Oats - Avena sativa - and the brain Tried growing oats for green oat straw (as a functional food) and cover crop. It interested me after seeing it's commercialisation as a cognitive nutraceutical such as Cognitaven® and Neuravena® so tried to fill in the blank spaces in the garden with lots of oat seeds last Autumn. Unfortunately, the oat seeds (sold for sprouting) seemed to be practically unviable and I only got two oats plants out of LOTS of seed. It contains triterpene saponins - avenacins - and a broad spectrum of phenolic acids and polyphenols, the latter including flavonoids and avenanthramides (phenolic amides) A meta-analysis concluded "Acute supplementation with Avena sativa may improve cognitive function in healthy volunteers." but longer-term may not be so effective [1] Some small studies [2, 3] have pointed towards improved cognitive function following polyphenol- and triterpene-rich herbal extracts - green oat straw having a wide range of potential functional effects within the brain relevant to cognitive function and mood, ranging from increased dopaminergic function to cerebral vasodilation Both a single dose and a month of supplementation with Avena sativa green oat extract resulted in dose-dependent improvements in cognitive function (more not necessarily better) - specifically inhibit the enzymes monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) and phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) - upregulation of monoamine neurotransmitter function - improved peripheral and cerebral vasodilation [1] https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnesp.2022.12.011 [2] https://doi.org/10.3390%2Fnu12061598 [3] https://doi.org/10.1080/1028415x.2015.1101304 1