Can corn silk lower blood sugar levels?

Corn silk has the effect of lowering blood glucose and possesses clinical benefits including diuresis, reducing edema, and aiding weight loss, thus helping to lower high blood sugar levels. Some components in corn silk can promote insulin secretion. Persistently consuming corn silk-infused water as a tea can effectively stabilize blood glucose levels and prevent excessive elevation, offering certain benefits as an adjunctive treatment for diabetes. However, corn silk cannot serve as the primary medication for diabetes treatment. To control blood sugar effectively, standardized hypoglycemic drugs such as metformin and acarbose should be used daily, with corn silk serving only as an adjunct. Corn silk can also treat kidney stones and kidney diseases and is beneficial for bodily edema. Due to its diuretic effect, it is particularly effective for edema caused by kidney disease, significantly and rapidly reducing swelling, with an effect similar to that of diuretic drugs such as furosemide. If diabetic patients wish to use corn silk consumption as an adjunct to blood sugar control, they should do so under the guidance of a physician or nutritionist and must not rely on it entirely to replace current medication. At the same time, maintaining a healthy lifestyle—including balanced nutrition, appropriate physical activity, and regular blood glucose monitoring—is crucial for effective diabetes management.