Catnip

Catnip
(Nepeta cataria) P

Folk Names: Cat, Catmint, Catnep, Catrup,
Cat's Wort, Field Balm, Nepeta, Nip
Gender: Feminine
Element: Water
Planet: Venus
Deities: Bast
Powers: Cat Magick, Love, Beauty, Happiness

Magical Uses: Given to your cat, catnip creates a psychic bond between the two of you. It is also intoxicationg to the cat.
   Catnip is used in love sachets, usually in conjunction with rose petals. If you hold catnip in your hand until it is warm, then hold anyone else's hand; they will forever be your friend, as long as you keep the catnip you used for the spell in some safe place.
   Grown near the house or hung over the door, catnip attracts good spirits and great luck. Catnip is also used in spells designed to enhance beauty and happiness.
    Large catnip leaves are pressed and used as bookmarks in magical texts. [love this idea, I must try this the next time my catnip is large and bushy.]
From: "Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs"]

Catnip

   Some cats go wild for Catnip. They chew it, eat it, roll in it, becoming excited, and it seems to have an almost marotic effect upon them. As a result it can be hard to grow if you have cats, although a hanging basket can be the solution!  The other difficulty is that althought Catmint is one of the other names for Catnip, it is also a name given to some other plants. So when buying it, ensure you get Nepeta cataria.

  Catnip is one of the 16 healing plants of Druid lore, where it is recommended for use in fevers, headaches, bronchitis and digestive and stomach complaints, including diarrhea and cramps. Catnip tea is balancing, being calming for those who are excitable and quarrelsome, yet stimulating for those who are overexerted or who need courage . It is also useful in treating troublesome menstruation. Added to preseves it is useful in treating nightmares in children.

   Magically it is used in spells for love, beauty, friendship and happiness. Rub Catnip on your palm before holding the hand of someone whose friendship you wish to secure. Place the pressed leaves in your Book of Shadows to protect it from prying eyes. Float a few leaves in the bath and meditate there to enchance beauty and attract love. Put the flower tops under your pillow to secure a good's night sleep and for prophetic dreams. Drink Catnip tea last thing at night to promote healing. Grow Catnip by the door or window to attract good spirits. To create a psychic bond with your cat, drink Catnip tea at the same time as giving them Catnip.
[From: "The Real Witches' Year" by Kate West]

Catnip, a member of the mint family, is a harmless "high" for felines. Although many cats will eat it, scientists say they're reacting to the smell rather than the taste. Felines bite, chew, rub against, and roll in catnip to release the volatile oil trapped in the leaves. Catnip is harvested when this essential oil production reaches its peak, and leaves and fragrant flowers are carefully air-dried to preserve essential oils at their best.


About 80% of adult cats -- including lions, pumas, and leopards! -- react to this irresistible, intoxicating, analgesic soporific. The tendency to like or ignore catnip is inherited, and it's true that some cats are immune to its influence.

Catnip, Nepeta cataria, is a mint family member said to be an import that went wild and now flourishes everywhere. It grows about 2' tall. The leaves are downy above and below, a little larger than peppermint leaves. By the 1890's, Ojibwe women were using it. It had a Native name, Gajugensibug, and was said to be a good tea to drink to bring down fevers, as well as pleasant-tasting.
 
A hardy, upright, perennial herb with sturdy stems bearing hairy, heart-shaped, grayish-green leaves. The flowers are white or lilac, 0.25 inch long, and occur in several clusters toward the tips of the branches. Native of Eurasia, naturalized in North America.


Cultivation and Propagation: It is easily cultivated in any garden soil, with little care, as the plant does not require the moisture that most mint plants need. Plants should be grown from seed sown where they are going to stand. Bruised or recently transplanted plants are likely to be eaten by cats unless protected. The seed should be sown very thinly in rows 20 inches apart and the seedlings thinned out to 20 inches apart in the rows. It requires almost no care except occasional weeding. A bed will last several years. It can also be propagated by division of the roots in spring.

Harvesting: The herb is harvested just before flowering in middle to late summer on a dry sunny day and in late morning when all dew is gone. Drying should be done carefully. The leaves are stripped from the stems and dried as quickly as possible with good ventilation out of direct sunlight, or in an oven at 150 degrees Fahrenheit to avoid losing much volatile oil.


Taken as a hot infusion, Catnip promotes sweating and is beneficial for colds, flus, fevers, and infectious childhood diseases. It is soothing to the nervous system and calming to the stomach. It aids with flatulence, diarrhea, and colic. It is sometimes used as an enema to cleanse and heal the lower bowel (use in diluted form). Catnip helps to prevent miscarriage and premature birth as well as allays morning sickness.
http://www.holoweb.com/cannon/catnip.htm