News, Arts and Culture from WFIU Public Radio and WTIU Public Television
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Corn as medicine?

Funmi Ayeni has been interested in food-as-medicine since she was a child. Now, as a scientist, she has the chance to test her theories about the relationship between diet and disease management.
Kayte Young/WFIU
Funmi Ayeni has been interested in food-as-medicine since she was a child. Now, as a scientist, she has the chance to test her theories about the relationship between diet and disease management.

Have you ever had a hunch about something, tested it out and been shocked by the results? That’s what happened to pharmaceutical microbiologist Funmi Ayeni.

She took a traditional Nigerian home remedy and applied the rigors of scientific research to test its efficacy. The results were nothing short of jaw-dropping.

This week on Earth Eats, a conversation with Funmi Ayeni about food research that could end up saving lives.

Funmi Ayeni is Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health in the School of Public Health at Indiana University.

You can read about her astonishing study on the anti-malarial properties of fermented milled corn water here:

Evaluation of in vivo anti-malarial potential of omidun obtained from fermented maize in Ibadan, Nigeria

Music on this Episode

The Earth Eats theme music is composed by Erin Tobey and performed by Erin and Matt Tobey.

Additional music on this episode from Universal Production Music.

Credits:

The Earth Eats’ team includes: Eoban Binder, Alexis Carvajal, Alex Chambers, Toby Foster, Daniella Richardson, Samantha Shemenaur, Payton Whaley and Harvest Public Media.

Earth Eats is produced, engineered and edited by Kayte Young. Our executive producer is Eric Bolstridge.

Kayte Young is co-host and producer of WFIU's local arts and culture show, Nice Work. Before that she produced and hosted the long-running food and farming show, Earth Eats for over 8 years, and hosted a YouTube cooking series, produced by Payton Whaley.