I harvest Catnip in late June to early July as it is just starting to flower. I have a patch that I cultivate and many volunteers that have jumped ship and spread out across my property. I like to make both an alcohol tincture and a glycerine tincture (more on tincture making soon). Glycerine is much more palatable for children, but doesn’t preserve for as long. Catnip acts as a sedative in humans the opposite of how it acts in cats. Many eyebrows have been raised in response to my praise of catnip for children as most people associate catnip with the intoxicating and sometimes aggressive behavior it elicits in cats.
Catnip is one of my favorite remedies for a variety of illnesses and is particularly great for children. I have used it with my children for fevers, stomach upsets, colic, and as a relaxant for them before bed. It is carminative; dispelling gas, antispasmodic; relaxing muscle spasm including the small intestine, diaphoretic; reducing fever, and nervine; relaxing tension. It is a very mild, safe and effective remedy and I, for one, have been grateful for having had Catnip introduced into my life as I have used it more than any other remedy while raising 4 children.
I have used the glycerite with my son, who is pretty high energy and excitable, many nights before bed to help him to relax and wind down at the end of his busy days. His mind and body are highly active and his daily questions and thoughts seem to culminate into a great deal of tension at night.He has been my worst sleeper as he seems to only need about 7-8 hours of sleep per night no matter how exhausted he is or how much physical activity he engages in during the day. For babies starting at 3 months – 1 year I would give 5-15 drops of glycerite a half an hour before bed. For over a year I would give 1-2 droppersful. Start with 1 dropper and see how it goes. My daughter always liked just a cup of tea as a baby and she still uses it now as a teenager. To make a tea steep one teaspoon of dried or two teaspoons of fresh catnip in boiling water for 10-15 minutes. For fever I will give a dropper of glycerine tincture every 3-4 hours along with Lemon Balm and Echinacea. For stomach aches Catnip can be used alone or mixed with other digestive herbs. I use the Tender Tummy formula from Woodland Essence which contains Catnip, Anise, Fennel and Peppermint. I have used this formula with much success for acute stomach upsets ranging from food poisoning, simple indigestion, car sickness, to the stomach flu. In fact, this is one of the remedies I always pack in my medicine bag when I travel. I wouldn’t leave home without it.
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Catnip is native to Europe but quite naturalized in North America and easy to grow. I just bought one small plant from a local nursery and it greatly proliferated in only one year. It can be cut back and harvested several times in one year blooming on and off right through to fall. Because it is perennial and does spread, be sure to consider carefully where to place it in your garden or yard and don’t be alarmed to find your cat or someone else’s rolling around in it.☺
catnip rocks
Love your post. I use catnip all the time for upset tummies in my family. I forgot all about its calming effect, have to remeber that. The glycerite is the only herb I felt safe giving my infants for colic, and was always surprised how fast and effective it was. I dont know how different our soils are, but I never seem to have catnip "babies" spreading in my gardens, your lucky! Thanks for sharing all the info
Catnip Rocks!!
Hey Tavia, yeah, I have catnip all over. You're welcome to dig some up. I usually have to thin them out from other beds.Maybe if you prepare a bed for them they'll spread. Your soil is much heavier than mine so maybe that's the difference. I think I have used catnip mostly for it's calming effect and for fevers. It's been a savior for Aidan and don't forget it works for adults too!!
I also approve of catnip...
although I've heard naughty victorian ladies would drink it for its "effects"
on second thoght I'm not sure its a good idea
We love 'fuzzy mint' too!
My son loves to pick our peppermint, lemonbalm, and 'fuzzymint (catnip)' to make into relaxing tea in hte evenings. Usually this means he goes all crazy and wild, for the sole purpose of going out to pick "relaxing tea", but at least the funny acting supports the knowledge of the plant's actual medicinal properties.
Myself, I tend to think catnip tea tastes more like wet socks, so need to really brew it along with lemon balm or mint to mask the taste. Sadly, it's starting to die off in our yard the past few years. Great plant though!
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