[Video] Not Your Average Cup of Tea

Published on 2012/10/28 | Source

Green tea is so yesterday – Korean corn silk tea may just be the newest "it" drink.

Though many types of tea have displayed health benefits, studies show that corn silk helps alleviate ailments from kidney stones to carpal tunnel syndrome.

According to the Korea Times, new studies say corn silk even carries anti-cancer agents as well as a chemical that prevent aging of the skin.

In 2006, Kwang Dong Pharmaceutical, a leading pharma company in Korea, introduced Corn Silk Tea and has seen continual sales growth ever since.

I'm sure having actors Hyun Bin and Han Hyo-joo as the faces of the product didn't hurt either. They lent their V-shaped faces to the commercials, which feature the tea as a slimming drink, helping to create the V-shaped face line (slim and sharp jawline) that is so highly desired in Korea – here, the smaller your face, the bigger the beauty factor.

Hyun Bin's commercial:

Han Hyo-joo's commercial:

Kwang Dong Pharmaceutical now exports the tea overseas to countries including the U.S., China, Japan and Taiwan.

However, Kwang Dong has stated that the drink is not for medical use, adding "a consumer should not expect it to improve their health", although studies have shown that corn silk is widely used in traditional Korean medicine.

According to the Korea Times,

"The Rural Development Administration (RDA) and Kwang Dong have succeeded in developing the technology to extract maysin from corn silk. Maysin is a type of flavonoid that can reduce cancer risks in some cases.

A different study this year showed that corn silk contains substances that can slow down the aging process of the skin.

The Regional Innovation Center (RIC) under the Ministry of Knowledge and Economy said a condensed extract of corn silk in liquid form can be used as an antioxidant and also prevent wrinkles. The extract increased the number of hyaluronan synthase 2, a substance that helps the human body maintain moisture. The extract also reduced the amount of matrix metalloproteinase-1, which dissolves collagen to prevent wrinkles".

Live Strong says corn tea has an even wider range of health benefits. It may improve urinary tract infections and kidney stones; help to alleviate common symptoms of premenstrual syndrome; stabilize blood-glucose levels; alleviate prostate disorders, carpal tunnel syndrome and obesity. It even has antiseptic properties that help to eliminate skin boils and treat other minor wounds or infections.

The drink has been praised by many others, for example slotting in at No. 12 on CNNGo's list of 20 Delicious Korean Drinks.

I personally am a fan of the tea and first tried it after mistaking it for my all-time favorite drink, barley tea. Though you'd think it tastes like an ear of corn, the corn flavor is quite subtle. The drink is regularly stocked in our office fridge and it's usually the first thing I reach for, sometimes as a substitute for coffee. Knowing it has all these extra health benefits makes it that much more refreshing.

About the author by Donna Choi

Born and raised in the States, I came to Seoul in 2009 and have loved living and working in such a high-tech and connected city ever since. I enjoy collecting unique, cute gadgets/items (I have a bread-scented smartphone case!) and traveling around Korea. My personal mission while living in Korea: Try every type of Korean food known to exist.

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