Common Catnip (Nepeta cataria)
White flowers, grows up to 3 feet. This is the variety most cats enjoy.
Camphor Catnip (Nepeta camphorata
White flowers with purple dots, grows up to 18 inches. Camphor scent.
Greek Catnip (Nepeta parnassica)
White, pale pink flowers, grows up to 18 inches.
Lemon Catnip (Nepeta cataria citriodora)
White flowers, spotted with purple, grows up to 3 feet. The leaves have a lemony scent.
Catmint (Nepeta mussinii)
Purple flowers. This plant has smallish, grey/green leaves. It grows up to 15 inches high.
Parts Used: Leaves and flowering tops
Cultivation: Catnip is a perennial which does not grow easily from seed, but from cuttings. It grows wild around my house! Catnip likes dry, sandy, well-drained soil, in sun to part shade, with a pH of 6.6. It is hardy to zone 3.
Magickal Properties: Animal magick, beauty, happiness, love. Catnip is a feminine plant associated with Venus and the element of Water.
Magickal Uses: Use with rose petals in love sachets. Catnip enhances beauty and happiness. Grow it near your home to attract good spirits and great luck.
Medicinal Properties: Anti-spasmodic, astringent, carminative, diaphoretic, sedative.
Medicinal Uses: Catnip tea is used to treat everything from colds to cancer. Common uses are: as a digestive tonic, and mild sleeping aid. Catnip eases upset stomachs. It is good for treating children's diarrhea.
10 uses of catninp-
1- Catnip tea soothes coughs.
2- Can be used as a mild sedative or sleep aid.
3- Catnip is useful for calming the digestive track.
4- Catnip essential oil can be used as an effective insect repellent.
5- Fresh catnip leaves can be added as a delicious addition to salads.
6- A good tonic herb for regulating the menstrual cycle and also for the relief of pain from menstrual cramps.
7- There are 4 popular varieties of catnip available besides common catnip; camphor, mint, lemon and Greek.
8- Effective in treating asthma and bronchitis (as an infusion, extract or even smoked).
9- Catnip can be given as a tea mixed with breast milk to infants suffering from colic.
10- Chewing the fresh leaf can help relive pain from a toothache.