The Medicinal Power of Oats: Key Benefits for Stress, Skin, and Metabolic Health
Oats aren’t just a nutritious breakfast staple — they’re a time-honored medicinal herb with impressive benefits for the whole body. Rich in calming compounds, gut-supporting fibers, and heart-healthy nutrients, oats can help regulate blood sugar, steady the nervous system, soothe irritated skin, and support healthier hormonal balance. Whether you’re looking for natural ways to improve metabolic health, ease mood fluctuations, or calm daily tension, this gentle yet powerful plant offers wide-ranging support backed by both tradition and research.
Basic Identification
Oats are tall grasses identified by their sturdy stems, long flat leaves that often twist counter-clockwise as seedlings, and distinctive open, branched seed heads (panicles) with nodding spikelets containing 2-3 florets. Key features include hairless (glabrous) parts like the lemma (seed hull) and a thick hull attached to the mature grain, differentiating them from wild oats (Avena fatua), which have hairy lemmas.
Where Does It Grow?
Oats thrive in temperate regions with cooler climates and ample rain, including Northern Europe, Russia, and North America.
Edible Uses
They can be enjoyed as a cooked porridge, soaked for muesli cereal, or ground into flour for baked goods.
Recipe. Ayurvedic Oatmeal
⅓ cup oats/oatmeal
1 cup milk or plant-based milk
⅓ cup of water
¼ tsp cardamom powder
¼ tsp cinnamon powder
1 tbsp of raisins or chopped dates
1 tsp maple syrup or honey
Add all the ingredients to a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, partially cover, and cook on low for 15 minutes. Serve and enjoy.
Medicinal Uses
Oats have a surprising array of health benefits, including calming the nervous system, promoting blood sugar regulation, supporting cardiovascular health, balancing the hormones, and soothing skin irritations such as eczema.
Here are my top 3 uses for oats:
Obesity and Diabetes: Oats are known to help regulate blood sugar, lower cholesterol, and help you to feel full longer, thereby supporting weight loss and healthy blood glucose levels. If you need additional support, have a look at our convenient Heart Health Blend in the apothecary.
Premenstrual, Perimenopausal, and Menopausal Symptoms: Because of their effect on insulin levels, oats can help balance the hormonal system and reduce symptoms of PMS, perimenopause, and menopause. Oats are also prebiotic, which improves gut health and hormone-related complaints. See our potent Menopause Blend for an extra level of support.
Depression, Stress, and Anxiety: Calming to the nervous system with adaptogenic, stress-taming properties, oats are an excellent addition to your daily routine. They are highly nutritious and help to soothe depression and anxiety by regulating blood sugar levels. Our Anxiety & Stress Blend is another helpful option. Tap the link to learn more about this powerful formulation.
Safety
While oats are wonderfully supportive for many, they can irritate a sensitive gut and cause gas and bloating — especially in the case of inflammatory bowel disease. Remember, good hydration goes a long way in preventing constipation as you increase your dietary fiber and oat intake.
Deepen Your Knowledge of Plant-Based Medicine
But that’s not all. Along with oats, The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies II contains hundreds of plant profiles that include identification, uses, harvesting advice, and high-quality photographs. Simple recipes for a wide range of remedies are also covered. The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies II completes the first book — within its pages, you’ll find only new plants and very different remedies. This is herbal wisdom made simple: new plants, new remedies, all in one book. Tap here to pick up your copy today!
Prefer a more hands-on approach? My online Herbal Academy Master Course is for you!
Have you ever wanted to learn more about natural remedies so that you could keep your family healthy, but didn’t know where to begin? I hear you. The world of herbalism can be overwhelming when first starting out. Because of this, I’ve created an online herbal academy that will not only teach you about medicinal plants, but also how to prepare and use them. This course was designed to instill confidence and deepen your mastery so that you know how to handle a medical situation on a day-to-day basis or in the event of a collapse where conventional prescription and over-the-counter medicines may be hard to come by. It is the same valuable knowledge our great-grandparents had that’s almost completely lost today.
My course will give you the tools to take charge of your family’s health — whether it’s a simple headache that you would like to treat naturally with plants found in your backyard or if you want to put together an herbal pharmacy kit to have on hand for emergencies. The training found in my herbal academy is for anyone who would like to save money in medical costs and become more self-sufficient. It’s like having your own personal health coach and herbalist on hand 24/7!
I know you are going to love it! Tap here to get started!
Nicole Apelian
