Salisb., Zea vulgaris Mill.
Noun 1. Zea mays - tall annual cereal grass bearing kernels on large ears: widely cultivated in America in many varieties; the principal cereal in Mexico and Central and South America since pre-Columbian times
Synonyms: corn, Indian corn, maize
Related Words:capitulum, cereal, cereal grass, corn, corncob, ear, edible corn, field corn, genus Zea, green corn, Indian corn, maize, popcorn,
spike, sugar corn, sweet corn, sweet corn plant, Zea, Zea mays everta, Zea mays rugosa, Zea saccharata More Related Words and Usage Samples
Part Used:Seeds.Silk
Habitat:South America; also cultivated in other parts of America, in the West Indian Islands, Australia, Africa, India, etc., and now in France.
Corn (Zea mays), also known as maize, is a wind-pollinated annual crop. Mexico, the center of origin of corn and home to what appears to be its closest wild relative, teosinte (also known as teocintle), is also a center of biodiversity in domesticated corn.
Cultivated almost universally as a food crop, corn is native to the Andes and Central America, possibly originating in Peru. Corn silk is propagated from seed in spring. The corn silk is harvested with the ripe cob in summer, then separated and dried.
Annual growing to 2m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 9 and is frost tender. It is in flower from July to October, and the seeds ripen from September to October. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Wind. We rate it 4 out of 5 for usefulness.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid and neutral soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.
Botanical Description:
Corn is an icon of American culture. Not only does it represent our native American traditions, serve as a symbol of both summertime BBQ fun and a night out at the movies, but corn, in the form of corn syrup, is also an added ingredient in many other foods that we consume in our daily diets.
Although we often associate corn with the color yellow, this vegetable actually comes in host of different varieties that range in colors ¨C one variety of corn is red, pink, black and blue. Corn grows in ¡°ears," each of which is covered in rows of kernels that are then protected first by the silk-like threads called "corn silk," and finally, encased in a husk.
Corn is known scientifically as Zea mays. This moniker reflect its traditional name, maize, by which it is known throughout many areas of the world.
A monoecious plant. Male flowers in terminal racemes; spikelets, two-flowered glumes nearly equal, herbaceous, terminating in two sharp points; females, axillary in the sheaths of the leaves. The spikes or ears proceed from the stalls at various distances from the ground, and are closely enveloped in several thin leaves, forming a sheath called the husk; the ears consist of a cylindrical substance, a pith called the cob; on this the seeds are ranged in eight rows, each row having thirty or more seeds. From the eyes or germs of the seeds proceed individual filaments of a silky appearance and bright green colour; these hang from the point of the husk and are called 'the silk.' The use of these filaments or stigmata is to receive the farina which drops from the flowers, and without which the flowers would produce no seed. As soon as this has been effected, the tops and 'the silk' dry up. The maize grains are of varying colour - usually yellow, but often ranging to black.
Corn is so easily recognizable by most people that it doesn't beg for much of a description. The corn plant has a pithy nodded stalk supported by prop roots. The staminate (male) flowers form the tassel at the top of the plant. The pistillate (female) flowers are the kernels on the cob, which is enclosed by a leafy husk. Beyond this extend threadlike styles and stigmas or corn silk which catch the pollen. The entire plant with its ornamental tassel and ears has been a motif of American art since colonial times.
History and Origin of Corn:
For western civilization, the story of corn began in 1492 when Columbus's men discovered this new grain in Cuba. An American native, it was exported to Europe rather than being imported, as were other major grains.
Like most early history, there is some uncertainty as to when corn first went to Europe. Some say it went back with Columbus to Spain, while others report that it was not returned to Spain until the second visit of Columbus.
The word "corn" has many different meanings depending on what country you are in. Corn in the United States is also called maize or Indian corn. In some countries, corn means the leading crop grown in a certain district. Corn in England means wheat; in Scotland and Ireland, it refers to oats. Corn mentioned in the Bible probably refers to wheat or barley.
At first, corn was only a garden curiosity in Europe, but it soon began to be recognized as a valuable food crop. Within a few years, it spread throughout France, Italy, and all of southeastern Europe and northern Africa. By 1575, it was making its way into western China, and had become important in the Philippines and the East Indies.
Although corn is indigenous to the western hemisphere, its exact birthplace is far less certain. Archeological evidence of corn's early presence in the western hemisphere was identified from corn pollen grain considered to be 80,000 years old obtained from drill cores 200 feet below Mexico City. Another archeological study of the bat caves in New Mexico revealed corncobs that were 5,600 years old by radiocarbon determination. Most historians believe corn was domesticated in the Tehuacan Valley of Mexico. The original wild form has long been extinct.
