Last Sunday morning, I posted what was supposed to be a previously posted article on the medicinal uses of catnip. A loyal reader, W, commented early that Sunday morning that it was an article on rosemary, not catnip. Mortified at the thought of having made another mistake so soon after the last, I went to find the original article I'd written on catnip. It was nowhere to be found on the blog. Nowhere. I knew I had written about it; I'd made insect repellent with it. I started writing a new article when I thought that there might be a chance I'd saved a backup copy. And eureka, I found it. What went wrong on the blog, I have no idea. But here it is:
If you are like me, you've heard of catnip all your life, that cats like it, it knocks them out, whatever. (I never noticed that much effect on my cats when I was child, so I think I bought it once as an adult, and still didn't see much effect. And that's probably because 20-50% of cats aren't affected by it. Can't researchers be a little more exact about that?) And if you are like me, you've never heard of catmint. I think it might be a British thing, maybe an herbalist thing. Catnip and catmint are both common names for Nepeta cataria (nep... cat... catnip, see what they did there?); it's also known as catswort. I don't know why they don't just call it catnip when it's being used medicinally. Maybe people don't want to admit to using catnip and it sounds a little more respectable to use catmint. I'm going with catnip here.
Growth: Catnip is really easy to grow in wide variety of conditions. Here on our desert range of land it grows to about 18 inches high and a couple of feet wide and self seeds everywhere, even in the poorest sand (where, actually, it seems to start best). And this is with four large dogs always stepping on it. It's a member of the mint family, like peppermint and spearmint, and will spread everywhere, so if you don't live in a desert, you'll probably want to confine it to a pot. Catnip loves full sun and moderate moisture. For continued flowering throughout the season, be sure to deadhead the spent blooms.
Time to harvest: The leaves and flowering tops are harvested in late summer when plant is in full bloom. Dry the leaves and flowers to preserve for use throughout the year.
Medicinal uses: Catnip possesses a large number of medicinal uses, primarily due to the active constituent nepetalactone. It is most recognized for its ability to relieve stress, anxiety, and insomnia, as well as headaches and migraines. It's used in treating colds, cough, influenza, fever, and bronchitis. Its excellent anti-inflammatory properties make it a good choice for treating arthritis, rheumatism, hemorrhoids, insect bites, and gout. It works very well in alleviating colic and diarrhea in small children. Recent studies have shown that it is a phenomenal insect repellent.
Essential oil: Catnip essential oil is rather pricey stuff. Some sources say it can be used straight, but most recommend diluting it with a carrier oil.
- Headaches--rub a few drops on the temples.
- Hemorrhoids--rub a few drops on the affected site or use a cool compress to apply.
- Bug bites--apply directly or in a cool compress.
Tincture: Take up to three times per day in doses of 2-4 ml each. The tincture is used primarily for treating stress and headaches as well as inflammations.
Ointment: Crushed leaves, beeswax, and coconut oil make an ointment for treating hemorrhoids or rubbing on arthritic joints.
Infusion. This is, by far, the most common way to use catnip medicinally. Bring one cup of water to a boil and then let it cool for one minute before pouring over two teaspoons of dried catnip. The oils are rather volatile, so your infusion should be covered for the 10-15 minutes of steeping time. The infusion may be taken up to three times per day. Very large doses when warm may induce vomiting. Historically, catnip tea and saffron (where are we going to get that in a collapse?--saffron is super-expensive stuff) were used in treating scarlet fever and smallpox. Catnip infusion is used for:
- stress, anxiety, hysteria, insomnia;
- headaches, including migraines;
- arthritis, rheumatism, gout;
- gastrointestinal complaints in children, including colic and diarrhea;
- fever, cough, cold, bronchitis, influenza.
Decoction: Bring one cup of water to a boil, let it cool for a minute, and pour over two tablespoons of dried catnip leaves. Sweeten with honey to use for calming a cough due to congestion.
Poultice: Apply a poultice of catnip leaves to relieve painful inflammation due to hemorrhoids, eye swelling, insect bites, and arthritis, rheumatism, and gout.
Other uses: Recent university studies have shown that catnip is ten times more effective at repelling mosquitoes than DEET, and 100 times more effective in repelling cockroaches. A mosquito repellent formula will be blogged on in the future.
Contraindications. Catnip should be used with caution by individuals taking lithium as catnip can significantly alter elimination of lithium from the body; the lithium dosage may need to be lowered. Use with caution when taking sedatives, as catnip may potentiate or amplify the sedative effects of other medications.
Cautions: Pregnant women should avoid taking catnip internally as it affects the uterus.
For further reading:
https://www.mottchildren.org/health-library/hn-2063002
https://www.cals.iastate.edu/news/releases/catnip-captures-attention-mosquito-repellent
http://naturalsociety.com/catnip-nepeta-cataria-growing-your-own-medicine/#ixzz5U1d4HfIh
https://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/c/catmin36.html
https://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-catnip.html
https://www.cals.iastate.edu/news/releases/catnip-captures-attention-mosquito-repellent
https://www.digherbs.com/catmint.html
16 january 2023
Saffron can be easily grown. It is the dried reproductive parts of the Saffron Crocus flower, crocus sativus.
ReplyDeleteI'll check it out. Thanks!
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