Oats (Avena sativa) have a long history, spanning over millennia. Initially dismissed as a grassy weed, oats belong to the Poaceae family. 

However, their value began to shine during the Bronze Age when they were cultivated in Northern Europe, prized for their resilience in harsh climates. By the 1600s, oats were introduced to America, quickly becoming a staple crop. Today, oats are among the top 10 crops grown in the U.S. and have earned their place as a nutritional and medicinal powerhouse, particularly for the nervous system.

While oats are best known as a breakfast favorite, their medicinal virtues are just as significant. About 150 years ago, Eclectic physicians recognized and championed the therapeutic potential of oats, making them a staple remedy among herbalists. It’s important to note that the medicinal benefits of oats are not fully captured in a simple bowl of oatmeal. The healing properties lie in the unripe seed, milky oats, green stalk, or oat straw.

After oats finish flowering, a short window of about a week presents itself, during which green, unripe milky seeds form. When these seeds are squeezed, they release a white, latex-like substance—the key to their profound effects on the nervous system. However, timing is critical; these milky oats must be harvested fresh to preserve their potent medicine.

Oat straw, on the other hand, can be harvested at any time while the stalk is still green and is rich in vitamins and minerals. While harvesting and preparing both milky oats and oat straw are essential for unlocking their full benefits, the medicinal virtues recognized by the Eclectics offer a deeper understanding of why this plant has been so highly regarded for centuries.

Medicinal Benefits 

There are two main species of oats: Avena sativa, the cultivated species, and Avena fatua, a wild species; both can be used interchangeably. The entire oat plant is nutritious and high in vitamins and minerals. Specifically, silica, magnesium, calcium, iron, protein, B complex, phosphorus, chromium, alkaloids, and vitamins A and C.  Oatstraw is mainly used for this nutritive action and is the highest in silica. Silica is essential to strengthen hair, skin, teeth, bones, and nails. I love adding it to tea for menopause! You'll find it in our Wise Women tea, which is excellent for menopausal symptoms. It also pairs nicely with nettles and horsetail for hair, skin, bones, and nails, which you'll find in our nutritive Mineral Tonic Tea.

The dried milky oat tops can also be used as a nutritive tonic, but where they shine is fresh, as a nervous system trophorestorativ, meaning they build and restore the nervous system. Their love and sweet taste are indicators that the herb is nourishing, thanks to their moisturizing polysaccharides. Another herb you will see this in is marshmallow root. This moistening action is perfect for people with a “fried” nervous system, thinking dry, weak, and frazzled. This is an herb for people who are burning the candle at both ends, have nervous system exhaustion, have number 10 reactions to number 1 problems, and are highly overworked.  Some symptoms of this are anxiety, irritability, depression, a hard time sleeping, lack of focus, and fatigue. In Dr. Sharol Tilgner's book, Herbal Medicine From The Heart Of The Earth, she speaks to its benefits on cognition. 

“It has shown the ability to enhance human memory and cognitive performance. A single oral dose of 2500 mg of wild green oat extract in healthy humans significantly increased theta electric brain activity in the left frontotemporal region during a concentration task, measured by computer-aided topographical electroencephalometry, compared with a 125 mg dose or a placebo.”

 It is also a specific remedy for occipital headaches and pain that extends down into the neck, which can feel like sharp shock-line pain. It works on the nervous and endocrine systems, helping with adrenal exhaustion, sexual weakness, and hormonal imbalances due to this overworked state. Think of this sexual weakness as one is so burnt out that there is not only a lack of energy and desire, but even hypersensitivity to being touched due to the frazzled nerves. Milky oats, especially when paired with skullcap, are an excellent remedy for addiction withdrawal symptoms, which would be given as a tincture in large doses. The best thing about milky oats is that, unlike some nervines, they won’t make you sleepy! So now, how do you prepare both the oat straw and milky oats to get this goodness?

How to Prepare

Oatstraw is best dried and used in teas, as it will extract the most vitamins and minerals. For every cup of water, use 1 Tablespoon of oat straw. On the other hand, fresh milky oat seeds are not as water-soluble, making a tincture of glycerite the best extraction method. As soon as you harvest the milky oat tops, blend them up and prepare your medicine, or you could freeze them to use later. The dried milky oat tops can also be dried for tea.

Milky oats are incredibly safe. The only contraindication could be if you have celiac disease. They don't contain gluten, but they do contain Avenin, which is a similar compound. For the most part, people with celiac disease shouldn't have any problem with it, but I will still mention it as a word of caution.