Making Wild Milky Oats Tincture Avena sativa

I just got back from a two night backpacking trip (of which I will post about soon) but I'm actually excited to blog about the wild oats I found first. All of the wild oats growing around my area are all past the milky stage and are, sadly, going to go to seed. But, as I was backpacking at the south end of Big Sur we came across hill sides and hill sides of oats (Avena sativa) in their 'milky.'

What do I mean by milky? During the life history of a wild oat plant, the heads produce a milky liquid (actually known as form of natural latex) that is bundled inside, and upon squeezing the head, the liquid will be released. (There's a little arrow pointing to the liquid, click on photo to enlarge).....

This liquid stage of the oats life only lasts about 5-7 days so it's pretty special to squeeze one of these and actually have the milk pop out. 

So as you can see the hike that I went on had plentiful hill sides full of oats...(and wild lupines too)

... and to my surprise they were the milky stage. I could not help but harvest a few handfuls and pocket them in a backpack pouch and take them home to make a tincture. 

So off I went with milky oats in tow and when I got home I placed them all in a 4 ounce mason jar and poured two shot sized bottles(100mL total) of 100 proof vodka in the mason jar.....

....and filled the jar up so the oats are fully submerged. I have an arrow pointing to where I stopped pouring.

Then I placed the jar with lid in a dark closet where it'll sit for about 8 weeks. 

The only liquid that can extract the milky substance from the plant is apple cider vinegar or 100 proof vodka. (At the end of the 8 weeks I will add an update to this post showing how the liquid should look and how to strain it.)

What are milky oat tinctures used for. Milky Oat's are an adaptogen herb, meaning it helps the nervous system adapt and heal. The natural latex within the milky substance actually helps coat,  repair, and nourish the cells that protect the nerves in your nervous system. Nerves are covered by a layer of cells known as the Myelin Sheath and it shields the bodies nerves from damage and helps keep a stable and healthy nervous system. But, when a body has undergone trauma or has been under stress and distress for too long, the Myelin Sheath can become damaged. Usually the first sign of this damage can be, feeling burnt out, unappreciated, undervalued, or just completely frazzled. Sometimes you may feel this way from personal relationships, work environments, school academics, or just feeling burnt out in life in general. Whatever the case may be, the milky oat substances has the elements to help recoat the damaged nerves and replenish it back to good health. 

I'm not suggesting or recommending you use milky oats for yourself, as I am not familiar with each and everyone's personal health condition. But I will tell you my experience. I recently worked at a job (for a total of about 3 years) where I did not feel valued at all. I came to work super edgy and just totally unhappy. I read about milky oats and I was recommended it (it of course doesn't rid the bad work conditions) so I tried it. Oh man! On the days that I took a dropper full of milky oat tincture I was completely myself and with a much more positive and easy going mind-set. It was amazing! On the days that I forgot to take a dropper for work I noticed it was a lot harder to be positive and it took me a while longer to over look how much I felt under appreciated.

I hope this post helps spur new excitement into your interests, as it does for myself. Personally I feel it is a huge marvel that something so simple can change a mental state for the better. I have purchased and tried two different Milky Oat Tinctures brands before making my own. Herbpharm milky oat tincture gave me no positive effect what-so-ever (honestly I don't feel like it did anything at all and made me question this remedy. I feel in general the tincture quality was poor) but then I tried the tincture from Mountain Rose Herbs and that is when my life changed! Not only could you actually see the milky cloudy effect in the tincture alcohol but the effect on my brain proved positive.