Catnip

[Peanut]

Catnip aka Nepeta cataria… Catnip is a mint native to europe but widely naturalized across north america around old farms and homesteads. As with most mints its loaded with essential oils, carvacrol and thymol are but two.

Although a great medicine for adults with many uses, I’ve found it indispensable with infants and small children, a very gentle medicine… especially good for fevers and colic.

Ever wonder why you get an after-dinner mint at nice restaurants? Many of the mint family plants are great for digestion…

In the words of the late great Tommie Bass… “Catnip is one of the finest things to have around the home, especially where there’s children, for the hives and when they’re teething and the little fellers can’t sleep. Just give them a spoonful of catnip tea. Put it in a bottle of milk, or if they’re breast-fed, put it in sweetened water. It’s just no time till the little fellers are feeling lots better.

You can mix it with maypop, sage, skullcap and peach leaves for one of the most wonderful nerve tonics there is.”

Today I made just over a pint of tincture…

 

[Sentry18]

Ever wonder why you get an after-dinner mint at nice restaurants? Many of the mint family plants are great for digestion…

I never even thought about that. Good stuff!

 

[Peanut]

I never even thought about that. Good stuff!

The ancient Romans and Greeks left records of eating mint after meals. Some say if there was hieroglyph of an after dinner mint we'd know the ancient egpytians did so. I'd bet they did...

All the ancient peoples used mints.

 

[dademoss]

4 out of 5 cats really enjoy it too

 

[Weedygarden]

4 out of 5 cats really enjoy it too

That is what I was thinking. We have a couple feral cats in the area who come into my yard.

 

[joel]

Oh, I thought it was because my breath sinks.

 

[herbalnewbie]

Catnip aka Nepeta cataria… Catnip is a mint native to europe but widely naturalized across north america around old farms and homesteads. As with most mints its loaded with essential oils, carvacrol and thymol are but two.

Although a great medicine for adults with many uses, I’ve found it indispensable with infants and small children, a very gentle medicine… especially good for fevers and colic.

Ever wonder why you get an after-dinner mint at nice restaurants? Many of the mint family plants are great for digestion…

In the words of the late great Tommie Bass… “Catnip is one of the finest things to have around the home, especially where there’s children, for the hives and when they’re teething and the little fellers can’t sleep. Just give them a spoonful of catnip tea. Put it in a bottle of milk, or if they’re breast-fed, put it in sweetened water. It’s just no time till the little fellers are feeling lots better.

You can mix it with maypop, sage, skullcap and peach leaves for one of the most wonderful nerve tonics there is.”

Today I made just over a pint of tincture…

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Love this! I've only made a fresh catnip tea with fresh lemon balm and honey. Do you mind if I ask how long you let the tincture sit and how you will use it when it's ready? I have the same vodka and plenty of catnip, I'm just not sure what to do with it.

 

[Peanut]

@herbalnewbie Although some plants don't need but a couple of weeks I routinely let my tinctures go 4 to 6 weeks before I strain out the plant material, sometimes even longer. It hurts nothing to let them go longer. For me the decision is made by "How soon do I need it!". If I don't need it right away I leave it go until I get around to dealing with it again. I might wait until I have several tinctures to finish up then spend a couple of hours and finish all of them at the same time.

The dosage for catnip is high compared to most tinctures. For an adult it's 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon up to 4X a day. Think of how many people might need your help, estimate usage start to finish... this gives you an idea of how much tincture you need to keep on hand. All my catnip was about to bloom. Its best to tincture catnip just before the blooms form. I trimmed all of mine pretty good, it'll put back up again. I hope to have a quart to a quart and a half by fall.

Figureing out how exactly to tincture a paticular plant, dosage etc is in the books I put in the library. I read the words of the experts. If their written instructions are unclear I give them a call... I happen to know several of them personally.

Some plants like lobelia can get very complicated, its not just alcohol and water. Some plants need to be boiled, reduced, then alcohol plus glycerin or vinegar is added. I urge folks to get the books. No one person can keep it all in their head.

Being able to read how several different people treat the same plant helps me get a better feel for a plant and how its made into and used as a medicine.

The best book for beginners to understand how to make various types of tinctures is by P. K. Howell. I still refer to it every spring to make sure I have the basics correct in my head. You might have trouble finding a new copy. It's out of print. The last time I spoke with her she was thinking of writing a revised edition. I need to check on that...

 

[goshengirl]

I recently started an herbal course - I needed the structure to learn. There's just so much information (in the herbal world in general) that I have a hard time zeroing in on actually doing and learning.

@Peanut, I always enjoy reading your posts. I take notes. ☺

 

[Peanut]

I wish you luck... and a good teacher. The way I went about it isn't for most folks but it works for me... As in just about any field of learning these days some try to inject their religious, or even worse, political ideology into plant medicine . I've dealt with a few, I just tune out the noise and focus on the plants.

 

[goshengirl]

I totally agree! And so far, so good.

 

[Meerkat]

Never knew .

 

[herbalnewbie]

@herbalnewbie Although some plants don't need but a couple of weeks I routinely let my tinctures go 4 to 6 weeks before I strain out the plant material, sometimes even longer. It hurts nothing to let them go longer. For me the decision is made by "How soon do I need it!". If I don't need it right away I leave it go until I get around to dealing with it again. I might wait until I have several tinctures to finish up then spend a couple of hours and finish all of them at the same time.

The dosage for catnip is high compared to most tinctures. For an adult it's 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon up to 4X a day. Think of how many people might need your help, estimate usage start to finish... this gives you an idea of how much tincture you need to keep on hand. All my catnip was about to bloom. Its best to tincture catnip just before the blooms form. I trimmed all of mine pretty good, it'll put back up again. I hope to have a quart to a quart and a half by fall.

Figureing out how exactly to tincture a paticular plant, dosage etc is in the books I put in the library. I read the words of the experts. If their written instructions are unclear I give them a call... I happen to know several of them personally.

Some plants like lobelia can get very complicated, its not just alcohol and water. Some plants need to be boiled, reduced, then alcohol plus glycerin or vinegar is added. I urge folks to get the books. No one person can keep it all in their head.

Being able to read how several different people treat the same plant helps me get a better feel for a plant and how its made into and used as a medicine.

The best book for beginners to understand how to make various types of tinctures is by P. K. Howell. I still refer to it every spring to make sure I have the basics correct in my head. You might have trouble finding a new copy. It's out of print. The last time I spoke with her she was thinking of writing a revised edition. I need to check on that...

Thank you. I have books on the herbs, trying to learn everything I can but I don't have "recipe" books. I'll look for books by PK Howell and see if I can get a used copy. I am reading Mountain Man Tommie Bass right now. I love that book. I've read The Modern Herbal Dispensatory, love that one too. I have more to read just started with an interest in this not long ago and I can't seem to learn fast enough. There is so much info to absorb. Thanks again.