Catnip

Nepeta cataria

Catnip is native to the eastern Mediterranean, as well as southern and central Asia.⁶ It has been introduced to almost all the lower 48 states, Alaska and southern Canada.² It’s considered an invasive weed in Nebraska.²

This herb prefers full sun and dry to moist, well-drained soil.³ It easily flourishes in sandy or loamy soils with any pH, and it can withstand alkaline, chalky or gravel-laden soils.^3,8 The plant prefers field borders, waste areas, hedgerows and dry banks.⁸ Catnip requires less water than other Mints, making it drought-tolerant and appropriate for rock gardens.⁸

For best results, sow the fresh seeds in a cold frame in the fall.³ Springtime germination can be unreliable; however, the seeds are viable for approximately five years.³ Due to its rapid growth, seedlings may flower in the first year.³ When harvesting the flowering herb, cut the plants back hard for a second harvest.³ Plants can be divided in spring.⁸

This herb has a long flowering season of July to November, while the seeds mature in September or October.³ The full-flowering stems can be used fresh or dried.³ Wildlife is attracted to this plant, and bees pollinate it.³ Multiple varieties of the plant have been developed, each with different growth forms, essential oil compositions and flower colors.⁶

Being a member of the Lamiaceae, or Mint, family, Catnip is characteristically aromatic, similar to Mint and Pennyroyal.⁸ The dried leaves are used in potpourri, due to the herb’s scent-retaining qualiities.³

Catnip tastes minty, and its tender young leaves can be used raw in salads.³ In France, the leaves and young shoots were popular as seasoning, while the older leaves added flavor to cooked foods.^3,8

Catnip usage dates back in folk herbalism as a kitchen remedy.³ Herbal teas made with the fresh or dried leaves should be steeped (not boiled) with a lid to retain the essential oils.³ Before the trade of tea from China, Catnip tea was commonplace in England.⁸ Traditionally, the infused tea has been used as a topical compress or fomentation.³

Many Native American tribes use Nepeta cataria in herbalism for children and adults.⁴ The Ojibwa use it in beverages and the Okanagan-Colville tribe uses it as a skunk forage food.⁴

Nepetalactone is the best-known essential oil constituent of the herb.⁶ It and related phytochemicals are what attracts cats (especially males) to the plant — hence the common name of Catnip.⁶ Similar iridoid compounds are found in Valerian, which also intoxicates cats.⁶ The phytochemical nepetalactone reportedly has aphrodisiac qualities — and elicits pheromone activity involved in feline mating rituals.⁶ Transplanting Catnip will reportedly be destroyed by cats — but left alone if grown from seeds — because the plant is bruised or withered during the transplant process.⁸ An old rhyme says: “If you set it, the cats will eat it, If you sow it, the cats don’t know it.”⁸

The volatile oils repel insects like ants, flea beetles and fleas.³ Mice and rats will not go near it, even when they’re hungry, either because it repels them or because it attracts cats.^3,8 Catnip is an excellent addition to a garden, as it is deer-resistant and rabbits are usually not interested any Nepeta species.³ And as a companion plant, it deters aphids, cabbage pests, cucumber beetles and squash bugs.³

The 17th-century English herbalist, botanist, physician and astrologer Nicholas Culpeper associated Catnip with the planet Venus.⁷

1. McGuffin M, Kartesz J. American Herbal Products Association’s Herbs of Commerce, 2nd ed. Silver Springs, MD: Publication of the American Herbal Products Association; 2000.
2. USDA, NRCS. 2018. The PLANTS Database: Nepeta cataria (PLANTS Database, 18 January 2020). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
3. Plants for a Future. 1996-2012. Plants for a Future Database: Nepeta cataria (Plants For A Future, Accessed 15 January 2020). Devon EX7 9LX England.
4. Native American Ethnobotany DB. 2003-2018. Native American Ethnobotany Database: Nepeta cataria. (NAEB, Accessed 18 January 2021). Dearborn, MI 48198 USA.
5. Skenderi G. Herbal Vade Mecum. Rutherford, NJ: Herbacy Press; 2003
6. Van Wyk B-E, Wink M. Medicinal Plants of the World, 5th ed. Portland, OR & London, England: Timber Press; 2012.
7. Culpeper N. Culpeper’s Complete Herbal& English Physician. London, England: Richard Evans Publishing; 1814.
8. Grieve M. A Modern Herbal, Vol. 1, 2nd ed. New York, NY: Dover Publications; 1982.