Evidence suggests that cultivated corn arose through natural crossings, perhaps first with gamagrass to yield teosinte and then possibly with back-crossing of teosinte to primitive maize to produce modern races. There are numerous theories as to the ancestors of modern corn and many scientific articles and books have been written on the subject. Corn is perhaps the most completely domesticated of all field crops. Its perpetuation for centuries has depended wholly on the care of man. It could not have existed as a wild plant in its present form.
Corn is often classified as dent corn, flint corn, flour corn, popcorn, sweet corn, waxy corn, and pod corn. The remainder of this discussion will be concerned only with dent corn, which is the major type cultivated in the United States.
Corn was the most important cultivated plant in ancient times in America. Early North American expeditions show that the corn?growing area ex-tended from southern North Dakota and both sides of the lower St. Lawrence Valley southward to northern Argentina and Chile. It extended west-ward to the middle of Kansas and Nebraska, and an important lobe of the Mexican area extended northward to Arizona, New Mexico and southern Colorado. It was also an important crop in the high valleys of the Andes in South America.
The great variability of the corn plant led to the selection of numerous widely adapted varieties which hardly resembled one another. The plant may have ranged from no more than a couple of feet tall to over 20 feet. It was not like the uniform sized plant that most people know today. For the Aztecs, Mayas, Incas and various Pueblo dwellers of the southwestern United States, corn growing took precedence over all other activities.
The principal role of the corn plant during the 19th century was closely tied to the development of the Midwest. In the movement westward, corn found its major home in the woodland clearings and grasslands of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and adjacent states. These were places where it had not been grown widely in prehistoric times.
As early as 1880, the United States grew over 62 million acres of corn. By 1900, this figure had reached approximately 95 million acres; by 1910, it was over 100 million acres. The highest acreage ever recorded in the United States was 111 million acres in 1917.
From the beginning of records in the 1880s, through the mid 1930s, there was no significant increase in the national average corn yield. Yields during the 1920s and 1930s were no higher than those produced as a national average in the late 1800S.
It was not until the vast technological advances in the early 1940s that corn yields started to show significant yield increases. Prior to this time, the highest U.S. average yield was recorded in 1906 at 31.7 bushels per acre. Following moderate yield increases in the 1940s and 1950s, yields shot up in the 1960s and early 1970s to a national average of 109.5 bushels per acre in 1979. In 2000, US farmers planted over 79 million acres of corn. More than 40% of the world's corn is produced in the United States.
Total acreage is now less than in earlier years, but planting has increased in the more favorable areas of the Corn Belt. Iowa is normally the leading corn producing state, followed closely by Illinois. As early as 1910, Iowa had 8.5 million acres of corn, which averaged nearly 40 bushels per acre. In 1935, Iowa had 9.7 million acres of corn, averaging 39 bushels per acre. In 1960, Iowa averaged 62 bushels per acre on nearly 12.5 million acres. In 2000, Iowa farmers averaged 145 bushels per acre on more than 12 million acres. The highest all time record corn acreage in Iowa was 14.4 million acres in 1980.
Corn and soybeans form a major base of the Iowa economy. The combination of favorable soils, weather, and management know-how for the production of these two crops is rivaled by few other places in the world.
Although few people are directly involved in the production of these major crops, many jobs are associated with this industry. Industries involved in crop processing, marketing, production of farm machinery and other farm inputs exist because of our ability to grow crops in Iowa. Massive livestock industries also depend on feed produced from Iowa soils.
Corn and Malleus Maleficarum:
Corn was not brought into Europe from the Americas until the 16th century. Up to that point, the word corn meant 'small seed' or 'cereal grain' (Ayto 137).
According to the Malleus Maleficarum, corn and oats were used by witches to feed stolen penises. Cornstalks were also ridden as the same manner as brooms. In Ireland, tales were told of cornstalks which "turn into horses the moment you bestride them" (Thiselton-Dyer 61).
Uses of Corn:
Traditional herb-Corn meal has been used by Native Americans for a wide range of ailments. It makes an effective poultice and has been used in Mayan, Incan, and American folk medicine to treat bruises, swellings, sores, boils, and similar conditions. Vogel in American Indian Medicine (1970) stated that "the Chickasaw Indians treated itching skin, followed by sores when scratched, by burning old corncobs and holding the affected part over the smoke."
Urinary remedy-Partly due to its significant potassium content, corn silk is a useful diuretic for almost all problems of the urinary system. Corn silk soothes and relaxes the lining of the urinary tubules and bladder, relieving irritation and improving urine flow and elimination. Corn silk is also helpful for frequent urination caused by irritation of the bladder and urethral walls, and for difficulty in passing urine such as in prostate disorders.
