Corn tea, a popular and tasty tea for dieters in Japan

Corn tea came to Japan from Korea. It is called oksusu cha and made from boiled corn kernels. You can also find とうもろこしのひげ茶 (tomorokoshi no hige cha), a beverage with corn kernels and corn silk. Corn tea boasts natural sweetness and low caloric value.Moreover, it works as a diuretic and blood sugar stabilizer. Hence the highly appreciated by Japanese women weight loss effect. The diuretic effect of corn tea is rather strong and it actually has many adverse effects. For that reason it is better to limit the intake to 1 cup per day, although one tea bag yields up to 800 ml of corn tea.

So what is corn silk exactly? Before you boil an ear of corn, you have to peel it. That’s when long strands, known as corn silk, can be seen. Usually people throw it away, but some actually tried to boil it. If you boil just the corn silk, it has a very weak yellow color and very little taste. However, it is believed to be rich in minerals (iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, silicon) and vitamins (B, C, K), flush out toxins and lower the blood pressure.

Corn tea is also claimed to help with some unpleasant symptoms of PMS. I tried drinking it just in time to prevent bloating, and I’m not too impressed, but there was a certain improvement. As any natural herbal remedy, corn tea is not a magical cure-all, but rather an interesting way to liven up your tea time.

Typically you won’t find corn tea at the supermarket, but it is available at all branches of Kaldi, at Biccamera, and on Japanese Amazon.

Article by Olga Kaneda