Among the specimens I had collected from my friend's garden were dried corn husk and silk. Under the microscope it was actually pretty boring. Looking at the husk with the naked eye, you can see it is more furry looking and feeling on one side. So I placed two pieces of husk onto a slide. One slightly furry side up and other more furry side up.

Here you can see how furry it is.

With not much to see, I did actually learn an interesting use of the husk.

The husk should not be eaten, but it can be used to wrap meat/vegetable fillings. Similar to how banana leaves are used. By using corn husk (that has been cleaned and prepared) to wrap and cook in, it add a slight corn flavour to your food.

Corn silk is just as boring to look under the microscope.

But I found even more interesting information about corn silk and uses. Apparently it is used in medicine and they even sell them in tablet form. Say what?!

The long shiny fibers at the top of an ear of corn are called corn silk. Corn silk is used as a medicine.

Corn silk is used for bladder infections, inflammation of the urinary system, inflammation of the prostate, kidney stones, and bedwetting. It is also used to treat congestive heart failure, diabetes, high blood pressure, fatigue, and high cholesterol levels.

How does it work?
Corn silk contains proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. It also contains chemicals which might work like water pills (diuretics), and it might alter blood sugar levels, and help reduce inflammation.

Source

You can actually make corn silk tea to drink. You can use fresh or dried corn silk. There are actually a lot of nutrients in corn silk.

Here are two methods of making corn silk tea I found from this site

Method 1

This is the usual method. You will need ingredients like:

Dry or fresh corn silk
Water
Lemon juice

1. You will need to boil water for some time.
2. When it starts boiling, drop the dried or fresh silk atop.
3. Let it boil for a few minutes and steep for a few minutes.
4. This will turn into a brown hued caramel-like liquid.
5. Strain and serve the tea. You may have it both cold and warm.
6. Some people prefer adding lemon juice to add to the taste and flavor of this tea.
7. Leftover tea can be kept in the refrigerator for a few days.

Method 2

This method is ideal for those who want to obtain the natural benefits of corn silk. The ingredients are:

Dried corn silk, chopped
Water
Honey

1. This method does not need boiling.
2. Pour some water in a glass jar with a lid.
3. Add the dried silk corn in the water.
4. Put on the lid and then keep the jar out in the sun for an entire day.
5. At the end of the day, bring the jar inside and add some honey to it and stir well.
6. Keep it in the refrigerator and serve chilled.

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I was initially reluctant and afraid to post about corn husk and silk because there really wasn't much to share about it. But once I searched online I became excited and intrigued. I will have to try making corn silk tea one day for my partner. Koreans do drink corn tea, but it is made using the kernels, not the silk.