Oat
Parts Usually Used
Grain, straw
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Oat is an annual grass; a fibrous root produces a hollow, jointed stem from 2-4 feet high with more or less rough, pale green, narrow, flat leaves. The flowers are arranged in a loose terminal panicle from 6-12 inches long which usually consists of 2-4 flowered spikelets from 3/4 to 1 inch long. The hairy, grooved grain is narrow, with almost parallel sides. Other varieties: The Chinese oats (A.
fatua) is called Yen-mai. Seldom cultivated in China; the wild variety is sometimes harvested in times of dearth and is used in making bread. ) is a perennial plant 6-12 inches tall. Leaves are sessile, not surrounding the stems; glaucous beneath. The stem is forked about 2/3 of the way up from the ground. Flowers are pale, straw-colored bells, blooming in May to June. Wild oats are of the lily family and the roots are used medicinally.
Native Americans used the root tea to treat diarrhea, and as a blood purifier. Internally, taken to aid in healing broken bones. Externally, poulticed for boils and broken bones. The root was a folk medicine for sore throats and mouth sores; said to be mucilaginous (slimy) and somewhat acrid-tasting when fresh.
Where Found
Widely cultivated for its edible grain.
Medicinal Properties
Antispasmodic, nervine, stimulant
Biochemical Information
Saponins, flavonoids, many minerals, alkaloids, steroidal compounds, vitamins B1, B2, D, E, carotene, wheat protein (gluten), starch, fat
Legends, Myths and Stories
Long before breakfast meant a bowl of sugar-coated artificially flavored cereal, out ancestors thrived on whole grains such as oatmeal. The grain from the oat plant is nutritious, but more is known today about its effective way of reducing serum cholesterol. Rich in a gum called beta glucam, a water soluble form of fiber, oat fiber along with a low-fat diet can reduce blood cholesterol by 5% to 10%.
Oat extract is a natural relaxant and is excellent for indigestion. The dried coarse stem or straw can be used in baths to soothe hemorrhoids and to revitalize sore, aching feet. Oats are used in the making and flavoring of beer. Dry oatmeal rubbed directly on skin will remove flaky, peeling skin. Everyone should eat foods rich in oat fiber. Give the body time to adjust to the change in diet.
Too much at once may cause cramps and gas.
Uses
Historically, oat was valued primarily for its nutritional qualities, particularly within dietary regimens for convalescents and individuals recovering from gastroenteritis or dyspepsia. Herbalists prepared extracts and tinctures of the plant as tonics intended to support the nervous system, as well as for complaints of sexual debility and prostate irritation. A tea brewed from oat straw was once recommended in folk traditions for chest complaints.
In European tradition, oat straw was widely employed in full baths, sitz baths, footbaths, and local washes for a diverse range of external and systemic ailments. These applications were directed toward rheumatic issues, lumbago, gout, urinary gravel, bladder complaints, colic, digestive gas, bedwetting, and cold feet, as well as various dermatological conditions such as chilblains, frostbite, eczema, flaky skin, wounds, canker sores, and eye complaints.
The seventeenth-century herbalist Nicholas Culpeper recorded the use of an oat poultice for skin itching, and noted a traditional paste of oats boiled in vinegar intended to clear freckles and skin spots. More recent interest in the plant has centered on the dietary inclusion of oat bran and oatmeal regarding blood cholesterol levels.
How Sold
Supermarket as oat meal or oat bran bread
Warning
For those sensitive to gluten (as in celiac disease), allow the decoction or tincture to settle, then decant only the clear liquid for use.
Bibliography
, West Nyack, NY, 1987. Chinese Medicinal Herbs , compiled by Shih-Chen Li, Georgetown Press, San Francisco, California, 1973. Culpeper’s Complete Herbal & English Physician: Updated With 117 Modern Herbs , by Nicholas Culpeper, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1990, (reprint of 1814) Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10000 The Healing Plants , by Mannfried Pahlow, Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.
, Simon & Schuster/Fireside, Rockefeller Center 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020 The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, 1973 The Nature Doctor: A Manual of Traditional and Complementary Medicine , by Dr.
A. , 27 Pine Street (Box 876) New Canaan, CT. 06840-0876. Copyright Verlag A. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023