Kidney stones-Corn silk is thought to have a beneficial effect on the kidneys, reducing kidney stone formation and relieving some of the symptoms of existing stones.
Cystitis-Chronic cystitis can be relieved with corn silk and and it is a useful adjunct to other treatments for acute cystitis.
Chinese remedy-In China, corn silk is used to treat fluid retention and jaundice.
Other medical uses-Temporomandibular joint syndrome or disorder TMJ (TMD).
In grammes per 100g weight of food:
Water: 10.6 Calories: 361 Protein: 9.4 Fat: 4.3 Carbohydrate: 74.4 Fibre: 1.8 Ash: 1.3
In milligrammes per 100g weight of food:
Calcium: 9 Phosphorus: 290 Iron: 2.5 VitaminA: 140 Thiamine: 0.43 Riboflavin: 0.1 Niacin: 1.9 VitaminC: 0
Uses for maize(Corn):
Coffee; Oil; Pollen; Seed; Stem.
Seed - raw or cooked. Corn is one of the most commonly grown foods in the world. The seed can be eaten raw or cooked before it is fully ripe and there are varieties especially developed for this purpose (the sweet corns) that have very sweet seeds and are delicious. The mature seed can be dried and used whole or ground into a flour. It has a very mild flavour and is used especially as a thickening agent in foods such as custards. The starch is often extracted from the grain and used in making confectionery, noodles etc. The dried seed of certain varieties can be heated in an oven when they burst to make Popcorn. The seed can also be sprouted and used in making uncooked breads and cereals. A nutritional analysis is available.
The fresh succulent 'silks' (the flowering parts of the cob) can also be eaten.
An edible oil is obtained from the seed, it is an all-purpose culinary oil that is frequently used as a food in salads and for cooking purposes.
The pollen is used as an ingredient of soups. Rich in protein, it is harvested by tapping the flowering heads over a flat surface such as a bowl. Harvesting the pollen will actually help to improve fertilisation of the seeds.
The roasted seed is a coffee substitute.
The pith of the stem is chewed like sugar cane and is sometimes made into a syrup
Documented Properties & Actions: Demulcent, Diuretic, Stimulant, Tonic
The grain is taken from the husk by hand, and when ground upon stones, makes an excellent flour, of which it yields much more, with much less bran, than wheat does, and exceeds it in crust, pancakes, puddings, and all other uses except bread; but a sweetness peculiar to it, which in all other cases makes it agreeable, is here less so. It is excellent for feeding horses, poultry and hogs, and fattens them much better and sooner than peas or barley. The stems make better hedges for kitchen garden than reeds do. It clears the ground from weeds, and makes a good season for any other kind of grain. It was the only bread-grain known in America when first discovered by the Spaniardss, and is there called maize.
The primary uses for corn in North America are the production of corn sweeteners, as a feed for livestock, and the production of ethanol. Ethanol, a type of alcohol, is mostly used as an additive in gasoline to increase the octane rating. Many scientists speculate that fuel ethanol will mostly be produced from switchgrass and other biomass sources in the future.
In 1940, Barbara McClintock received the Nobel Prize in Medicine for discovery of the first transposons in maize.
Common and Medicinal Uses of Corn:
The grain is taken from the husk by hand, and when ground upon stones, makes an excellent flour, of which it yields much more, with much less bran, than wheat does, and exceeds it in crust, pancakes, puddings, and all other uses except bread; but a sweetness peculiar to it, which in all other cases makes it agreeable, is here less so. It is excellent for feeding horses, poultry and hogs, and fattens them much better and sooner than peas or barley. The stems make better hedges for kitchen garden than reeds do. It clears the ground from weeds, and makes a good season for any other kind of grain. It was the only bread-grain known in America when first discovered by the Spaniardss, and is there called maize.
In 1940, Barbara McClintock received the Nobel Prize in Medicine for discovery of the first transposons in maize.
During the mid 1960s, about 75 percent of the corn was fed to livestock, 13 percent was exported, and the remainder went into human food and industrial products. By 2000, the relative amount of corn fed to livestock had decreased to 60 percent, 22 percent was exported, 6 percent was used for High-Fructose Corn Sweetener, 6 percent was processed for ethanol, and 6 percent went into other products.
Between 90 and 95 percent of the crop is harvested for grain; the remaining 5 to 10 percent is grown for silage. Of the corn fed to livestock in 1960, about 40 percent went to hogs, 20 percent to poultry, 30 percent to cattle on feed and milk cows, and 10 percent to other types of livestock. By 2000, these amounts had shifted to 29 percent to cattle on feed, 29 percent to poultry, 24 percent to hogs, 16 percent to dairy cattle, and 2 percent to other types of livestock.
