Catnip Uses and Plant Monograph

I first fell in love with catnip years ago when I grew a small pot of it on the front stoop of my apartment in Portland. Every morning I’d begin my day by greeting the plant and offering it some water. One morning when I went to water my catnip, I found the pot tipped over and several leaves missing from the plant. I was perplexed, but I returned the pot to its original position and figured my housemate had accidentally knocked it over.

Then the next day the same thing happened. And the next day too. And then catastrophe struck: I went outside to water the catnip and found the pot knocked off my stoop, and the entire plant was gone. All that remained in its wake was a tuft of white fur. I was baffled. What could’ve happened to my sweet plant friend?

Then all of a sudden everything clicked! Of course, the neighbor’s cat, Daisy, who I’d seen hanging around that week had wanted to eat the catnip. Though I was sad to see this plant go, I was happy that Daisy had enjoyed the fruits of my labor.

Here’s the thing: when most people think of catnip, they think of it as a plant that makes our feline friends, like Daisy, go wild. But catnip isn’t just for cats! This gentle plant also offers many healing gifts to us humans.

Now before we dive into all the benefits of catnip, let’s take a meow-ment to talk about catnip’s energetics… (This is my last cat pun, I promise!)

And catnip isn’t just for adults — this gentle herb also has a particular affinity for helping children when they experience nervous irritability, hyperactivity, and insomnia. In fact, you can often find catnip in commercial tincture and glycerite blends for children experiencing insomnia.² For addressing this overactive nervous system state in children, herbalist Michael Tierra recommends combining catnip in a tea with equal parts chamomile, spearmint, and lemon balm.³

Any monograph on catnip would not be complete without noting catnip’s specific indication for anxiety that manifests in stomach distress, especially nervousness that leads to loose stools. If you’re someone who has to run to the bathroom before public speaking or loses your appetite after a stressful conversation, catnip may be your new herbal best friend. Let’s learn more about how catnip affects the digestive system, and then we’ll talk about catnip and the enteric nervous system.

Healing Digestion

Catnip has long been celebrated in traditional herbalism as an herbal ally for relieving digestive discomfort, including stomach ache, flatulence, and stagnant digestion. As a mild astringent, catnip can also address mild diarrhea and nausea related to nervous tension.⁴

Contemporary research has built on this traditional knowledge and found several promising results on catnip’s antimicrobial effects too. A 2009 study found that catnip essential oil exhibited activity against eleven major bacteria, twelve fungi, and a yeast, C. albicans.⁵ I do not recommend using catnip essential oil internally, but these studies indicate that constituents within catnip as a whole plant can support our bodies in fighting off harmful microbes. And a 2012 study found that catnip exhibited antimicrobial activities against food-borne pathogens.⁶

Now that we’ve talked about catnip and the digestive system, let’s circle back to catnip’s nervine effects and dive into the enteric nervous system.

The Enteric Nervous System

What exactly is the enteric nervous system? Our entire digestive tract is lined with hundreds of millions of nerve cells. Together, these nerve cells form the enteric nervous system, which controls every aspect of digestion: from swallowing to nutrient absorption to gut hormone secretion. With more nerve cells total than the spinal cord, the enteric nervous system communicates with the brain and has a profound impact on the nervous system as a whole.

As Dr. Jay Pasricha, the director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Neurogastroenterology, points out, “For decades, researchers and doctors thought that anxiety and depression contributed to [digestive] problems. But our studies and others show that it may be the other way around.⁷

So, what does this mean for catnip? Well, catnip’s specific indication as a nervine for people who hold their stress and tension in their stomach, make its well-suited to holistically address issues that arise in the enteric nervous system. Catnip combines these relaxing nervine qualities with its antispasmodic properties, which can soothe physical tension in the digestive tract. And catnip’s mild astringency can help address anxiety-induced loose stools.

One of my dear friends, let’s call her “M,” often suffers from a nervous stomach. For work M frequently has to speak in front of large crowds, and for years whenever she did these public speaking engagements she always had to run to the bathroom with loose stools multiple times right before speaking. M’s anxiety and stomach distress got so bad that she became more stressed about her digestive symptoms than the actual public speaking, and this in turn made her symptoms worse.

