Cat Grass

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Cat grass or Nepeta cataria is a perennial, herbaceous, gray-haired plant. The herb belongs to the Lipstick family and has a distant relationship with marijuana. The plant has an upright or sloping stem, which is strongly branched and reaches 1 m in height. The leaves of catnip are opposite, heart-shaped and serrated, with long stalks.

Cat grass blooms with white or purple flowers, which are collected in vertebrae of spike-like inflorescences. The calyx is tubular and the corolla has two lips - the upper one is slightly concave and the lower one is three-part. The stamens are collected under the upper one, and the anthers are spread out. The fruit is dry, decomposing into 4 nuts.

The plant has a pleasant smell and blooms from June to August. It is distributed in Southern Europe, Asia, the Mediterranean, India, Japan, North America and others. In our country, catnip is found in weedy and stony places, near the pillars, roads and elsewhere in the country, up to 1200 m above sea level.

Types of catnip

There are about 250 species of this herb. In addition to the common catnip we have already mentioned, other common species are:

Camphor grass / Nepeta camphorata / is characterized by white flowers with purple dots. The plant grows to 47 cm and has a characteristic camphor aroma.

Greek catnip / Nepeta parnassica / has pale pink flowers and reaches 47 cm in height.

Lemongrass / Nepeta cataria citriodora / has white flowers, marked with purple, grows up to 3 meters. It has a characteristic lemon aroma.

Caucasian catnip / Napeta grandiflora / has dark blue to purple flowers and dark green leaves.

Composition of catnip

Cat grass contains up to 0.5% essential oil with a pleasant lemon scent, which includes terpenes and pulegone, and less citral, geraniol, lemon, dipentene, citronellol, nerol, carvacrol. The main components of the essential oil have been found to be nepetelactone and non-petal anhydride. In addition to essential oil, the herb also contains tannins and terpenes.

Collection and storage of catnip

Cat grass is collected from June to August. Cut the top stalks of the plant during flowering, about 25 cm above. The leaves are also collected from the uncut part and added to the stems. The collected material is cleaned of altered and infested with rust leaves, overblown and others. During picking the plant should not be mixed with other species of the same genus.

The collected and cleaned material is dried in ventilated rooms or in dryers at a temperature not higher than 35 degrees. The finished herb must have retained its natural appearance even after drying. The smell of the herb is pleasant and its taste is spicy, pungent. From 4-5 kg of fresh stalks 1 kg of dry is obtained. The processed herb is stored in dry, ventilated and refrigerated rooms, protected from direct sunlight.

Benefits of catnip

Cat grass has sedative, antirheumatic, antispasmodic, astringent, gas, sedative, sweating and diuretic effect. It cleanses the lungs and uterus.

Leaves and flowering tops are used to treat upper respiratory tract, asthma, chills, flu, migraines, upset stomach, headaches, muscle aches, rheumatism and other joint diseases, lack of menstruation, contusions, hemorrhoids and toothache.

Weak tea from cat grass It is used to relieve colic in babies, anxiety and nervousness and is very useful as it has a mild sedative effect on children. Strong drug tea relieves fever with colds and flu, and also soothes the stomach by preventing nausea and diarrhea, common in summer flu.

The herb can be used externally for rinsing or added to the water in the bath, thus treating skin irritations. Catnip is a great tool for aromatherapy and inhalations. The drug was found to have insecticidal and antibacterial properties.

Catnip has been used by herbalists for centuries as a remedy for colic, headaches, fevers, toothaches, colds and muscle spasms. The herb is an excellent means of aiding sleep, and its action is similar to that of valerian.

People who suffer from sleep disorders respond quite well to taking it. A cup of catnip tea taken before bedtime calms the nervous system and thus helps to fall asleep easier. In some people, the opposite effect can be observed, ie the plant can act as a stimulant of the nervous system.

In addition to aiding sleep, the drug is also used for anxiety. The calming effect of catnip is determined by the nepetalactone contained in it, which acts as a powerful means of calming the nervous system. Taking catnip in the form of tablets or tea helps not only with anxiety, but also with depression and stress of various origins.

Taking the medicinal plant relieves the condition of flu and colds, mainly by facilitating shortness of breath. Catnip is a natural decongestant / a means of unclogging, facilitating breathing, as a result of retained secretions /. The drug can also be used to relieve the symptoms of bronchitis and even asthma.

Another application of cat grass is to relieve toothache pain. For this purpose, crushed fresh leaves of the plant are used, which are placed on the gum of the affected tooth. Chewing the leaves is another method of soothing toothache. Pain relief can also be achieved by applying a dry, crushed herb on a cotton swab, which is placed on the affected area.

Cat grass it can also be used successfully to relieve digestive problems associated with indigestion, bloating, gas retention and diarrhea. Intake of catnip in the form of capsules facilitates the excretion of retained gases in the intestine and reduces colic.

Tea from the plant, taken after each meal, also helps reduce discomfort. Catnip has also been used successfully to reduce the symptoms that accompany irritable bowel syndrome. Applying a poultice of fresh catnip leaves on wounds helps stop bleeding and facilitates the repair of injured tissues.

The herb is also used in the canning and fish industries. Catnip essential oil is used in the perfume and confectionery industries. The herb is also an excellent honey plant.

Folk medicine with catnip

Bulgarian folk medicine recommends cat grass as a stimulant for headaches, dizziness, diarrhea, inflammation and pain in the stomach and intestines, gas in the stomach, etc. Make herbal tea by brewing 2 tablespoons with 1 teaspoon of boiling water. Strain the cooled liquid and drink it during the day.

Two teaspoons of dried herb are poured with 250 g of boiling water, after 15 minutes the liquid is filtered and drunk warm before eating or in sips every five minutes for vomiting. This can be repeated 3-4 times a day. In children, the dose is ½ cup daily, and in infants 1 tablespoon diluted in baby milk.

Pregnant women should avoid catnip.

Cat grass and cats

The botanist Carl Linnaeus named the plant Nepeta cataria, which clearly distinguishes the presence of the word cat, which comes from catus - the Latin noun for a domestic cat. That is why catnip is also known as catnip.

The effects of this plant on cats were observed more than 200 years ago, but it was not until 1940 that the exact content of catnip was established. It is a nepetelactone (terpene), a molecule whose structure resembles that of LSD. It turns out that the cat smells even the weakest concentration of the molecule in the air. However, not all cats are attracted to grass.

Only a dominant gene transmits attraction. Its degree depends on the age of the cat, the environment and its character. It is noted that young cats or neuter do not respond to the grass or it intrigues them very little, while a socialized and playful cat is definitely more receptive.

Cat owners should not worry about the effect of "catnip" on their pets, as no side effects are known. There are other plants that affect cats in a similar way, these are Valerian and plants that contain actinidine (a plant enzyme, an enzyme).

Some pet stores sell grass cat seeds such as oats under the name "cat grass". Remember that real catnip resembles mint, the leaves are broad and fragrant, especially when crushed between the fingers. Every cat owner knows what happens when his pet rushes to graze cat grass in the garden. The reaction is completely physiological and can last for ten minutes.

It resembles the behavior of a stray cat. The animal suffocates, licks and chews the grass, shakes its head, rubs its forehead and cheeks, and then rolls on the ground with its head turned up. This behavior is often accompanied by stretching the paws and washing. Experimenters gave a dose of nepetelactone to cats, but this did not cause any reaction, which confirms that the stimulus is actually only olfactory.