One reference lists over 500 different uses for corn. Corn is a component of canned corn, baby food, hominy, mush, puddings, tamales, and many more human foods.
Some industrial uses of corn include filler for plastics, packing materials, insulating materials, adhesives, chemicals, explosives, paint, paste, abrasives, dyes, insecticides, pharmaceuticals, organic acids, solvents, rayon, antifreeze, soaps, and many more.
Corn also is used as the major study plant for many academic disciplines such as genetics, physiology, soil fertility and biochemistry. It is doubtful that any other plant has been studied as extensively as has the corn plant.
A bushel of shelled corn weighs 56 pounds.
Traditional herb Corn meal has been used by Native Americans for a wide range of ailments. It makes an effective poultice and has been used in Mayan, Incan, and American folk medicine to treat bruises, swellings, sores, boils, and similar conditions. Vogel in American Indian Medicine (1970) stated that "the Chickasaw Indians treated itching skin, followed by sores when scratched, by burning old corncobs and holding the affected part over the smoke."
Urinary remedy Partly due to its significant potassium content, corn silk is a useful diuretic for almost all problems of the urinary system. Corn silk soothes and relaxes the lining of the urinary tubules and bladder, relieving irritation and improving urine flow and elimination. Corn silk is also helpful for frequent urination caused by irritation of the bladder and urethral walls, and for difficulty in passing urine such as in prostate disorders.
Kidney stones Corn silk is thought to have a beneficial effect on the kidneys, reducing kidney stone formation and relieving some of the symptoms of existing stones.
Cystitis Chronic cystitis can be relieved with corn silk and and it is a useful adjunct to other treatments for acute cystitis.
Chinese remedy In China, corn silk is used to treat fluid retention and jaundice.
Other medical uses Temporomandibular joint syndrome or disorder TMJ (TMD).
Medicinal Action and Uses
Diuretic and mild stimulant. A good emollient poultice for ulcers, swellings, rheumatic pains. An infusion of the parched corn allays nausea and vomiting in many diseases. Cornmeal makes a palatable and nutritious gruel and is an excellent diet for convalescents.
Cancer; Cholagogue; Demulcent; Diuretic; Hypoglycaemic; Hypotensive; Lithontripic; Stimulant; Vasodilator; Warts.
A decoction of the leaves and roots is used in the treatment of strangury, dysuria and gravel.
The corn silks are cholagogue, demulcent, diuretic, lithontripic, mildly stimulant and vasodilator. They also act to reduce blood sugar levels and so are used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus as well as cystitis, gonorrhoea, gout etc. The silks are harvested before pollination occurs and are best used when fresh because they tend to lose their diuretic effect when stored and also become purgative.
A decoction of the cob is used in the treatment of nose bleeds and menorrhagia.
The seed is diuretic and a mild stimulant. It is a good emollient poultice for ulcers, swellings and rheumatic pains[4], and is widely used in the treatment of cancer, tumours and warts. It contains the cell-proliferant and wound-healing substance allantoin, which is widely used in herbal medicine (especially from the herb comfrey, Symphytum officinale) to speed the healing process.
The plant is said to have anticancer properties and is experimentally hypoglycaemic and hypotensive.
Hot, fresh corn-on-the-cob is an almost essential part of any summertime party. Fortunately, it is also worthy part of any healthful menu. Our food ranking system qualified corn as a very good source of thiamin (vitamin B1), and a good source of many vitamins including pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), folate, niacin (vitamin B3) and vitamin C. Corn was also determined to be a good source of dietary fiber, and the minerals phosphorous and magnesium.
A High-Fiber Food:
Diets high in fiber-rich foods like corn - a cup provides 23% of the daily value for fiber - have been shown to lower high cholesterol levels, reduce the risk of colon cancer, and alleviate some of the uncomfortable symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
In addition to its beneficial effects on the digestive system and the heart, the fiber found in corn can help stabilize blood sugar levels. If you have insulin resistance, hypoglycemia or diabetes, corn may help you balance blood sugar levels while providing steady, slow-burning energy. Studies of high fiber diets and blood sugar levels have shown the dramatic benefits provided by high fiber foods. Researchers compared two groups of people with Type II diabetes who were fed different amounts of high fiber foods. One group ate the standard American Diabetic diet, which contained 24 grams of fiber/day, while the other group ate a diet containing 50 grams of fiber/day. Those who ate the diet higher in fiber had lower levels of both plasma glucose (blood sugar) and insulin (the hormone that helps blood sugar get into cells). The high fiber group also reduced their total cholesterol by nearly 7%, their triglyceride levels by 10.2% and their VLDL (Very Low Density Lipoprotein--the most dangerous form of cholesterol)levels by 12.5%.
