Back to main Search Page

Nepeta cataria - L.

Catmint

Author	L.	Botanical references	17, 200
Family	Labiatae	Genus	Nepeta
Synonyms	Cataria vulgaris - Gaterau.
Known Hazards	None known
Range	Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to Spain, W. and C. Asia to the Himalayas
Habitat	Roadsides and near streams[7]. Hedgerows, borders of fields, dry banks and waste ground, especially on calcareous and gravelly soils[4, 17].
Edibility Rating	3 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	2 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 1m by 0.6m.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soil. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats

Hedgerow; Cultivated Beds;

Cultivars: (as above except)
'Lemon'

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves.

Edible Uses: Condiment; Tea.

Young leaves - raw[7, 20]. A mint-like flavour, they make an aromatic flavouring in salads[7, K]. Older leaves are used as a flavouring in cooked foods[2, 27, 105]. They can be used fresh or dried to make an aromatic herb tea[21, 105, 183]. The tea should be infused in a closed container in order to preserve the essential oils, boiling is said to spoil it[218].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Antispasmodic; Antitussive; Astringent; Carminative; Diaphoretic; Emmenagogue; Nervine; Refrigerant; Sedative; Stimulant; Stomachic; Tonic.

Catmint has a long history of use as a household herbal remedy, being employed especially in treating disorders of the digestive system and, as it stimulates sweating, it is useful in reducing fevers[254]. The herbs pleasant taste and gentle action makes it suitable for treating colds, flu and fevers in children. It is more effective when used in conjunction with elder flower (Sambucus nigra)[254]. The leaves and flowering tops are strongly antispasmodic, antitussive, astringent, carminative, diaphoretic, slightly emmenagogue, refrigerant, sedative, slightly stimulant, stomachic and tonic[4, 7, 9, 14, 21, 165, 218, 238]. The flowering stems are harvested in August when the plant is in full flower, they are dried and stored for use as required[4]. An infusion produces free perspiration, it is considered to be beneficial in the treatment of fevers and colds[4]. It is also very useful in the treatment of restlessness and nervousness, being very useful as a mild nervine for children[4]. A tea made from the leaves can also be used[213]. The infusion is also applied externally to bruises, especially black eyes[245].

Other Uses

Essential; Herbicide; Pot-pourri; Repellent.

The plant is said to deter insects such as ants and flea beetles[14, 20, 201] as well as rats and mice[4, 200, 201]. (The idea behind it being a rat repellent is probably based on the plants attraction to cats, see notes above.) A strong infusion can be used to repel fleas from carpets or the fur of animals[201]. An extract from the leaves (called nepetalactone) has herbicidal and insect repellent properties[222]. The freshly harvested flowering tops contain 0.3 - 1% essential oil by distillation[218]. It is mainly used for medicinal purposes[218]. The dried leaves retain their fragrance and can be used in pot-pourri[245].

Scented Plants

Leaves: Crushed Dried

The leaves are strongly aromatic with a resinous quality[245]. There are some named varieties with different scents.

Cultivation details

Easily grown in a light sandy soil in a sunny position[200]. Succeeds in heavier soils if the drainage is very good. Plants are hardy to about -25°c[187]. Catmint emits a scent that is irresistible to many cats, who will then avidly attack the plant[4, 7, 20, 46, 200]. The smell is said to be similar to certain cat hormones and is more effective with male cats. Quite often a cat will completely destroy even a fairly large plant, small plants especially might need protection until well established[K]. Sometimes grown in the herb garden, there are some named varieties[183]. 'Citriodora' has lemon-scented leaves that are more attractive to people and less attractive to cats[183, 187]. If the plants are cut back hard when they are flowering a second crop of leaves will be produced[238]. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits[233]. Catmint is a good companion plant to grow in the garden[238]. It is said to repel various cabbage pests, aphis (including peach aphis), flea beetles, cucumber beetles, squash bugs and ants from plants they grow near to[238]. The flowers are very attractive to bees[108].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame in the autumn[200]. The germination of spring sown seed can be erratic[200], it is best sown in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer. The seed remains viable for about 5 years[4]. A fast-growing plant, the seedlings can reach flowering size in their first year[238]. If you have sufficient freshly ripe seed then it is well worth trying a sowing outdoors in situ in the autumn. Division in spring or autumn[200]. Very easy, large divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer. Basal cuttings in late spring or early summer. Harvest the shoots with plenty of underground stem when they are about 8 - 10cm above the ground. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.

Cultivars

'Lemon'

The leaves have a pleasant lemon-like aroma, which makes the plant more appealing to humans and somewhat less appealing to cats[183]. A lower-growing plant than the species, it makes a refreshing tea[183].

Links

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.

[14] Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press 1979 ISBN 0-87857-262-7
A good herbal.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[20] Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978 ISBN 0-88266-064-0
Fairly good.

[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.

[27] Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press 0 ISBN 0-89815-041-8
A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[108] International Bee Research Association. Garden Plants Valuable to Bees. International Bee Research Association. 1981
The title says it all.

[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism. 0
An excellent small herbal.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[201] Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. 1993 ISBN 0-304-34324-2
A well produced and very readable book.

[213] Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980 ISBN 0-449-90589-6
A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Nepeta cataria

T. C. Tue Jun 6 2006

A caution when using catnip essential oil as an ingredient in mosquito repellants used daily: as a concentrated essential oil,even when used in small quantities, the catnip's emmenagogue effect is increased. And also noted is it's ability to cause irritability, which is not mentioned very often in the literature on catnip. I did find a reference at http://www.drugdigest.org/DD/PrintablePages/herbMonograph/0,11475,4093,00.html which said: Catnip's safety has not been determined in children. In one documented case involving a small child, swallowing excessive amounts of catnip caused irritability and excessive sleepiness.

DrugDigest.org

Nepeta cataria

Jan Karpisek Fri Sep 12 2008

Photo of the Catmint in bloom by Jan Karpisek for pfaf.org

Nepeta cataria

Amanda Radford Wed Sep 9 2009

I am having great trouble finding these plants to buy. An Italian friend who keeps a cat in a flat in London says catnet is essential for her cat and easy to buy in Italy. Does anyone know where these plants can be bought?

Add a comment/link:

Discussion Monitor

To have posts to this page mailed to you enter your email address here:

(Your email address will not appear on the webpage or be passed on to third parties).