Oat straw's therapeutic uses
Oat straw, derived from the oat plant before it matures, is often utilized for its potential therapeutic benefits. Traditionally recognized as a mild nervine, it has been used to alleviate insomnia, stress, and anxiety. Additionally, oat straw is purported to support various health functions, including enhancing sexual function in both men and women, promoting cognitive performance, and contributing to cardiovascular health. Its antioxidant properties, particularly from compounds like avenanthramides, are believed to help with blood flow and inflammation. Some proponents suggest that oat straw may also aid in smoking cessation and improve skin and bone health due to its moisturizing and mineral content.
Despite these claims, scientific validation is limited, and many studies backing its efficacy remain unpublished or lack rigorous methodology. Overall, oat straw appears to be a versatile natural product with a wide array of proposed health benefits, though more comprehensive research is necessary to substantiate these uses. Importantly, oat straw is generally considered safe, with no known health risks, though thorough safety evaluations are still lacking.
Oat straw's therapeutic uses
DEFINITION: Natural plant product used to treat specific health conditions.
PRINCIPAL PROPOSED USES: None
OTHER PROPOSED USES: Benign prostatic hypertrophy, enhancing female sexual function, enhancing male sexual function, smoking cessation, stress and anxiety, cognitive support, cardiovascular benefits, anti-inflammatory, skin health, bone health, improved sleep quality
Overview
One of the most common understandings of oats is that they are heart-friendly, high-fiber grain products derived from the fruit of the oat plant. When this substance is instead harvested while not ripened, it can be processed into substances many use for purported therapeutic purposes. These supplements are marketed under names such as Avena sativa, green oats, and wild oat extract.
Traditionally, oat straw was considered a mild nervine, an herb thought to calm and heal nervous symptoms. As such, it has been used to treat insomnia, stress, anxiety, and nervousness. In addition, oat straw tea has been used as a remedy for arthritis. An alcohol extract of oat straw has also been employed to treat narcotic and cigarette addiction. Myriad additional suggested therapeutic uses for oat straw exist.
Therapeutic Dosages
Oat straw extract should be taken according to the manufacturer’s directions. Alcohol tincture of oat straw is typically used at a dose of ½ to 1 teaspoon three times per day.
Therapeutic Uses
Oat straw has been suggested as a remedy for many types of ailments. In addition, may hypothesize that oat plant or derivative supplements are beneficial for functions such as increasing blood flow, reducing inflammation, and as a mood-enhancer. For example, a type of antioxidant in oat plant is called avenanthramides and has been attributed to dilating blood vessels and for use as an anti-inflammatory. Scientific and medical testing, however, have not been to the degree that validates these perceived benefits as actual.
Oat straw is widely marketed for enhancing male sexual function. A combination of oat straw and saw palmetto has also been administered to help sexual dysfunction in women. The same combination is supposedly helpful for enlargement of the prostate. However, the only evidence for these claims comes from unpublished studies conducted by the manufacturer of oat straw products. Because these studies are not available in full, judging their validity is impossible.
In one example, a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of seventy-five men and women reportedly found that use of an oat straw product enhanced sexual experience for men but not for women. It is unclear whether the results were statistically significant or how the researchers arrived at their conclusions. Another study supposedly found that oat straw combined with saw palmetto produced similar benefits for women, but it is not clear whether this trial was double-blind.
According to proponents, oat straw increases the amount of free testosterone in the blood. Many Internet sources discussing oat straw state that, with advancing age, testosterone in the body tends to become bound up and inactivated, leading to numerous problems, including failing sexual function, and that oat straw reverses this process. However, none of the parts of this argument are fully substantiated.
Oat straw has also been advocated as an anti-smoking treatment. However, despite promising results in one rather informal study, reported in a letter to the journal Nature in 1971, the balance of the evidence suggests that alcohol tincture of wild oats is not helpful for this purpose.
Several other proposed therapeutic uses for oat straw have been offered. Oat straw may help promote cognitive function in older adults, supporting memory and attention. One study found that supplementation with oat straw improved cognitive function in middle-aged adults. It has been investigated for its role in cardiovascular health. The moisturizing properties of oat straw may aid in treating skin conditions such as eczema and dry skin. Oat straw's calcium and silica content could make it a valuable supplement for bone health and help prevent conditions like osteoporosis. Finally, oat straw’s stress-relieving properties may help individuals get a more restful night's sleep.
Safety Issues
There are no known or suspected health risks with oat straw. However, comprehensive safety studies have not been reported.
Bibliography
Anand, C. L. "Effect of Avena sativa on Cigarette Smoking." Nature, vol. 233, 1971, p. 496.
Bye, C., et al. "Lack of Effect of Avena sativa on Cigarette Smoking." Nature, vol. 252, 1974, pp. 580-581.
Gabrynowicz, J. W. "Letter: Treatment of Nicotine Addiction with Avena sativa." Medical Journal of Australia, vol. 2, 1974, pp. 306-307.
Kennedy, David O., et al. "Acute and Chronic Effects of Green Oat (Avena sativa) Extract on Cognitive Function and Mood during a Laboratory Stressor in Healthy Adults: A Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study in Healthy Humans." Nutrients, 12 Jul. 2020, www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/6/1598. Accessed 18 Sept. 2024.
Kennedy, David O., et al. "Acute Effects of a Wild Green-Oat (Avena sativa) Extract on Cognitive Function in Middle-Aged Adults: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Within-Subjects Trial." Nutritional Neuroscience, vol. 20, no. 2, 2017, pp. 135-151, doi.org/10.1080/1028415X.2015.1101304. Accessed 18 Sept. 2024.
McGrane, Kelli, and Debra Rose Wilson. "Oat Straw Extract (Avena Sativa): Benefits, Downsides, and Uses." Healthline, 28 Aug. 2019, www.healthline.com/nutrition/oat-straw-extract. Accessed 18 Sept. 2024.