Corn for Cardiovascular Health:
Corn's contribution to heart health lies not just in its fiber, but in the significant amounts of folate, niacin, and magnesium that corn supplies.
Folate, which you may know about as a B-vitamin needed to prevent birth defects, also helps to lower levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that is an intermediate product in an important metabolic process called the methylation cycle. Homocysteine can directly damage blood vessels, so elevated blood levels of this dangerous molecule are an independent risk factor for heart attack, stroke, or peripheral vascular disease, and are found in between 20-40% of patients with heart disease. It has been estimated that consumption of 100% of the daily value (DV) of folate would, by itself, reduce the number of heart attacks suffered by Americans each year by 10%. Folate-rich diets are also associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer.
A cup of corn supplies 19% of the DV for folate along with 18.9% of the DV for niacin, another B vitamin that may lessen cardiovascular disease risk by helping to lower high cholesterol. As for the magnesium in corn, magnesium is Nature's own calcium channel blocker. When there is enough magnesium around, veins and arteries breathe a sigh of relief and relax, which lessens resistance and improves the flow of blood, oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. Studies show that a deficiency of magnesium is not only associated with heart attack but that immediately following a heart attack, lack of sufficient magnesium promotes free radical injury to the heart. Due, in part, to its relaxant effects, the magnesium found in corn has also been shown to reduce the severity of conditions like asthma and migraine, lower high blood pressure, and reduce the risk of atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease. A cup of corn provides 16.4% of the DV for magnesium.
Lower Your Risk of Developing Lung Cancer:
Consuming foods rich in beta-cryptoxanthin, an orange-red carotenoid found in highest amounts in corn, pumpkin, papaya, red bell peppers, tangerines, oranges and peaches, may significantly lower one¡¯s risk of developing lung cancer. A study published in the September 2003 issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention reviewed dietary and lifestyle data collected from 63,257 adults in Shanghai, China, who were followed for 8 years, during which time 482 cases of lung cancer were diagnosed. Those eating the most crytpoxanthin-rich foods showed a 27% reduction in lung cancer risk. When current smokers were evaluated, those who were also in the group consuming the most cryptoxanthin-rich foods were found to have a 37% lower risk of lung cancer compared to smokers who ate the least of these health-protective foods. (December 3, 2003)
Maintain Your Memory with Thiamin (Vitamin B1):
Corn is an excellent source of thiamin, providing one-third (32.7%) of the daily value for this nutrient in a single cup. Thiamin is an integral participant in enzymatic reactions central to energy production and is also critical for brain cell/cognitive function. This is because thiamin is needed for the synthesis of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter essential for memory, whose lack has been found to be a significant contributing factor in age-related impairment in mental function (senility) and Alzheimer's disease. In fact, Alzheimer's disease is clinically characterized by a decrease in acetylcholine levels. Don't forget to make corn a staple in your healthy diet.
Support for Energy Production, Even Under Stress:
In addition to its thiamin, corn is a good source of pantothenic acid as well as its aforementioned niacin-vitamin B3. Both pantothenic acid and niacin are necessary for carbohydrate, protein and lipid metabolism. Pantothenic acid is an especially valuable B-vitamin when you're under stress since it supports the function of the adrenal glands. A cup of corn supplies 28.8% of the daily value for pantothenic acid along with 18.9% of the daily value for niacin.
Other Uses:
Adhesive; Fuel; Oil; Packing; Paper.
A glue is made from the starch in the seed. This starch is also used in cosmetics and the manufacture of glucose.
A semi-drying oil is obtained from the seed. It has many industrial uses, in the manufacture of linoleum, paints, varnishes, soaps etc.
The corn spathes are used in the production of paper, straw hats and small articles such as little baskets.
A fibre obtained from the stems and seed husks is used for making paper. They are harvested in late summer after the seed has been harvested, they are cut into usable pieces and soaked in clear water for 24 hours. They are then cooked for 2 hours in soda ash and then beaten in a ball mill for 1? hours in a ball mill. The fibres make a light greenish cream paper. Be careful not to overcook the fibre otherwise it will produce a sticky pulp that is very hard to form into paper.
The dried cobs are used as a fuel.
The pith of the stems is used as a packing material.
Safety,Dosage,Research of Corn:
How Much to take:Dosage
Use corn silk as an infusion, fresh or dried. In urinary tract infections, take 1 cup, 200 ml (8 fl oz) three times a day. Use a decoction of the meal as a poultice for wounds and sores. As a tincture take 3 ml (50 drops) three times a day for conditions such as cystitis. The Chinese dosage is 15 - 30 g (3/4 - 1 1/2 oz).
