Catnip
Scientific Name: Nepeta Cataria
Other Names: Catmint, Catswort, Field Balm, Nep, Herb Catta
Medicinal Properties and Actions: Soporific, sedative, digestant, emmenagogue, sudorific, antispasmodic, carminative, stimulant, tonic, diaphoretic, anodyne, aromatic, nervine, refrigerant. It affects the stomach, intestines, nervous system, uterus, and skin.
Description: Catnip is a member of the mint family and has tough, woody, square stems that are characteristic of that family. It grows to a height of 2-3 feet and has fuzzy leaves. It flowers in June or July, yielding whitish purple flowers with small red specks.
Habitat: Catnip is a native of Europe, though similar species grow throughout the world. Catnip can grow in most temperate climates, especially in sandy soils. This herb gets its name from the fact that cats really do like it. As a result, if you grow your own, protect the plants from cats because they will crush or even eat it.
Traditional uses: The medicinal use of catnip has a history of some 2,000 years in China and in Europe. Its traditional use was for colds and associated symptoms: cough, chest congestion, and fever. Catnip tea was also one of the most popular beverages in Europe before the arrival of black tea from the Orient.
Catnip also is known for helping colicky babies. In addition to giving their children catnip tea, parents used to hang a small bag of catnip from the child’s neck. It can also be used to treat other digestive ailments, especially flatulence and digestive cramps.
Modern uses: Conditions treated with catnip include: headache, eyestrain, anemia, chicken pox, hives, hyperactivity, and measles. When mixed in equal parts with saffron it is a good remedy for scarlet fever and smallpox.
Catnip contains citronella, a chemical that is an effective insect repellant. Crushing the leaves and trailing around doorways will discourage ants.
Chemists have found that nepetalactone isomers are the constituents that explain catnip’s tranquilizing effect. They are similar to chemicals found in valerian. Drinking a cup of catnip tea may help ease anxiety and prepare you for a good night’s sleep. This herb is also used to decrease menstrual cramps because it is very soothing. It can be mixed with nutritive herbs, such as alfalfa, and made into a good female tonic. Catnip, also called “nature’s alkaseltzer,” is one of the best child remedies for things like colic. It can be also be given as an enema to bring down fevers.
Dosage and Preparation: Catnip is best used as a tea which has a mild lemony, minty flavor that is satisfying to the palette. Pour one cup boiling water over one ounce of catnip leaves and let steep 5-10 minutes. Don’t boil catnip as it will lose its volatile oil. This tea is drunk frequently in small amounts. It can also be used as an enema for spastic colon conditions. Catnip can also be made into a salve and used externally for dandruff, boils, scabs, and even hemorrhoids. In capsule form, take one or two capsules as often as needed (from once daily for simple indigestion or insomnia to as often as every hour or two for colds, digestive upset or other acute ailments).
Sources:
“Catnip” in Wild and Weedy (Autumn 1992).
From the Shepherd’s Purse by Max G. Barlow (Hong Kong: Max G. Barlow, 1990).
Handbook of Native American Herbs, A by Alma Hutchens (Boston, Massachusetts: Shambhala, 1992).
The Healing Herbs by Michael Castleman (Emmaus, Pennsylvania: Rodale Press, 1991).
Herbal Healing by Michael J. Hallowell (Bath, Great Britain: Ashgrove Press, 1990).
Illustrated Herb Encyclopedia, The by Kathi Keville (New York, New York: Mallard Press, 1991).
Weiner’s Herbal by Michael Weiner, M.S., M.A., Ph.D. and Janet Weiner (Mill Valley, California: Quantum Books, 1990).
Wild Rose Scientific Herbal by Terry Willard, Ph.D. (Calgary, Alberta: Wild Rose College of Natural Healing, 1990).
