Oats: a valuable cereal crop
Oat (Avena sativa) is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the cereal family. It grows up to 1.5 meters in height and has fibrous adventitious roots. The stem is erect, hollow, with swollen dense nodes. The leaves are alternate, linear, with long sheaths covering the internodes. Sowing oats bloom in June - July, the inflorescence consists of a main stem and lateral branches. The fruit is a grain that ripens in July - September.
Oats are cultivated as a grain crop in many regions of our country. It is used as a valuable food crop. Oat dishes are a traditional breakfast in many countries around the world. Cereals, oatmeal and oatmeal are healthy food for adults and children, a dietary product and a remedy for chronic inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Oats contain starch, proteins, fats, amino acids, gum, sigmasterol, beta-sitosterol, steroid saponins, organic acids, vanillin glycoside and vitamins E, Bi, Br, A. Oat grains are valuable medicinal raw materials. The tops of the stems, 20 cm long, are collected at the heading stage and dried in dry, sunny weather under a canopy or in a dryer at a temperature of 60°C.
Oat infusion is used as a diuretic, regulating metabolic processes in the heart muscle and nervous tissue. To prepare it, pour the grains with cold water in a ratio of 1:10, leave for 1 day, filter and take 1/2 - 1 glass 2-3 times a day before meals.
Green oat grass is not inferior in medicinal activity to grains. Its infusion has a diaphoretic, diuretic and antipyretic effect. It is used to treat urolithiasis and flatulence, and also as an active remedy for physical and mental fatigue, neurasthenia and insomnia. To prepare an infusion of stems, 2 tablespoons of raw materials, minced in a meat grinder, are poured with 1 glass of vodka and infused in a warm place for 15 days. Take 20-30 drops 2 times a day before meals.
Preparations made from straw and unrefined oat grains also have medicinal properties. They help improve the functionality of the skin and help eliminate inflammatory processes in nerve endings. For joint inflammation and radiculitis, you can take a bath. To prepare it, 1-1.5 kg of fresh straw is poured into 5 liters of water and boiled for 30 minutes. The resulting decoction is added to a bath with a water temperature of 37-38°C.
Oat infusion is also used to prepare lotions for skin diseases such as lichen, eczema, and diathesis in children. To do this, the oat infusion is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10.
Thus, oats are a valuable cereal crop with many medicinal properties and a wide range of applications in medicine and the food industry. Its grains, green grass, straw and unrefined grains all contain many beneficial substances that can be used to alleviate many diseases and improve human health.