I love the herb catnip. Not as much as my cat, who plays with her catnip-stuffed toys in a frenzy sometimes and, at other times, completely ignores them. But the herb catnip, Nepeta cataria, is a lovely mint that has soothing properties that, especially when combined with chamomile, is a mild sedative that can calm and soothe both adults and children.

Catnip is part of the mentha family, a category of plants that contain essential oils that make them aromatic and fragrant, giving them certain health-giving properties. Once you know that a plant is aromatic, you automatically know some of its healing properties.

For instance, most aromatic herbs are useful for respiratory conditions such as cough; for digestive conditions such as gas and bloating; and for nervous system support. Other aromatic herbs such as chamomile, lemon balm, lemon verbena, and spearmint also have these same abilities--mostly because of their essential oil content.

Catnip Is a Safe Herb

Moreover, mints contain no alkaloids, making them among the safest herbs we can use. Alkaloids are compounds that affect not only the body (such as a stomach ache) but also the brain. An example of an alkaloid is caffeine, found in coffee and tea. Caffeine not only dilates the pupils and contracts muscles, but it makes the brain alert and energetic. Mints contain no alkaloids so they are relatively safe to consume.

Catnip for Anxiety

These unique properties are reasons catnip is excellent for so many health issues, and particular for easing anxiety. I like to use catnip for my clients who experience anxiety, panic attacks, and nervousness, as it is gentle, aromatic and flavorful, and slightly sedative but not enough to make an adult fall asleep (children, however, generally do). Catnip goes a bit further when used with babies and children--in addition to easing a child's anxiety or bedtime fears, it can serve as a mild sedative and help anxious youngsters get to sleep.

Read below how to harvest catnip, how to use it for sleep, and also get a soothing herbal tea recipe.

How to Harvest Catnip

A member of the mint family, catnip has the familiar square stem, branching habit, soft grey-green leaves, and fragrant clusters of pale purple flowers. It spreads easily and can quickly take over a garden, branching on tall stalks that often reach higher than 5 feet. Like its cousins peppermint and spearmint, catnip (some varieties are also called catmint) will form open, airy bush-like herbal masses all over your growing beds. Commonly called into action to entice and entertain kittens, catnip has the opposite effect on humans: it is calming and relaxing.

To harvest catnip, strip the leaves and flowers from the stalk and use them fresh or dry them on a screen. To harvest the whole shrubby mass, pull up the plant and hang the entire herb from the rafters of an airy attic, or hang it inside a paper grocery bag clamped at the top to catch drying leaves and seeds. When they are crisp dry, strip the leaves and store them whole (or as whole as possible) in glass jars. Crumble them just when you’re ready to use them in teas, syrups, rinses, baths, or other projects as this last-minute crumble helps keeps them as potent as possible.

Use Catnip to Help Sleep

The herb catnip makes a wonderfully effective bedtime tonic and is very safe, making it a favorite for children’s remedies. It’s an easy, safe and effective remedy to give warm catnip tea to a frustrated child, or drink it if you’re breastfeeding to soothe a cranky baby. For infants who aren’t breastfeeding, you can brew the tea, dip your clean finger in, and let the baby suck.

Other herbs that pair well with catnip include roses (Rosa rugosa), spearmint (Mentha spicata), and elderflower (Sambucus canadensis). Catnip has a minty taste that is a bit robust and pungent; it's less sweet than spearmint and less minty than peppermint, but it still provides a mint-basis to your tea blend. Other sedative or soothing herbs you can add to the blend include chamomile, lavender, valerian flower (not the root because it's too strong-smelling), lemon balm, and tulsi. Decide whether or not you wish to add honey -- it helps the flavor of catnip tea but it might add too much sweetness before bed.

Catnip Tea Recipe

To brew a delicious and soothing “tea” or herbal infusion, use:

2 heaping teaspoons dried catnip or a combination of catnip and other dried herbs

1 cup of boiling water

Step 1: Brew the dried herbs by pouring the hot water over them and letting it sit, covered, for 10-12 minutes.

Step 2: Cool and strain. Sweeten if desired. Serve warm, room temperature, or hot.

For more herbal tea and food recipes, including salts, crackers, snacks, hot meals, cereals, milks, yogurts, and other nourishing ways to use herbs, get my book The Healing Kitchen here.

#catnip #sedative #children #apothecary #DIY