Catnip

Nepeta cataria

By Rebecca Evaldi

Catnip is a tall, straight-stemmed mint, reaching a height of four feet in rich soil. The heart-shaped leaves reach about 1-3 inches long and the flowers about half an inch long. The flowers are white or pale lavender with dark dots. They produce what are called nutlets that are reddish brown with two white spots near the base. It is also called catnep in Europe and catmint. It is in the family Lamiaceae which is the mint family, and commonly blooms between the months of July and September. The plant grows in waste lands, old garden patches, hedgerows, vacant lots, and basically anywhere the soil is good. It is mainly located in the northern part of the United States and the southern part of Canada. It is found in some of the southern States, also.

Catnip is most commonly known for the effects it has on cats. It contains a volatile oil that is indeed extremely attractive to cats. The active principle responsible for these effects is a compound designated cis-trans-nepetalactone; it is a major component, constituting 70 to 99% of the oil. It only seems to affect the cats when smelled, not when administered orally. So it is the odor of the crushed or bruised leaves that attracts the cats and so gives the weed its name.

Catnip is also a medicinal plant. Catnip was once widely used in medicine as a digestive aid and as a tonic. It is well known for home remedies that are made from it. Tea from either the fresh or dried leaves will produce perspiration and for this reason it is good for colds. The tea will induce sleep in fever patients, and it was used for years in cases of scarlet fever and smallpox. While there is no scientific evidence to support the sedative activity of catnip tea, many people do drink a cup of it at bedtime in the belief that it will assure a good night’s sleep.

In more recent times, catnip has been promoted by certain members of the counterculture as a psychedelic drug, said to produce a sense of well being or euphoria when smoked like tobacco or marijuana. The physicians who first described this use in an article in The Journal of the American Medical Association confused the identity of the drug with a drawing of the marijuana plant. It is unfortunate that once an erroneous "fact" has appeared in print it is hard to eradicate. Catnip is now listed in practically all books devoted to drugs of abuse as a mild intoxicant.

Written fall 2000, as a service learning project for Dr. Gary Coté's Biology 102 class at Radford University. Copyright Pathways for Radford.