Avena Sativa – Natural remedy against stress and testosterone increase

Avena sativa, also known as green oats or wild oats, comes from the leaves and stem of the wild plant. It is obtained when the plant has not matured yet, which is why it is called differently.

Differences between oats and avena sativa

Oats are commonly known for being an important source of micronutrients, fiber, essential fatty acids, protein and complex carbohydrates. On the other hand, avena sativa is completely different, since it is used as a natural remedy to treat different pathologies.

Properties of avena sativa

It has properties to fight against stress and physical tiredness. In addition, it can also improve the mood, support the cognition and even increase the testosterone levels naturally.

Moreover, it is also a natural anti-inflammatory and a great remedy to lower a high blood pressure.

It can reduce the eczema and smooth the skin.

In addition, it can improve the texture of the skin, flaky skin, frostbite, wounds or ocular problems.

For centuries, avena sativa has been traditionally used due to its nutraceutical properties. Thus, it can provide very interesting benefits both for men and women as a remedy made from herbs and natural extracts.

What are nutraceutical foods?

Nutraceutical foods are those whose interest lies in other aspects apart from their nutrient supply as such. For example, it can have benefits for health as a therapeutic or preventive agent. Moreover, it can be a remedy to treat some kind of pain, discomfort, or relieve the symptoms of certain pathologies.

Benefits of avena sativa for the body

Some of its properties and benefits are:

Avena sativa and stress

Currently, we experience countless stressful situations constantly. This situation can trigger many pathologies resulting in serious disorders such as depression, if we do not try to find a solution.

In addition, stress also causes fatigue so we will not be able to perform properly in any of our tasks. It can also alter our behavior and condition our mood, triggering drowsiness, tiredness and even irritability. In this state, we will not be able to handle some situations properly and we will lose our patience very easily. Another associated risk is hypertension, which can even trigger a myocardial infarction.

Avena sativa and the mood

This element can also affect our mood. More specifically, it acts on the dopamine levels from the brain. Said substance is a neurotransmitter that produces a series of responses related to our behavior such as:

Against the temptation to smoke

On the other hand, increasing the dopamine levels can avoid the temptation to fall into an addiction, like smoking.

The brain releases dopamine when we are doing something that we truly enjoy. If said activity stops, dopamine will stop too. Moreover, said activity can have harmful consequences for our health, like smoking.

Some of the symptoms that tend to appear due to a lack of dopamine:

Avena sativa and cognitive support

Some studies on middle-aged people have proven that avena sativa can improve the cognitive function and memory. More specifically, this research has found out that the bioactive components can inhibit the Monoamine Oxidase (MAO):

Learn about the function of MAO

MAO is a group of endogenous oxidase enzymes which are inside the neurons and other cells, including the ones from the liver. Its main function consists of controlling the production of essential monoamine neurotransmitters: serotonin, melatonin, noradrenaline, adrenaline, phenylamine, benzylamine, dopamine, tyramine and tryptamine.

Neuravena® is an avena sativa proprietary extract that can enhance the mental and cognitive functions.

Avena sativa and testosterone

The regulation of the testosterone levels happens through the amount in the blood and the ability to bind proteins in plasma. For instance, one of them would be SHBG and the higher its levels the lower the free testosterone availability is. Avena sativa can lower said ability to bind.

In fact, it can increase the luteinizing hormone levels, which are released by the pituitary gland, signalling the final response in the testicles.

Avenacosides

These elements are the active ingredient from avena sativa. They are capable of increasing the free testosterone levels, reduce the SHBG, improve the cortisol regulation, as well as our physical recovery and mood.

Testosterone is the main male sexual hormone. However, the body can only used the so called free testosterone. As men grow old, they start to experience the symptoms of andropause. In other words, a period when the sexual glands stop working. There are several symptoms, for instance:

One of the reasons why is because testosterone binds to other hormones, such as the sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). This can trigger other type of pathologies such as benign prostate hyperplasia. A solution to this would be to release more testosterone to balance the hormone environment and combat the previous symptoms.

Avena sativa plant

It is a species that belongs to the Poaceae family. This plant can grow between 40 and 150 centimeters in height. Moreover, unlike other similar species, it has powerful and deep roots. Its stem can reach between 50 and 100 centimeters, it is thick and erect.

Combining avena sativa

In fact, there are products in sport supplementation (natural anabolics) designed to increase the hormone levels. Therefore, they will improve your physical performance, muscle growth and the response against stress or physical and mental fatigue. For instance, you can combine avena sativa with:

Who can benefit from taking avena sativa?

Anyone who is going through any of the following situations may benefit from taking avena sativa as a natural remedy:

Bibliography

• El Shebini SM, Moaty MIA, Fouad S, Ahmed NH, Tapozada ST. Obesity Related Metabolic Disorders and Risk of Renal Disease: Impact of Hypocaloric Diet and Avena Sativa Supplement. Open Access Maced J Med Sci. 2018 Jul 29;6(8):1376-1381. doi: 10.3889/oamjms.2018.292. eCollection 2018 Aug 20.

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