Avena sativa, or the common oat, is a popular cereal grain that has been consumed for thousands of years. Not only a formidable food, it is also sought after for its nutritive and gentle calming qualities. An infusion of oatstraw tea is a favorite among herbalists. Oatstraw can also be incorporated into nourishing herbal tea blends as well as bath and body formulations.Avena sativa, or the common oat, is a popular cereal grain that has been eaten for at least 3,000 years. Although this is one of the main uses for this plant, various parts of the plant, such as the young seed and the oatstraw, are nutritive and have nervine qualities, and have long been a favorite among herbalists.A. sativa is a grass with erect stems and long blade-like leaves. Its flowers consist of inconspicuous spikelets, each floret containing 3 stamens, and a feathery stigma. This floret matures into the oat that is edible, and at the immature stage, exudes a white milky substance (referred to as 'milky oats') and harvested for its n