Nourishing Oats

Oats!

Botanical Name: Avena sativa    Family: Graminaeae

Other names: Milky oats, Oatmeal, Oatstraw

Parts used: Everything but the roots. Herbalists use the milky oat tops and the oatstraw, the ripened seed is used as food.

Energetics: Avena sativa is moistening and neutral in the body.

Herbal Actions: nutritive, adaptogen, emollient, nervine, diuretic, cardiac, anti-inflammatory anti-spasmodic, anti-cholesteremic.

What do we use oats for?

Dried oatstraw and tops

Oats is an herb/plant/food to be loved and appreciated in all it's forms. Many are unaware of the medicinal properties of oats or of oats as herbs. Most of you however are likely familiar with oats as a food. Even as a food, oats are a medicinally powerful plant but that magic isn't confined to the seed and what we commonly know as oatmeal. Herbalists use the milky oat tops, which is the unripened green seed at it's milky stage and the fresh or freshly dried oatstraw. 

Oatmeal when eaten eases inflammation in the GI tract. The moistening qualities present in the entire plant serve to line the stomach and intestines when irritation occurs. When eaten or used regularly oats have the ability to dramatically lower blood cholesterol levels and act as a cardiac tonic. Nursing mothers who consume oats, either in seed form or herb form, increase the production and quality of breast milk. It's also a great herb/food for diabetics as it helps to lower blood sugar. The nourishing qualities of this herb are amazing! Oats are very high in silicon, which is necessary for the growth and health of hair, skin and nails. Also being high in Calcium, oats are an excellent tonic for the skeletal system. Other nutrients oats are high in are chromium, magnesium, niacin and Vitamin A.

Oat tops ripe for the picking

Many people use oats as a relaxing nervine, as they act as a restorative to the nervous system. This is one of my favorite uses for oatstraw. As an herbal practitioner, the number one thing that comes up with my clients is stress and issues brought on by a taxed nervous system. Because of this, I find myself recommending a lot of nervines. I like oats because I feel as though they have a more subtle and gentle approach, more so than other herbal nervines and can therefore be used for most people. This can be helpful for people who have mild difficulty sleeping or processing the day's activity or if they are overcoming a past stressful situation. This is by no means the strongest nervine but it is one of the most delicate and effective. As a tonic, it can support the nervous system long term allowing it to react to stresses more efficiently.

mmmm….

Oats can be used to increase sexual desire, as they relieve stress, help to regulate hormones(notably estrogen) and bring moisture into the body. For this reason they are also helpful for women in their menopausal years who experience symptoms such as vaginal dryness, hot flashes, and overworked adrenals. When used for this purpose, oats are often combined with other herbs, such as red clover, motherwort and/or vitex.

Externally, oats are used as an emollient for the skin and can help relieve the symptoms of conditions such as eczema or severe dry skin. They are used in many cosmetic applications and herbal baths.

Overall, I believe the best use of oats is as a regular addition to diet and as an herbal adaptogen (body system tonic), as it supports the skeletal, cardiac, reproductive and nervous systems.

How do we use oats?

Obviously we use the cultivated oat as food. Oatmeal in the mornings makes a great start to the day, aiding digestion and providing the body with all those lovely nutrients. You can also make oatmeal cookies (love the lactation cookies), use oat flower or homemade granola.

You can tincture oat tops and seed for use as a nervine and uterine tonic but this is not at all my preference. When it is extracted in alcohol, you are missing out on all the amazing nutritive properties and it's anti-inflammatory effects. The best preparation in my opinion is the nourishing infusion of the oatstraw and milky oat tops. That's 1oz of herb matter (oatstraw or combination) to 1qt of water. Let steep for 4 hours or overnight. Strain and drink! This could become a daily enjoyable beverage… as it is for me.

Oatstraw Nourishing Infusion

You can also make oatmeal into herbal baths, face scrubs, facial masks and in soaps!

Who should be using oats?

Everyone!!! Really though, I can't think of anyone who wouldn't benefit from adding oats to their diet or daily infusion. There are however, people who can use the power of oats more than others… these people include…

• Pregnant or nursing women: Oats can be very helpful to these women because of it's nourishing and stress reducing qualities. For nursing women it is helpful in milk production and quality as well as raising libido and helping with dryness that can be associated with the hormones produced while nursing.
• Menopausal and Post Menopausal women: Women who use oats on a daily basis can find relief from symptoms associated with hormone fluctuations during menopause. It is overall moistening to the system and when used in combination with a companion herb or herbs, oatstraw helps to balance the hormones. It is also nourishing to the bones and the nervous system, two things that can be quite taxed at this time.
• Overweight individuals: Oats aid in digestion, lower cholesterol levels and support the heart.
• Those with dry skin, eczema or other itchy skin issues.

Who should not use oats? Contraindications.

I cannot think of any contraindications for oats and indeed, herbs that are also considered food rarely have contraindications. It is still debated about whether oats contain gluten or not, so those who are gluten intolerant should take care and investigate further.

Cultivation, Harvest and Wildcrafting:

Oats are a cultivated plant and while they can still be found volunteering in fields, wildcrafting oats is not common practice. I think that everyone should grow oats! It is easy, does well in most soils, and you can grow it in small patches or sizable fields. It is also easy to harvest. Harvest oat tops when they are in their milky stage, harvest the straw but cutting the grasses down and drying.

Part of my little oat patch

Harvested oatstraw and milky oat tops

I hope I have inspired you to get to know this plant a little better and I hope you'll try making an oatstraw nourishing infusion or some other lovely oat creation. Share your adventures, thoughts and questions in the comments below! Blessings!

Buy bulk oatstraw and tops here!