How it works in the body:
Corn silk works mainly in the urinary tract. The saponins largely act as an anti-inflammatory in the body and the allantoin as a healing agent, with the mucilage giving a demulcent or soothing effect to irritated tissues. The potassium balances out the diuretic effect of the herb, which is used in conditions of water retention. Their combined action is useful for a number of urinary tract conditions, such as cystitis and prostatitis. Vitamin K is a fat soluble vitamin that is essential for blood clotting within the body.
Research:
Bile production - Corn silk is thought to stimulate production of bile, improving its flow from the liver through the bile ducts.
Circulatory remedy - Research in China indicates that corn silk lowers blood pressure and reduces blood-clotting time.
Safety:
Although allergic reactions can occur to virtually any food, research studies on food allergy consistently report more problems with some foods than with others. Common symptoms associated with an allergic reaction to food include: chronic gastrointestinal disturbances; frequent infections, e.g. ear infections, bladder infections, bed-wetting; asthma, sinusitis; eczema, skin rash, acne, hives; bursitis, joint pain; fatigue, headache, migraine; hyperactivity, depression, insomnia.
Individuals who suspect food allergy to be an underlying factor in their health problems may want to avoid commonly allergenic foods. Corn is one of the foods most commonly associated with allergic reactions. Other foods commonly associated with allergic reactions include: cow¡¯s milk, wheat, eggs, soybeans, oranges, beef, pork, chicken, peanuts, yeast, strawberry, tomato, and spinach. These foods do not need to be eaten in their pure, isolated form in order to trigger an adverse reaction. For example, yogurt made from cow¡¯s milk is also a common allergenic food, even though the cow¡¯s milk has been processed and fermented in order to make the yogurt. Ice cream made from cow¡¯s milk would be an equally good example. Individuals who are allergic to corn may also need to avoid all products that contain corn syrup.
Corn's family tree and spectrum of Corn:
While origins of most major crop species are clearly known, the genealogy of corn has been difficult to establish. The Mexican annual grass teosinte (Zea mays subspecies parviglumis) was identified only quite recently as corn's closest relative. Some ecologists have suggested that teosinte may originally have been cultivated not for its ears, which are numerous and small, but for the sugary pith of its stem.1 Others postulate that corn originated through hybridization of a perennial variety of teosinte, Zea diploperennis, with another grass, Tripsacum dactyloides.2
Despite their differences, corn and teosinte are able to form hybrids with one another when grown in the same geographic area. Corn-teosinte crosses produce a "wild corn" known in Mexico as "ma¨ªz de coyote," or "coyote corn."3 Tripsacum species can also hybridize with domesticated corn, although offspring of direct crosses are generally sterile.4
By studying corn's history, researchers can identify sources of disease resistance. Zea diploperennis, for example, contains genes for resistance to seven of the nine principal viruses that infect corn crops in the U.S. Hybrids of this species with domestic corn have produced virus-resistant corn now grown in South Africa.5 In another case, a cross between domestic corn and Tripsacum dactyloides-Zea diploperennis hybrids created a corn variety resistant to corn rootworm.
Corn diversity:
Specific crop varieties developed to fit local conditions and individual farmers' preferences are known as landraces or "criollos." Many potentially important genetic traits are conserved in landraces bred and managed by small farmers. One recent study that looked at diversity in enzymes in Mexican corn found high genetic variation within individual races of corn. This means that conservation efforts focused simply on maintaining genetic material from each race would be insufficient to maintain existing genetic diversity since some diversity appears to be directly linked to location. The study's authors are concerned that rapid replacement of landraces by commercial varieties in some areas could result in loss of valuable genetic material.6
Use of hybrids:
Commercial corn producers rely on hybrid corn seed. These hybrid crops are able to reproduce, but their offspring display unpredictable sets of traits and thus are impractical for use on a commercial scale. As a result, commercial corn growers must purchase new seed every year. In contrast, small farmers in Mexico and other developing countries often save corn seed from one year to the next.
Varieties:
Ornamental Corn - Grow from shelled kernels or order from catalogues. Indian Fingers has thin ears only 3 to 4 inches long.
Popcorn - Yellow: Cr¨¨me-Puff Hybrid. Early yellow: Tom Thumb. White: Popwhite, White Cloud hybrid, Burpee's Peppy Hybrid. Ornamental: Cutie Pops, Symphonie, Strawberry.
Sweet Corn - The choice is huge. Days to maturity (early, midseason, or late), kernel color (yellow, white, or bicolored), ear size (small, med., lg.) and sweetness (standard, very sweet, super-sweet, or ultra-sweet) are all factors to consider. Super- and ultra-sweet kinds should be isolated so that they won't cross with standard types. Below are a few of the more popular hybrids.
