Avena sativa extract
With all the dietary supplements, health fads, and weight loss quick fixes out there, it can be very easy to get lost just in the vocabulary. Though these terms get tossed around like candy, one can bet that very few people can define, off the tops of their heads, health terms or supplements like gluten free, molybdenum, milk thistle or avena sativa extract. There are simply too many terms, and sometimes it’s hard to keep up on the research and decide what is healthy for us and what is a fad, a passing trend, or even a scam.
Avena sativa extract is one such term. You may have heard the phrase “avena sativa extract” but had no idea that it is associated with a common food that many of us eat for our morning meal every day – oats. If you are concerned about eating healthy, then you likely consume a good bit of oats in your day to day life. Avena sativa is a type of oat, and avena sativa extract is just what it sounds like – extract from the avena sativa type of oats that is subsequently used in herbal medicine in order to promote health and nutrition.
As with many medicines that are derived from the natural world, you can use most parts of avena sativa in medicine. The only part of the avena sativa strain of oats that is not useful in medicine is the root. Further, when we think of oats, we commonly think of rolled oats, the flakes that we find in the cylindrical boxes found on grocery store shelves. But actually, when avena sativa extract is ready to be collected, it can be found in a milky, liquid form. You can usually find avena sativa extract sometime in late August. If you plan to gather avena sativa yourself, consult with a local herbalist, because the plant is only ripe for gathering for about two weeks out of the year.
So what is avena sativa extract used for? Aside from the obvious uses as a health food, avena sativa extract can also be used in medicines and tonics that perform a variety of health functions. For mental health, avena sativa extract can be used to help handle stress, depression or general malaise. For physical problems, avena sativa extract can be used in medicines that help heal a number of maladies, from rashes (such as chicken pox and eczema) to even cold sores. If you ever had poison oak or a rash and your grandmother recommended an oatmeal bath, then she was working on the ancient knowledge that oats and their products, such as avena sativa extract. Its less likely that your grandmother gave you an oat tea to promote healthy bones, but that is another use of oats and especially avena sativa extract.
Avena sativa extract also has another usage that you can be almost one hundred percent certain your grandmother did not warn you about. What’s that mysterious use? Avena sativa is said to have powerful powers as an aphrodisiac. Proponents of avena sativa as an ingredient in aphrodisiacs cite the fact that oats are considered one of the most energizing grains. Be warned though, that the usage of avena sativa in aphrodisiacs is relatively new. The ancients, from whom we derive most of our herb lore due to their long centuries of trial and error, did not appear to recommend or even think of using oats as an aphrodisiac, so look upon any sales pitches to that effect with caution. Also, if you plan to start taking avena sativa, be sure to consult your primary care physician. He or she can tell you if it is safe for you to begin taking a new supplement.
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