The mature seeds of the cereal grass, oats, become the highly nutritious rolled oats used in breakfast porridge as a wholesome food for those who are debilitated, weak or healing from a long illness. Oats green (Avena sativa), on the other hand, comes from the stems and leaves which are harvested earlier while the grass is still green. Oats, in its various forms and extracts, has been traditionally used for its physical and psychological fortifying properties for centuries.
Traditionally oats green is used for its nutritious and restorative powers, beneficial for relieving stress, anxiety, insomnia and depression. It is a wonderful tonic for the nervous system, supplying many of the nutrients that may be lacking. The results of a 2020 randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in 126 people confirmed that chronic supplementation (four weeks) with oats green can benefit cognitive function and modulate the physiological response to a stressor.
Oats green may have a potential role in the maintenance of cardiovascular health. A 24 week randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in 37 adults over 60 years old, with excess weight, found that supplementing with 1500mg of oats green daily significantly improved measures of blood flow in the heart and brain compared with a placebo.
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