BOTANICAL FACT SHEET
Oat is an annual herbaceous plant that is harvested at the end of the summer. It can grow to between 2 and 5 feet tall. Its fascicled roots produce stems that are slightly bent and end in flower panicles. It has linear, sheathing leaves with a large ligule. Its drooping spikelets are protected by two glumes. The fruit, called a caryopsis, is brown and lanceolate.
TRADITIONAL USES
Today, oat fruit – and sometimes oat straw – are used for medicinal purposes. Oats are also used to making nourishing, energy-restoring porridge. When drunk in an infusion, they can stimulate the appetite, relieve sore throats, and have a fortifying effect in cases of insomnia or nervous fatigue. In a decoction, oat has a soothing effect on itching, eczema, chilblains and dry patches of skin. Oat is also used in skin and hair care products.