Charming catnip (Nepeta cataria), which brightens the garden
with its delicate purple flowers that butterflies love, and with its bright,
wrinkled, triangular leaves, yes, the catnip that cats go crazy for, is also a
wonderful medicinal herb for us humans as well. Catnip has soothing and anxiety-relieving
properties and is also a mild sleep aid.
It makes a wonderful tea, although not everybody likes its somewhat minty,
slightly oily taste. Its leaves can be
mixed with mint, chamomile, or lemon balm to make a very pleasant calming and
relaxing tea. I sometimes like it all by
itself and enjoy the taste with or without a sweetener. But that’s just me. I don’t care to drink it every day, although
I did for a while last summer, when it looked so fresh and pleasing in the
garden. Usually by the end of the summer
it looks a little trampled, after the neighborhood cats have been rolling
around it to get “high.” It dies back to
the roots each winter, but always returns with a flourish in the earliest days
of spring.
Like all herbs,
it is important to get to know catnip in a careful and respectful way. A very few people might have a mild allergy
to it, and it should be avoided by anyone who is pregnant. It’s also a good example of "too much is not
always a good thing." A cup or two
are fine, but too much can cause stomach upset, which is really strange because
in reasonable amounts it actually helps with stomach cramps!
