What is "corn silk"

Corn silk is a common name for the shiny, thread-like, weak fibers that grow as part of ears of corn ( maize); the tuft or tassel of silky fibers that protrude from the tip of the ear of corn. The ear is enclosed in modified leaves called husks. Each individual fiber is an elongated style, attached to an individual ovary. The term probably originated somewhere between 1850 and 1855.

Corn silk contains a variety of pharmacologically-active compounds, and as such is used in many types of folk medicine, including as a diuretic and as an inhibitor of melanin production.