Oats originated in the Mediterranean regions, North Africa and Ethiopia. Once the plant was an undesirable companion of other cereals. Today, oats are cultivated in many varieties in many areas of the world.
Oats for medicinal use
Medicinally, the green aerial parts of the oat (oat herb, Avenae herba) harvested just before full flowering, the oat straw (Avenae stramentum), and the ripe, dried oat fruits (Avenae fructus) are used.
Oats: characteristics
Oats are an erect annual cultivated grass up to 1 m tall. The stems of the plant are hollow, and the leaves are narrow and pointed. The two- to three-flowered spikelets are arranged in loose panicles.
Properties of oat herb
The dried oat herb consists of the stem pieces, curled pieces of the leaf sheaths and flat leaf fragments.
Oat herb gives off a somewhat peculiar odor reminiscent of straw. In terms of taste, oat herb is quite mild and cannot be assigned to any particular flavor.