She’s not really into herbs, but after a while she got desperate and asked me for help. So I recommended a strong tea of catnip, chamomile, and lemon balm. All of these herbs have an affinity for simultaneously calming the nervous system and easing digestive complaints. Of the three, catnip tends to be stronger, and the chamomile and lemon balm make the catnip more palatable.

M now drinks this tea in the mornings before her presentations and has noticed a marked change over the last few months: she feels much calmer about her presentations, she has less tension in her stomach, and she doesn’t have to run in a panic to the bathroom five minutes before she presents. Her transformation is a testament to the power of not only the herbs but also the enteric system.

Pain & Cramping

As I’ve noted above, catnip can ease muscle tension and cramping, particularly in the smooth muscles of the intestines. Catnip can also ease menstrual cramping, and herbalist Matthew Wood recommends pairing it with motherwort in this case.⁸

A poultice or juice of the fresh leaves can also be placed on swollen joints, bruises, or aching muscles for an overall effect of reducing swelling and pain.⁹

Fever

Catnip is a cooling diaphoretic, which means it can cool the body while also inducing sweating. This makes catnip well-equipped to address fevers that need to break. No one loves being sick, but if a feverish individual is feeling especially tense and irritable, catnip shines at offering relief as a calming nervine and antispasmodic. With its antitussive (relieves coughing) properties, catnip is also indicated in feverish conditions with acute bronchitis.¹⁰

As twentieth century English herbalist Maude Grieve wrote, “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 … and nervousness.”¹¹

Insect Repellant

Though our feline friends may love catnip, this aromatic herb is not beloved by all in the animal kindom… Indeed, a 2020 study on catnip essential oil found that it has larvicidal effects against mosquitoes.¹² So, I’m going to experiment with making an insect repellant with a strong catnip tea when the mosquitoes start multiplying this summer.

Constituents

Catnip contains volatile oils, which lend it its aromatic scent. These volatile oils include citronella, pulegone, thymol, and more. Catnip also contains tannins, which contribute to its astringency, and iridoids, which have an anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effect.^13,14

Plant Preparations

Catnip can be made into tinctures, glycerites, teas, baths, and poultices. The hot tea is especially great for fevers. A catnip bath for colic or dysmenorrhea can be prepared by adding strained catnip tea to a bathtub. Poultices can be created by mashing up the fresh leaves with a few spoonfuls of water. Some people really dislike the flavor of catnip, so combining it with other more palatable herbs like lemon balm or chamomile can make the taste more enjoyable.

 

Dosage Suggestions:

For adults:

• Tincture: 1:5, 25% 2-6 ml 3 times a day
• Tea: 2–4 gram dried herb daily

For children:

• For acute instances of fever, upset stomach, diarrhea, or anxiety, here is the dose range for children.
• The dose range for children is 1–3 drops of tincture or glycerite per 5 pounds of body weight. Children will often prefer glycerites rather than tinctures due to their sweet taste. For the tea, the dose range is 4–8 ounces of tea per day for children ages 5–9. For children ages 9 and above the dose range is 6–8 ounces of tea daily.

 

 

Special Considerations

There are no drug interactions with catnip known. Avoid using catnip during pregnancy due to its emmenagogue effects. Safety during lactation has not been conclusively established. And avoid very large doses of the warm tea, as it can have an emetic effect.^15,16

Catnip is a gentle herb that is included in many children’s herbal formulas, including a popular blend by HerbPharm, but please note that there is some concern about using catnip for extended periods of time with small children: Matthew Wood notes that overuse of catnip can produce a state of lethargy.¹⁷ If this occurs, discontinue use of catnip.

Written by Tara Ruth

Tara Ruth is an herbalist and the Communications Director at LearningHerbs. She graduated from the California School of Herbal Studies’ Community Herbalist Program, and is a total herb nerd. Tara is passionate about growing herbs and building relationships with the plants. In her free time, you can find her making delicious herbal medicines in her kitchen.