Oat straw is approved for treatment of cutaneous inflammation, pruritis, varicella and warts. The oat herb and fruit are not approved for therapy. The active compounds include oligosaccharides and polysaccharides including beta-glucan, silicic acid, steroid saponins such as avencoside, amino acids such as avenic acid, and flavonoids including vitexin, apigenin and tocotrienols. The anti-inflammatory effect results from several of these actives. Beta-glucan inhibits prostaglandin biosythesis yet stimulates cell-mediated immunity which provides antiviral and antitumor functionality.
There are no reported health hazards with oat straw. It is administered as decoction, tea, or tincture for bath additive and other topicals (3,22).