Catnip: uses.

Botanical name: 

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.herbs
Subject: Catnip:benefits????
From: szikopou.superior.carleton.ca (Steven Zikopoulos)
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 1994 16:18:05 GMT

Is Catnip more useful than giving your cat an interesting afternoon? I was mildly surprised to see catnip tea at a local "health/herb" shop.

Steve Z


From: lrabe.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Lee A Rabe)

>Is Catnip more useful than giving your cat an interesting afternoon?

I use catnip as a mild seditive. Besides, my cats turn up their noses at catnip....they MUCH prefer pennyroyal!

Lee Ann


From: hecubus.camelot.bradley.edu (Amy Wedell)

>Is Catnip more useful than giving your cat an interesting afternoon?

It's a wonderful cold remedy that a friend here at school gave me... Equal parts of catnip, rosehips, and peppermint...steep and drink while hot...within 20 minutes you'll be sleeping and you'll actually be able to breathe. I drank the tea in the midst of a VERY BAD cold and two days after starting this tea (which was one day after initially getting sick) I was significantly better. Usually if I take OTC or prescription cold medicine, I'm sick for almost three weeks. Three days vs three weeks -- think our "modern day medicines" actually *keep* us sick so we'll go out and buy more and keep seeing our doctor?


From: sdn.mv.mv.com (Eric Roode)

>Is Catnip more useful than giving your cat an interesting afternoon?

Yes. Catnip is a wonderful calmative and relaxant. Very mild and pleasant. I find that it reduces the general level of stress in my life. Also, more medicinally, it is a diaphoretic (induces sweating), so it is sometimes used to reduce fever.


From: lgb1.cornell.edu (Lynn Buckman)

> Is Catnip more useful than giving your cat an interesting afternoon?

Susun Weed also recommends catnip for menstrual cramps. Personally, I've needed something stronger.


From: mushroom.prostar.com (Mushroom)

Hiya Steve & Lynn. Catnip has plenty of other uses than driving the puddytat bongos. I'm male so have never used it for menstrual cramps : ) but do swill catnip tea when I want to relax (sedative) and when I have a cold. As I do presently, sniff. It's good stuff.

Catnip with a few rosehips and a little peppermint, dash of honey for sweetness and lemon for flavor, can take the punch out of a cold!