Oat straw ~ Avena sativa

Oat straw

Latin name: Avena sativa

Family: Gramineae

Part used: whole plant, including leaves and stem; oat seeds are used as well

Habitat: crop land

Main constituents: straw: saponins, flavonoids, starch, alkaloids (trigonelline, avenine), steroids, calcium, iron, B vitamins; seeds: avenins, flavones, avenacosides, vitamin E, silicon source (Khalsa)

Energetics: sweet, moistening

Main herbal actions: diuretic, nerve tonic, antidepressant, antispasmodic; seeds: antidepressant, thymoleptic, cardiac tonic, sedative

Minor herbal actions: rejuvenate

Main medicinal uses: rheumatic conditions, fluid retention, shingles, herpes infection

Main medicinal uses attributed to oat straw, but probably milky oat seed: addictions (such as tobacco-milky oat seed might be more appropriate), insomnia, depression, nervous debility and exhaustion

Minor medicinal uses: generally weakened constitutions, dry, irritated skin, eczema, urinary congestion

Preparations: liquid extracts, tinctures, tea, powder

Contraindications: unknown

Toxicity: unknown

Sources: http://www.libertynatural.com/database/lh93.htm; Sharol Tilgner, N.D.: Herbal Medicine from the Heart of the Earth; Wren, R.C. Potter’s New Encyclopedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations

Note: Historically, the properties and actions of seed and straw have probably become overlapped. Straw is mainly a bone and joint remedy, while green milky seed is sedative.

Module 3

High silicon content

Bone Healing

Milky seed of the oat is used for Neurotroporestorative – usually used as tincture.  KP doesn’t use it, but some herbalist swear by it.

Tinctures – alcohol – is not a good choice for nerves because it suppresses the nervous system – counterproductive.

This is where “sowing your wild oats” comes from.  Slightly aphrodisiac.Milky Oats is better decocted. It doesn’t need to be tinctured.  Best fresh.  Not good dried, as it loses its …