Plant Facts:
Wild Oats are any of several tufted annual grasses. They are sometimes cut for hay, and young plants provide forage for grazing animals. It usually grows in small tufts about 3 to 4 feet tall. The edible starchy grain of the oat plant is a cereal widely cultivated in the temperate regions of the world. The flowering and fruiting structure, or inflorescence, of the plant is made up of numerous branches bearing florets that produce the caryopsis, or one-seeded fruit.
The wild oat was first found in western Europe, apparently as a weed mixed with barley, and spread from there to other parts of the world. The mature seed of the oat plant is used as a cereal grain. However, much of the plant is used to maintain good health and to remedy disease conditions.
Before maturity oat seeds are in a liquid phase, and they are collected for use in tonics that treat nervous conditions. Wild oat is usually in this stage for two weeks during August. The seeds mature in the late summer and early fall. If harvested then, the seeds are rolled or ground into oatmeal. If the seeds aren't harvested at that time, they are referred to as groats. Once the seeds are harvested, the straw from the plant can be cut up and brewed as oatstraw tea. And the husks surrounding the seeds are used as oat bran. The only part of this grain that is not used in alternative medicine is the root. Wild oat is also known as oat, groats, oatstraw, and straw. In the past, people recovering from illnesses ate oatmeal because it was easily digested. Doctors advised overworked people to drink a beverage consisting of wine and oats. The drink was said to restore nervous energy. Oatmeal also served as a treatment for skin conditions. In contemporary times, oatmeal is acknowledged as a rich source of bran
and fiber. The grain is associated with treating high cholesterol. |
