What Are Milky Oats & How is Milky Oats Extract Made?

Milky oats are the unripe seed head of the cereal oat, Avena sativa. For a week or two of the plant’s life cycle, the seeds contain a white latex-like liquid that is high in vitamins and minerals. It’s in this stage that the seeds are harvested and tinctured in alcohol to make Milky Oats Extract.

Our milky oats are tinctured the same day they’re harvested, because they have to be fresh to fully preserve the latex-like liquid that makes them medicinal. We feel very lucky to have neighboring farmers growing oats for us so we can make tincture the same day they are harvested. The resulting extract is milky and opaque light-green and tastes rather sweet and satisfying. For those concerned about gluten: the oats we source are grown by farms that don’t process any wheat, barley or rye, so there should be no contamination.

Who Can Benefit From Milky Oats?

Milky Oats are so gentle, they’re appropriate for just about everybody. Especially supportive for new parents, medical professionals who aren’t able to choose their schedule, or people experiencing high levels of stress- taken over time, they mend the nervous system, which makes it a little easier to field all the oncoming stress and recover from it a bit more gracefully.

Milky oats can be really helpful for those of us who tend to feel stretched thin, anxious, experience chronic stress, stress induced insomnia, or feel depleted or chronically exhausted. Milky Oats work slowly, so it’s best taken daily over a period of weeks or months for lasting results.

With no real contraindications, we love that it can be taken by pregnant people, those who are breastfeeding or chest feeding, by children or alongside medications. As always, consult your healthcare practitioner, but we like to say that if you can eat a bowl of oatmeal and can tolerate a tiny bit of alcohol, Milky Oats tincture is likely fine for you. 

How Do They Work?

While most nervous system herbs support solely the function of our nervous system by relaxing us immediately, Milky Oats is considered trophorestorative - meaning it works not only on the function but also on the structure of the nervous system -  it literally helps rebuild the myelin sheath that surrounds and protects our nerve endings. This structural support helps restore proper nervous system function - which means better coping mechanisms in the face of stress.  By virtue of restoring our nervous system's capacity to handle stress, Milky Oats also help us stabilize mood, support the endocrine system, regulate blood sugar, and improve long-term energy.

While the structural rebuilding of nerves does require working with Milky Oats for an extended period of time, the soothing & moistening qualities of this medicine come through at once. Like a warm blanket or invitation to sit down, Milky Oats evoke a sigh of relief. 

Of course, it is always important to remember that herbs are not a long-term substitute for lifestyle. Rest, pleasure, food, movement, and a community of kind and loving people are really the foundation of a healthy body and mind. However, sometimes there are times when we can’t quite build that foundation or we just need a little extra support and Milky Oats is a really good herb for these moments in life. 

Find our Milky Oats extract here.