Catnip
(Nepeta cataria)
catmint, field balm, cat’s wort
Description:
An erect perennial, 3-5 feet tall. The erect square branching
stem is hairy and soft. Leaves are pointed, opposite, oblong
or cordate with scalloped edges. It has a long leaf stalk with
the top being green and grayish green, with whitish hairs underneath.
The flowers are in whorled spikes of two-lipped, white or blue,
spotted with lavender clusters. A native of Europe, now found
throughout the U.S. in fields, on dry banks waste places and
chalky or gravely soil.
Edible,
Medicinal: The tender leaves are added to salads, and to flavor
meat. It is a anodyne, antispasmodic, aromatic, calmative, carminative,
and diaphoretic. The root and mint scent leaf intoxicates cats
and repels rats and flea beetles. A tea from the leaves and
flowering tops, 2 cups a day are used to treat colds, calm upset
stomachs, for scalp problems, to reduce fevers and sooth headaches.
Steep for 10 minutes,2 teaspoons of the herb to 1/2 cup boiling
water. The mild sedative action soothes babies with colic. Fresh
leaves are used in making a poultice for bruises. They are put
into cat toys.
