Oats first appeared as a domestic crop during the Bronze Age and have been valued ever since, due to their high nutrient content. The common oat (Avena sativa) has a tall, hollow stem with lanceolate leaves typical of the grass family, while the flowers and seeds form loose hanging panicles. The wild oats found growing along the roadsides and in paddocks belong to the same family and several species have been cultivated in Asia, Africa and Europe. The seed, husks and the fresh green straw of common oats are all used in herbal medicine.

Oats are high in carbohydrate and fibre but relatively low in protein; nevertheless, they are considered a constitution builder as well as a source of energy by robust, hard-working people such as the Scottish Highlanders who ate them as a staple. Oats are also given to farm animals in order to build endurance and bone strength, or to treat rickets.¹ Furthermore, oats were fed to greyhounds to make them run faster over long distances and it makes the horses frisky, testifying to its tonic effect.

Oats are a good source of B-vitamins, especially thiamine, and they contain several important minerals as well. The minerals include iron, magnesium, manganese, zinc and selenium.Manganese is an important mineral involved in many enzyme systems in the body and is part of the important antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase.

Oats contain the soluble fibre β-glucan which helps to balance blood lipids because it has a cholesterol-lowering effect. The fibre binds to bile acids which are made from cholesterol,  thus preventing their absorption and recycling at the end of the small intestine. The soluble fibre also slows the emptying of the stomach, helping to impart a feeling of satiety, and thereby reduces appetite. This also delays the absorption of dietary sugars, helps with weight loss, and improves blood sugar regulation.

Oats are often considered unsuitable for coeliac patients because they contain prolamins (avenin) which are storage proteins similar to gluten. In practice no adverse effects are usually associated with consuming moderate amounts of oats as part of the diet for coeliac patients; however, sensitivity to oats may actually result from the contamination of the oats with wheat dust at the mill, or during transport and packaging.²

The problem of oat intolerance, or an intolerance of any grain for that matter, may in fact stem from the presence of pesticide residues or processing adulterants, ironically called ‘improvers’, so the grain needs to be certified organic if you have any such problem. Glyphosate residue is a hidden problem with many grains.³

Oats also contain protective antioxidant phytonutrients. The main ones are phenolic compounds such as flavonoids, phytic acid, and tocols (otherwise known as vitamin E). Some protein peptides present in oats are also biologically active and found to have various useful properties: ‘anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, muscle-stimulating and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory.’⁴

This enzyme-inhibitory activity lowers blood pressure, an effect resembling that of pharmaceutical drugs but without the possible side-effects. These side-effects may include headache, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, fogginess, birth defects, as well as kidney and liver impairment. There are also blood dyscrasias associated with the use of such drugs, an old-fashioned Hippocratic term for haematological disorders which could well include mineral imbalances, altered bradykinin, neutropenia and agranulocytosis. The other common side-effect suffered by patients on a pharmaceutical treatment regime of drugs-for-life is the enduring expense.

By comparison, organic oats are a restorative tonic to the brain and nerves, and can therefore be used in times of convalescence or stress. They also have a broad mood-elevating effect. Symptoms such as nervous irritability, sleeplessness, tremor and anxiety, that are caused by sickness or overwork,  are all within the range of this modest grain. It can be prescribed together with other herbs which help with adaptation to chronic stress such as ginkgo, liquorice and gotu cola.

Oats also help compensate for nerve or muscle weakness when withdrawing from an addiction, especially if combined with valerian. In this respect, the herbal tincture can be given in ten drop doses, three times a day, along with the tissue salts Kali-phos and Mag-phos.

You can make porridge for breakfast regularly or drink a tea made of the green straw. Good combinations are also made with lemon balm for treating anxiety, or chamomile for insomnia. A strong infusion can also be added to a bath for a tonic effect, while oat milk or gruel can be applied externally as a poultice to relieve itchy skin and dermatitis.

References:

1.         De Bairacli Levy J. The Complete Herbal Handbook For Farm And Stable. London: Faber And Faber; 1973.

2.         Braun, Cohen. Herbs & Natural Supplements, An Evidence-based guide. Elsevier; 2005.

3.         Samsel A, Seneff S. Glyphosate, pathways to modern diseases II: Celiac sprue and gluten intolerance. Interdiscip Toxicol 2013;6:159–84.

4.         Gangopadhyay N, Hossain MB, Rai DK, Brunton NP. A Review of Extraction and Analysis of Bioactives in Oat and Barley and Scope for Use of Novel Food Processing Technologies. Mol Basel Switz 2015;20:10884–909.