Early standard: Aztec, Early Sunglow, Party time, Polar Vee, Seneca Star. Midseason standard: Candystick, Honey & Cream, Seneca Chief (AAS). Midseason very sweet: Crusader. Midseason super-sweet: Butterfruit Bicolor. Midseason ultra-sweet: How Sweet It Is (AAS). Late Standard: Silver Queen. Late very sweet: Great Taste, Kandy Korn E.H. Late super-sweet: Burpee's Sugar Sweet, Florida Staysweet.
Recommended varieties:
Grain corn - (i) Metro, (ii) Suwan 1 (iii) Suwan 2 (iv) Suwan 3
Sweet corn - (i) Thai Super Sweet, (ii) Hawaiian Super Sweet, (iii) Canadian Rocky, (iv) Honey Jean 11~(Hybrids F1).
Class pictures:
(i)Ruby Queen Hybrid Sweet Corn;(ii)Silver Queen White Corn;(iii)Honey 'n' Pearl Bicolor Corn;(iv)Xtra-Sweet Corn:
Dent (Zea mays indenata):
Dent corn is often used as livestock feed, in industrial products, or to make processed foods. Dent corn is also frequently referred to as "field" corn. Either white or yellow, dent kernals contain both hard and soft starch that become indented at maturity.
DENT corn, the scientific name of which is Zea mays indentata, is also called "field" corn. It is a corn variety with kernels that contain both hard and soft starch and become indented at maturity. It is a major crop used to make food, animal feed, and industrial products. This is the only variety to be considered for cornstarch manufacturing.
Flint (Zea mays indurata):
Flint corn, also known as Indian corn, is used for similar purposes as dent corn. Flint corn is distinguished by a hard outer shell and kernals with a range of colors from white to red. (You can remember that it has a very hard exterior by thinking of flint, the stone.) Today, most flint corn is grown in Central and South America.
FLINT corn, known by the scientific name Zea mays indurata, is a variety of corn having hard, horny, rounded or short and flat kernels with the soft and starchy endosperm completely enclosed by a hard outer layer. It is similar to dent and is used for the same purposes. Most of it is grown in South America.
Sweet (Zea saccharata or Zea rugosa):
Sweet corn is primarily eaten on the cob, or it can be canned or frozen for future consumption. Sweet corn is seldom used for feed or flour. Sweet corn is extra sweet because it contains more natural sugars than other types of corn. (Field corn contains 4% sugar at the same stage standard sweet corn contains 10% sugar.) Almost 50% of the sugar can be converted to starch only 24 hours after sweet corn is picked, so it is best to eat it fresh!
SWEET or "green" corn is eaten fresh, canned, or frozen. It is a type of corn that is grown in many horticultural varieties. It is variously considered a distinct species (Zea saccharata or Zea rugosa), a subspecies (Zea mays rugosa) or a specific mutation of dent corn. It is distinguished by kernels containing a high percentage of sugar in the milk stage when they are suitable for table use.
Sweet corn is a warm-season vegetable that can be grown easily in any garden with sufficient light, fertility, growing season and space. It is especially popular with home gardeners because it tastes appreciably better when it is harvested and eaten fresh from the garden. Successive plantings can yield continual harvests from early summer until frost if the weather cooperates.
Sweet corn may be divided into three distinct types according to genetic background: normal sugary (SU), sugary enhancer (SE) and supersweet (Sh2).
Standard sweet corn varieties contain a "sugary (SU) gene" that is responsible for the sweetness and creamy texture of the kernels. SUs are best suited to being picked, husked and eaten within a very short time. In the home garden, this is sometimes possible but not always practical. The old adage was "start the water boiling, run to the patch, pick and husk the corn, run back to the pot, cook the corn, and eat or process immediately."
Other kinds of Corn:
WAXY corn is a corn variety with grains that have a waxy appearance when cut, and that contains only branched-chain starch. Waxy corn starch is over 99% amylopectin, whereas regular corn contains 72-76% amylopectin and 24-28% amylose. Amylopectin is a branched form of starch of high molecular weight, while amylose is a smaller unbranched or linear form of starch. Waxy corn is processed in wet milling to produce waxy cornstarch which slowly retrogrades back to the crystalline form of starch. It is grown to make special starches for thickening foods in particularly those that undergo large temperature changes in processing and preparation.
POPCORN is a variety of corn, Zea mays everta, which has small ears and small pointed or rounded kernels with very hard corneous endosperm that, on exposure to dry heat, are popped or everted by the expulsion of the contained moisture, and form a white starchy mass many times the size of the original kernel.
