Red oat
Avena sativa
Synonyms: Avena pseudosativa, Avena sativa var. montana, Avena racemosa, Avena sterilis subsp. nodipubescens, Avena fatua f. brachytricha, Avena ponderosa, Avena sativa var. nigra, Avena sativa var. praegravis, Avena orientalis var. arundinacea, Avena sexflora, Avena sativa var. hyemalis, Avena sativa subsp. orientalis, Avena sativa var. erythrosperma, Avena orientalis var. nuda, Avena sativa var. macrantha, Avena agraria var. mutica, Avena fatua subsp. nodipilosa, Avena sativa var. fuscoatra, Avena fatua var. microtricha, Avena fatua subsp. praegravis, Avena tatarica, Avena fatua var. pilifera, Avena trisperma, Avena georgiana, Avena fatua f. setulosa, Avena sativa var. pilosa, Avena heteromalla, Avena grandis, Avena sativa var. praecox, Avena byzantina var. thellungiana, Avena sativa var. pilifera, Avena sativa var. secunda, Avena sativa var. obtusata, Avena fatua subsp. macrantha, Avena orientalis var. flavescens, Avena sativa var. macrathera, Avena praegravis, Avena fatua var. glaberrima, Avena sativa subsp. aristata, Avena sativa f. arundinacea, Avena sativa var. trisperma, Avena macrantha, Avena sativa subsp. macrantha, Avena unilateralis, Avena sativa var. aristata, Avena fatua f. macrathera, Avena mutata, Avena sativa var. tristis, Avena fatua subsp. sativa, Avena sterilis subsp. pseudosativa, Avena dispermis, Avena pendula, Avena polonica, Avena fatua var. macrotricha, Avena sativa var. macrotricha, Avena sativa var. subuniflora, Avena sativa var. setulosa, Avena orientalis var. fuscoatra, Avena shatilowiana, Avena sativa var. uniflora, Avena sativa var. glaberrima, Avena sativa var. alba, Avena orientalis, Avena persarum, Avena sativa subsp. praegravis, Avena cinerea, Avena flava, Avena sativa var. rubella, Avena fatua var. transiens, Avena sativa var. mutica, Avena sativa var. brachytricha, Avena fatua var. subuniflora, Avena fatua f. glaberrima, Avena thellungii, Avena sativa subsp. diffusa, Avena mutica, Avena sativa subvar. pilosa, Avena praecocioides, Avena sativa subsp. nodipilosa, Avena orientalis var. mutica, Avena fusciflora, Avena distans, Avena sativa var. degener, Avena sterilis f. pseudosativa, Avena sativa var. microtricha, Avena sterilis var. thellungiana, Avena orientalis subsp. mutica, Avena sativa var. semiaristata, Avena sterilis var. algeriensis, Avena sativa var. abbreviata, Avena algeriensis, Avena fatua var. sativa, Avena trabutiana, Avena sativa var. fusca, Avena sativa subsp. contracta, Avena nodipilosa, Avena verna, Avena sativa var. fusciflora, Avena glabrata, Avena sativa var. aurea, Avena fatua var. contracta, Avena sativa var. vulgaris, Avena transiens, Avena sativa var. rufa, Avena sativa var. flavescens, Avena anglica, Avena geogica, Avena sativa var. arduennensis, Avena hungarica, Avena sativa var. pugnax, Avena praecoqua, Avena sativa var. contracta, Avena fatua var. pilosa
Western Herbalism Properties
Gallery
Botanical Description
Avena sativa, the common oat, is a robust annual grass of the family Poaceae growing 0.6 to 1.5 m tall, with smooth, erect, hollow culms and flat, rough-margined leaves bearing a toothed ligule. The inflorescence is a large, open, spreading panicle whose slender drooping branches carry pendulous spikelets, each containing two or three florets enclosed in long papery glumes; the grain is the familiar oat caryopsis, often retaining its hull. It flowers and fruits in summer. A domesticated cereal probably derived from wild oats of the Mediterranean and Near East, oats are now cultivated throughout temperate regions as a major grain and fodder crop. In herbal medicine both the ripe seed and the green flowering tops or straw (oatstraw) are used; the milky immature seed is especially valued.
Cultural & Historical Context
Traditional American Uses
None Documented
Chemistry & External Identifiers
Important Disclaimer
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.