Avena Sativa Extract 10:1 by Swanson
You probably know oats mainly from your breakfast. But the plant has a second life as a herb. Avena sativa by Swanson is a concentrated 10:1 extract of the whole oat plant, with 575mg per capsule. It is intended for adults who know the herb from European tradition and prefer to take the plant in capsule form rather than in a bowl.
What avena sativa actually is
Avena sativa is the Latin name for oats, also known as wild oats. It is an annual grass that grows up to one and a half meters tall and blooms in June and July. For this extract, Swanson does not use the ripe grains, but the whole green plant. Many people wonder if this is the same as oatmeal. It is not. Oatmeal is made from the ripe grain, while the green plant is harvested during flowering. And in that phase, there are different plant substances in the stalks than in the ripe seed. That is precisely why herbalists choose the green plant and not the grain that ends up in your muesli.
What a 10:1 extract means
The 10:1 designation says something about the concentration. For one part extract, the manufacturer uses ten parts plant. At 575mg per capsule, that comes down to about 5.75 grams of oat plant per capsule. If you take two capsules, you are at 1,150mg, equivalent to about 11.5 grams of the plant. The difference with loose oat powder is that: this oat extract is ten times as concentrated. Because of this, a large amount of plant substance can still fit in a small capsule. Ten kilos of fresh plant yield roughly one kilo of extract. For those who want a fixed, measured dose, that is practical.
What oats have traditionally been used for
Avena sativa supports normal sleep*. In addition, avena sativa is used to help you feel more energetic in cases of mental and physical fatigue*. And the plant is also used for the skin: avena sativa helps maintain healthy skin*. These are applications you see in many oat products on the Dutch market, from capsules to liquid tinctures.
The substances in the green oat plant
What is actually in it? The green oat plant naturally contains avenanthramides, a group of polyphenols that you will find in this form almost nowhere else. In addition, it contains saponins, plant substances that the plant itself produces, and flavonoids. Oats are also naturally rich in silicic acid, a silicon compound. By processing the whole plant instead of just the grain, these substances remain together in the extract. That is exactly what distinguishes a whole-plant extract like this from a product based on loose grains. The capsule itself is filled with this extract, with maltodextrin as a carrier. The whole thing is in a gelatin capsule, so you do not have to taste the powdery plant substance.
In short: this is the concentrated version of a classic European herb, captured in a capsule. A fixed amount of oat extract per piece, for adults who prefer to dose the plant rather than chew it.
*Health claim pending European approval.