As stated in my earlier post, common oats (Avena sativa), have been consumed in one form or another for thousands of years, according to recent findings. They are consumed world-wide in multiple capacities, added to face masks and healing baths, and, with few exceptions, seem to naturally rid their fields of weeds, choking them out of the space as the oat stalks grow. This is assisted by the oat's propensity to grow quickly.
Furthermore, oats and oat straw have been used as tonics or parts of tonics for centuries, herbalists ascribing properties of healing and restoration to them. Not only is the oat nutrient-dense, but it is quite beneficial to those who are experiencing prolonged periods of lethargy and general lack of energy and disconnection from the world (4). This is in part due to the oat's high concentration of necessary vitamins and minerals like iron, calcium, and magnesium.
Also while oats may have been eaten much earlier than was first thought, current archaeological records indicate that they were not cultivated, or at least not readily cultivated, until about 3,000 years ago, in the Tigris and Euphrates river region in ancient Mesopotamia (5, 6). It is also known, from both excavation and written records, that oats have long been used for livestock feed, for horses, by the Romans, and more recently for cattle.
“There is no doubt that some plant food, such as oatmeal, is more economical than meat, and superior to it in regard to both mechanical and mental performance. Such food, moreover, taxes our digestive organs decidedly less, and, in making us more contented and sociable, produces an amount of good difficult to estimate.”
With all the oat's associated properties, it is understandable that they might be revered. They have come to be associated with money, prosperity, and abundance, as the oat fields are often fast-growing and plentiful. When approached from an animistic and magical perspective, eating oats in some form, especially while consciously thinking of these associated properties, allows them to manifest more easily in a person's life. This is because the properties of abundance and prosperity are acknowledged and welcomed consciously. Something to think about when next you have your morning oatmeal. Thank it for providing sustained energy in whatever you're doing that day.
Until next time,
Katheryn
Sources:
1. Watson, Traci (2015), "Ancient Oat Discovery May Poke More Holes in Paleo Diet," Sept. 11, 2015. National Geographic. http://theplate.nationalgeographic.com/2015/09/11/ancient-oat-discovery-may-poke-more-holes-in-paleo-diet/. (Accessed Apr. 5 2018)
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oat (There are a number of interesting articles listed here.)
3. Herbal Encyclopedia http://www.cloverleaffarmherbs.com/oats/
4. Mountain Rose Herbs: Oatstraw https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/products/oatstraw/profile
5. United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Area Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Accessed on July 4, 2014.
6. Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Accessed at http://www.kew.org/science-conservation/plants-fungi/avena-sativa-oat on July 2, 2014.
7. Cottage Witchery, WitchsLore, http://witcheslore.com/bookofshadows/herbology/cottage-witchery/1547/ Accessed April 6, 2018.