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Catmint | | Name : | Catmint | | Botanical : | Nepeta cataria | | Synonyms : | Catmint
Catnep
Catrup
Catswort
Chi-hsueh-ts'ao
Fieldbalm
Nep
| | Family : | Labiatae | | Parts Used : | Leaves, fresh or dried | | Habitat : | Found in disturbed habitats throughout much of North America. Nativeto Europe. Common inhabitant of hedges and waste places. | | Description : | The root is perennial and sends up square, erect and branched stems, 2 to 3 feet high, which are very leafy and covered with a mealy down. The heartshaped, toothed leaves are also covered with a soft, close down, especially on the under sides, which are quite white with it, so that the whole plant has a hoary, greyish appearance, as though it had had dust blown over it.
The flowers grow on short footstalks in dense whorls, which towards the summit of the stem are so close as almost to form a spike. They are in bloom from July to September. The individual flowers are small, the corollas two-lipped, the upper lip straight, of a whitish or pale pink colour, dotted with red spots, the anthers a deep red colour. The calyx tube has fifteen ribs, a distinguishing feature of the genus Nepeta, to which this species belongs. | | Constituents : | Acetic acid, biotin, buteric acid, choline, citral, dipentene, inositol,lifronella, limonene, manganese, nepetalic acid, volatile oils, PABA,phosphorus, sodium, sulfur, valeric acid, and vitamins A, B1, B2,B3, B5, B6, B9, and B12.
Anodyne, antispasmodic, aphrodisiac (for cats), aromatic, carminative,diaphoretic, nervine, emmenagogue, sedative (for humans), stimulant,tonic | | Uses : | Carminative, tonic, diaphoretic, refrigerant and slightly emmenagogue, specially antispasmodic, and mildly stimulating.
Producing free perspiration, it is very useful in colds. Catnep Tea is a valuable drink in every case of fever, because of its action in inducing sleep and producing perspiration without increasing the heat of the system. It is good in restlessness, colic, insanity and nervousness, and is used as a mild nervine for children, one of its chief uses being, indeed, in the treatment of children's ailments. The infusion of 1 OZ. to a pint of boiling water may be taken by adults in doses of 2 tablespoonsful, by children in 2 or 3 teaspoonsful frequently, to relieve pain and flatulence. An injection of Catnep Tea is also used for colicky pains.
The herb should always be infused, boiling will spoil it. Its qualities are somewhat volatile, hence when made it should be covered up.
The tea may be drunk freely, but if taken in very large doses when warm, it frequently acts as an emetic.
It has proved efficacious in nervous headaches and as an emmenagogue, though for the latter purpose, it is preferable to use Catnep, not as a warm tea, but to express the juice of the green herb and take it in tablespoonful doses, three times a day.
An injection of the tea also relieves headache and hysteria, by its immediate action upon the sacral plexus. The young tops, made into a conserve, have been found serviceable for nightmare.
Catnep may be combined with other agents of a more decidedly diaphoretic nature. Equal parts of warm Catnep tea and Saffron are excellent in scarlet-fever and small-pox, as well as colds and hysterics. It will relieve painful swellings when applied in the form of a poultice or fomentation.
Old writers recommended a decoction of the herb, sweetened with honey for relieving a cough, and Culpepper tells us also that 'the juice drunk in wine is good for bruises,' and that 'the green leaves bruised and made into an ointment is effectual for piles,' and that 'the head washed with a decoction taketh away scabs, scurf, etc.'
| | Dosage : | Never boil catnip.
Infusion: use 1 tsp. herb with 1 cup boiling water. Steeponly; do not allow to boil. Take 1-2 cups a day.
Tincture: take 1/2 to 1 tsp. at a time. | | Myths : | Good-tasting aromatic tea. Old country favorite in England even beforeoriental tea was introduced there. High in vitamin C. Stimulates theappetite if served cold before meals; aids digestion if served hotafter meals. Hot tea also makes a soothing nightcap.
Catnip has been used since Biblical times as a tea; it has a calmingeffect on humans. It's extremely exciting and attractive to cats,who are apt to romp in and tear up the plants, which does not effecttheir health.
From an English herbalist comes the sobering advice that the rootof catnip 'when chewed is said to make the most gentle person fierceand quarrelsome, and there is a legend of a certain hangman who couldnever screw up his courage to the point of hanging anybody till hehad partaken of it'.
In Colonial times, catnip tea was much used as a substitute for hard-to-getchamomile flowers. Catnip grew like weeds wherever the pioneers lived.Like chamomile, the warm tea was used for infants and children tosoothe their stomach (simple colic) and help them sleep. Catnip teais still very popular among folks living in isolated communities inthe Cumberland Mountains, Kentucky and the Ozarks.
Rats are said to be repelled by catnip; so it might be a suitableprotective plant around grain crops. In fact, The Herbalist Almanactells of catnip growing around buildings of old farms because of anold belief that the odor of this plant drove off rats. The plantswere set as a barricade around the buildings.
One beekeeper is sold on catnip; claims catnip yields considerablehoney. If there is any plant that should be cultivated specially forhoney it should be catnip he declares. | | Nutrient : | Vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, and B12 and C. | | Sold : | Capsules: take 1 to 3 daily.
Extract: mix 1/2 to 1 tsp. in 1/2 cup warm water and drinkas a tea. |
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