INDIAN corn has white, red, purple, brown, or multicoloured kernels. It was the original corn grown by the Indians, and is known by the scientific name Zea mays. It is many times seen in harvest time and Halloween decorations.
FLOUR corn, also called "soft" corn or "squaw" corn, has kernels shaped like those of flint corn and composed almost entirely of soft starch. It is known by the scientific name Zea mays amylacea. USA grows small amounts of blue flour corn to make tortillas, chips, and baked goods. In South America this corn is grown in various colours to make food and beer.
Sugary enhancer hybrids contain the sugary enhancer (SE) gene, that significantly raises the sugar content above standard SUs while retaining the tenderness and creamy texture of standard varieties. The taste, tenderness and texture are outstanding. SEs are the gourmet corns of choice for home gardeners because they contain the best qualities of both SU and Sh2 types. Fresh from the garden, virtually all current SE releases have eating quality that is superior to all other types. No isolation from standard SUs is necessary.
Supersweet hybrids contain the shrunken -2 gene and have a higher sugar content than the standard SU varieties. The kernels of the extra-sweet varieties have a crispy, tough-skinned texture and contain low amounts of the water-soluble polysaccharides that impart the creamy texture and "corny" flavor to other sweet corn varieties. Although the lack of creamy texture is not especially noticeable in fresh corn on the cob, it affects the quality of frozen and canned corn, as does the toughness of the seed coat. Unless corn must be stored, shipped or mechanically harvested, SEs are superior in eating quality to Sh2s.
Supersweets (Sh2) should be isolated from any other type of corn tasseling at the same time to ensure sweetness and tenderness. Their pollen is weak and easily supplanted by other types, which causes the kernel to revert to a form with the toughness and starchiness of field corn. Because corn is wind-pollinated, this isolation distance can be 500 feet or more, especially downwind.
Characterization of Anthocyanin Extracts from Maize Kernels:
The aim of the present work is to characterize the pigments present in the kernel of four native maize varieties related to the races Arrocillo, Conico, Peruano, and Purepecha to determine their possible use as natural dyes. Total anthocyanin content is determined by a conventional spectrophotometric method, and anthocyanin analysis is done by high-performance liquid chromatography. The stability of the pigment at pH is also evaluated. The four maize samples contained anthocyanin in both the pericarp and aleurone layer.
Total anthocyanin content among samples ranged from 54 mg/100 g of sample to 115 mg/100 g of sample. Anthocyanin profiles are almost the same among the four samples. Differences are observed only in the relative percentage of each anthocyanin. The anthocyanins identified are cyanidin-3-glucoside, pelargonidin- 3-glucoside, peonidin-3-glucoside, cyanidin-3-(6" malonylglucoside), and cyanidin-3-(3",6"-dimalonylglucoside). Anthocyanin extracts showed similar behavior in solutions with different pH. From pH 1¨C6 lmax values are maintained almost constant; however, above this pH value, a marked increase is observed in the bathochromic shifts, but the bluish color did not continue to change above pH 8.
Scientific References:
1.Zea Mays,Sweet Corn,the uses and benefit of corn(maize)...
Claims & Warning:
Claims: Information this web site presented is meant for Nutritional Benefit and as an educational starting point only, for use in maintenance and promotion good health in cooperation with a common knowledge base reference...Furthermore,it based solely on the traditional and historic use or legend of a given herb from the garden of Adonis. Although every effort has been made to ensure its accurate, please note that some info may be outdated by more recent scientific developments......
Pharmakon Warning: The order of knowledge is not the transparent order of forms and ideas,as one might be tempted retrospectively to interpret it; it is the antidote....(Dissemination,Plato's Pharmacy,II.The Ingredients:Phantasms,Festivals,and Paints;138cf. Jacques Derrida.).
And as it happens,the technique of imitation,along with the production of the simulacrum,has always been in Plato's eyes manifestly magical,thaumaturgical:......and the same things appear bent and straight to those who view them in water and out,or concave and convex,owing to similar errors of vision about colors, and there is obviously every confusion of this sort in our souls.And so scene painting (skiagraphia) in its exploitation of this weakness of four nature falls nothing short of witchcraft (thaumatopoia), and so do jugglery and many other such contrivances.(Republic X,602c-d;cf.also 607c).
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MDidea Extracts Professional
Newly Developed Extracts Series:
Enjoy Daily Cartoons:
Serie No.:R072.Basic Data Sheet Download
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seminal trace...Corn Silk Extract.10:1.Cornsilk Extract,Stigmata maydis,Corn Stigma.Sitosterol 5%GC Stigmas and styles of Zea mays,Corn stalk extract.
Basic Botanical Data of Corn:
Corn and Malleus Maleficarum:
Scientific References:
Claims & Warning:
