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Habitats
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Hedgerow; Cultivated Beds;
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Edible Uses
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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].
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Medicinal Uses
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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.
Antianxiety; 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].
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Other Uses
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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].
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Cultivation details
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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].
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Propagation
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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.
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 You can download this page as a PDF
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Botanical References
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17200
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Links / References
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[K] Ken Fern Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
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[2]Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World.
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Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
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[4]Grieve. A Modern Herbal.
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Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
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[7]Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants.
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Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
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[9]Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants.
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Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
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[14]Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs.
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A good herbal.
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[17]Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles.
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A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
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[20]Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening.
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Fairly good.
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[21]Lust. J. The Herb Book.
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Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
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[27]Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden.
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A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.
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[46]Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants.
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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.
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[105]Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
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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.
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[108]International Bee Research Association. Garden Plants Valuable to Bees.
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The title says it all.
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[165]Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
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An excellent small herbal.
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[183]Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
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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.
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[187]Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2.
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Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.
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[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
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Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
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[201]Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting.
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A well produced and very readable book.
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[213]Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food.
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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.
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[218]Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China
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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.
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[222]Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America.
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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.
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[233]Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
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A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.
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[238]Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses.
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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.
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[245]Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World.
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An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
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[254]Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants
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An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
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[301]Karalliedde. L. and Gawarammana. I. Traditional Herbal Medicines
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A guide to the safer use of herbal medicines.
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