Avena sativa,
the oat, sometimes called the common oat, Avena Fructus, Avena byzantina, Avena orientalis, Avena volgensis, Avenae Herba, Avenae Stramentum, Avoine, Green Oat, Green Oat Grass, Groats
“ is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name (usually in the plural, unlike other cereals and pseudocereals). While oats are suitable for human consumption as oatmeal and rolled oats, one of the most common uses is as livestock feed.
Oats have numerous uses in foods; most commonly, they are rolled or crushed into oatmeal, or ground into fine oat flour. Oatmeal is chiefly eaten as porridge, but may also be used in a variety of baked goods, such as oatcakes, oatmeal cookies and oat bread. Oats are also an ingredient in many cold cereals, in particular muesli and granola.
Historical attitudes towards oats have varied. Oat bread was first manufactured in Britain, where the first oat bread factory was established in 1899. In Scotland, they were, and still are, held in high esteem, as a mainstay of the national diet.
In Scotland, a dish was made by soaking the husks from oats for a week, so the fine, floury part of the meal remained as sediment to be strained off, boiled and eaten. Oats are also widely used there as a thickener in soups, as barley or rice might be used in other countries.
Oats are also commonly used as feed for horses when extra carbohydrates and the subsequent boost in energy are required. The oat hull may be crushed (“rolled” or “crimped”) for the horse to more easily digest the grain, or may be fed whole.
Oats are generally considered healthy due to their rich content of several essential nutrients (table). In a 100 gram serving, oats provide 389 calories and are an excellent source (20% or more of the Daily Value, DV) of protein (34% DV), dietary fiber (44% DV), several B vitamins and numerous dietary minerals, especially manganese (233% DV) (table). Oats are 66% carbohydrates, including 11% dietary fiber and 4% beta-glucans, 7% fat and 17% protein (table).”
Note of caution : Do not eat when you have Celiac disease.
Antioxidant (excerpt from research:” The antioxidant capacity of the oat fractions was generally consistent with a potency rank of pearlings (2.89-8.58 TE/g) > flour (1.00-3.54 TE/g) > trichome (1.74 TE/g) = bran (1.02-1.62 TE/g) “) *see research link 10606549, 10606548
Reduces craving for cigarettes , inhibits the working of nicotine (Excerpt: Effect of Avena sativa on Cigarette Smoking C. L. ANAND 47 Clarendon Street, Glasgow NW IN 1967, in India, I came across a practitioner of ancient Ayurvedic medicine who successfully used a decoction of common oats (Avena sativa) to cure the opium habit. While using an alcoholic extract of the plant on a group of opium addicts, several patients reported a loss of interest in smoking…”) * see research link PMC1776949/, 237083, 233496a0.html & 12686436, 794001
Enhances cognition , memory performance ,working span and concentration (Excerpt of research:” In 7 subjects with suspected cognitive impairment, Stroop interference score was also improved by the 1600-mg dose compared to 0- and 2400-mg doses “)*see research link 26618715, 21563962, 21711204, PMC3367260/
Reduces bad cholesterol LDL and improves vascular health (Excerpt from research:” . Oat bran (40%) efficiently reduced atherosclerotic lesion area in the descending aorta (-77%) and aortic root (-33%). Plasma levels of fibrinogen and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) were significantly lower “) *see research link 20553794
Prevents skin irritation by SLS’s *see research link 11867969
Research and tips on Oat: