Nepeta cataria; species of plant
Nepeta cataria
, commonly known as
catnip
,
catswort
,
catwort
, and
catmint
, is a
species
of the
genus
Nepeta
in the
family
Lamiaceae
,
native
to southern and eastern
Europe
, the
Middle East
,
Central Asia
, parts of
Mongolia
, and parts of
China
. It is widely
naturalized
in northern Europe,
New Zealand
, and
North America
.
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
The common name
catmint
can also refer to the genus as a whole.
The names
catnip
and
catmint
are derived from the intense attraction about two-thirds of
cats
have toward the plant (alternatives exist, such as
valerian root
and leaves).
[6]
[7]
Catnip is also an ingredient in some
herbal teas
(or tisanes), and is valued for its
sedative
and
relaxant
properties.
[8]
Description
[
edit
]
Nepeta cataria
is a short-lived
perennial
,
herbaceous plant
that grows to be 50?100 cm (20?40 in) tall and wide, and that blooms from late spring to autumn. In appearance,
N. cataria
resembles a typical member of the
mint
family of plants, featuring brown-green foliage with the characteristic square stem of the plant family Lamiaceae.
[9]
The coarse-toothed leaves are triangular to elliptical in shape.
[10]
The small, bilabiate
flowers
of
N. cataria
are fragrant and are either pink in colour or white with fine spots of pale purple.
[10]
Taxonomy
[
edit
]
Nepeta cataria
was one of the many species
described
by
Linnaeus
in 1753 in his landmark work
Species Plantarum
.
[11]
He had previously described it in 1738 as
Nepeta floribus interrupte spicatis pedunculatis
(meaning '
Nepeta
with flowers in a stalked, interrupted spike'), before the commencement of
Linnaean taxonomy
.
[12]
Uses
[
edit
]
The plant
terpenoid
nepetalactone
is the main chemical constituent of the essential oil of
Nepeta cataria
. Nepetalactone can be extracted from catnip by
steam distillation
.
[13]
Cultivation
[
edit
]
Nepeta cataria
is cultivated as an
ornamental plant
for use in gardens. It is also grown for its attractant qualities to
house cats
and
butterflies
.
[10]
The plant is
drought-tolerant
and
deer
-resistant. It can be a repellent for certain insects, including
aphids
and
squash bugs
.
[10]
Catnip is best grown in full sunlight and grows as a loosely branching, low perennial.
[14]
Varieties include
Nepeta cataria
var.
citriodora
(or
N. cataria
subsp.
citriodora
), or "lemon catnip",
[15]
named after its lemon-scented leaves.
[16]
Biological control
[
edit
]
The
iridoid
that is deposited on cats who have rubbed themselves against the plants and scratched the surfaces of catnip and
silver vine
(
Actinidia polygama
) leaves repels mosquitoes.
[17]
The compound
iridodial
, an iridoid extracted from catnip oil, has been found to attract
lacewings
that eat aphids and mites.
[18]
As an insect repellent
[
edit
]
Nepetalactone is a mosquito and
fly repellent
.
[19]
[20]
Oil isolated from catnip by steam distillation is a repellent against insects, in particular mosquitoes, cockroaches, and termites.
[21]
[22]
Research suggests that, while a more effective spatial repellant than
DEET
,
[23]
when compared with
SS220
or DEET, it is not so effective as a repellent as it is when used on the skin of humans.
[24]
Effect of ingestion on humans
[
edit
]
Catnip has a history of use in traditional medicine for a variety of ailments such as stomach cramps, indigestion, fevers, hives, and nervous conditions.
[25]
The plant has been consumed as a tisane, juice,
tincture
, infusion, or poultice, and has also been smoked.
[25]
However, its medicinal use has fallen out of favor with the development of modern medicine.
[25]
Effect on felines
[
edit
]
Catnip contains the feline attractant
nepetalactone
.
N. cataria
(and some other species within the genus
Nepeta
) are known for their
behavioral effects
on the cat family, not only on
domestic cats
, but also other species.
[25]
Several tests showed that
leopards
,
cougars
,
servals
, and
lynxes
often reacted strongly to catnip in a manner similar to domestic cats.
Lions
and
tigers
may react strongly as well, but they do not react consistently in the same fashion.
[26]
[27]
[28]
[29]
With domestic cats,
N. cataria
is used as a recreational substance for the enjoyment of pet cats, and catnip and catnip-laced products designed for use with domesticated cats are available to consumers. Common behaviors cats display when they sense the bruised leaves or stems of catnip are rubbing on the plant, rolling on the ground, pawing at it, licking it, and chewing it. Consuming much of the plant is followed by drooling, sleepiness, anxiety, leaping about, and
purring
.
[30]
Some growl,
meow
, scratch, or bite at the hand holding it.
[31]
[32]
The main response period after exposure is generally between 5 and 15 minutes, after which
olfactory fatigue
usually sets in.
[33]
: p.107
However, about one-third of cats are not affected by catnip.
[6]
[7]
[25]
[34]
The behavior is
hereditary
.
[35]
Cats detect nepetalactone through their
olfactory epithelium
, not through their
vomeronasal organ
.
[36]
At the olfactory epithelium, the nepetalactone binds to one or more
olfactory receptors
.
A 1962
pedigree
analysis of 26 cats in a Siamese breeding colony suggested that the catnip response was caused by a Mendelian-
dominant
gene. A 2011 pedigree analysis of 210 cats in two breeding colonies (taking into account
measurement error
by repeated testing) showed no evidence for
Mendelian patterns of inheritance
but demonstrated
heritabilities
of
h
2
= 0.51?0.89
for catnip response behavior, indicating a
polygenic
liability threshold model
.
[25]
[37]
[38]
A study published in January 2021 suggests that felines are specifically attracted to the
iridoids
nepetalactone and
nepetalactol
, present in catnip and
silver vine
, respectively.
[39]
Felines not affected by catnip
[
edit
]
Cats younger than six months might not exhibit behavioral change to catnip.
[40]
Up to a third of cats are genetically immune to catnip effects but may respond to and enjoy catnip alternatives such as
valerian
(
Valeriana officinalis
) root and leaves; silver vine or matatabi (
Actinidia polygama
), popular in Asia; and Tatarian honeysuckle (
Lonicera tatarica
) wood.
[6]
[7]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"
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"
.
Germplasm Resources Information Network
.
Agricultural Research Service
,
United States Department of Agriculture
. Retrieved
7 April
2008
.
- ^
World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
- ^
Flora of China Vol. 17 p. 107 ?芥? jing jie shu
Nepeta
Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 570. 1753.
- ^
Altervista Flora Italiana, genere
Nepeta
includes photos plus range maps for Europe and North America
- ^
Wilson, Julia.
"Catnip (Nepeta cataria) ? Everything You Need to Know About Catnip!"
.
Cat-World.com.au
. Archived from
the original
on 6 February 2015
. Retrieved
6 October
2015
.
- ^
a
b
c
Bol, Sebastiaan (16 March 2017).
"Responsiveness of cats (Felidae) to silver vine (
Actinidia polygama
), Tatarian honeysuckle (
Lonicera tatarica
), valerian (
Valeriana officinalis
) and catnip (
Nepeta cataria
)"
.
BMC Veterinary Research
.
13
(1): 70.
doi
:
10.1186/s12917-017-0987-6
.
PMC
5356310
.
PMID
28302120
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Catnip (Nepeta cataria) ? Everything You Need to Know About Catnip!"
.
Cat-World.com.au
. Cat World. 2014. Archived from
the original
on 6 February 2015
. Retrieved
2 January
2015
.
- ^
Grognet, Jeff (1990).
"Catnip: Its uses and effects, past and present"
.
The Canadian Veterinary Journal
.
31
(6): 455?456.
PMC
1480656
.
PMID
17423611
.
- ^
"UW-Stevens Point Freckmann Herbarium: Family Genera"
. Archived from
the original
on 14 October 2013
. Retrieved
11 August
2013
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Missouri Botanical Garden:
Nepeta cataria
(Catmint)
. Retrieved 1 October 2013
- ^
Linnaeus, Carl
(1753).
"Tomus II"
.
Species Plantarum
(in Latin). Vol. 2. Stockholm: Laurentii Salvii. p. 570.
- ^
Spencer, Roger; Cross, Rob; Lumley, Peter (2007).
"Latin names, the binomial system and plant classification"
.
Plant Names: a Guide to Botanical Nomenclature
(3rd ed.).
CSIRO Publishing
. pp. 14?15.
ISBN
9780643099456
.
- ^
"DIY Kitty Crack: ultra-potent catnip extract"
.
Instructables
. 3 June 2007. Archived from
the original
on 12 July 2007
. Retrieved
14 February
2009
.
- ^
"Growing Catnip ? Bonnie Plants"
. Archived from
the original
on 8 February 2012
. Retrieved
27 August
2016
.
- ^
Keville, Kathi (2016).
The Aromatherapy Garden: Growing Fragrant Plants for Happiness and Well-Being
(illustrated ed.). Timber Press. p. 133.
ISBN
9781604695496
.
- ^
"Nepeta cataria var. citriodora | lemon catmint Herbaceous Perennial"
.
RHS Gardening
.
- ^
Uenoyama, Reiko; Miyazaki, Tamako; Adachi, Masaatsu; Nishikawa, Toshio; Hurst, Jane L.; Miyazaki, Masao (14 June 2022).
"Domestic cat damage to plant leaves containing iridoids enhances chemical repellency to pests"
.
iScience
.
25
(7).
Bibcode
:
2022iSci...25j4455U
.
doi
:
10.1016/j.isci.2022.104455
.
PMC
9308154
.
PMID
35880027
.
- ^
Bliss, Rosalie Marion (May?June 2007).
"A Natural Insect Attractant from Catnip"
.
Agricultural Research
.
55
(5).
US Government Printing Office
: 7.
ISSN
0002-161X
– via EBSCO.
- ^
Kingsley, Danny (3 September 2001).
"Catnip sends mozzies flying"
.
ABC Science Online
. Retrieved
14 February
2009
.
- ^
Junwei J. Zhu, Christopher A. Dunlap, Robert W. Behle, Dennis R. Berkebile, Brian Wienhold. (2010). Repellency of a wax-based catnip-oil formulation against stable flies.
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
,
58
(23): 12320?12326 (8 Nov 2010,
doi
:
10.1021/jf102811k
).
- ^
Schultz, Gretchen; Peterson, Chris; Coats, Joel (2006).
"Natural Insect Repellents: Activity against Mosquitoes and Cockroaches"
(PDF)
. In Rimando, Agnes M.; Duke, Stephen O. (eds.).
Natural Products for Pest Management
. ACS Symposium Series.
American Chemical Society
.
- ^
"Termites Repelled by Catnip Oil"
. Southern Research Station, United States Department of Agriculture ? Forest Service. 26 March 2003.
- ^
"Catnip Repels Mosquitoes More Effectively Than DEE"
.
ScienceDaily.com
. Retrieved
16 July
2016
.
- ^
Chauhan, K. R.; Klun, Jerome A.; Debboun, Mustapha; Kramer, Matthew (2005).
"Feeding Deterrent Effects of Catnip Oil Components Compared with Two Synthetic Amides Against Aedes aegypti"
.
Journal of Medical Entomology
.
42
(4): 643?646.
doi
:
10.1603/0022-2585(2005)042[0643:FDEOCO]2.0.CO;2
.
PMID
16119554
.
S2CID
13711455
. Archived from
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on 29 March 2021
. Retrieved
29 December
2018
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
Grognet, J. (June 1990).
"Catnip: Its uses and effects, past and present"
.
The Canadian Veterinary Journal
.
31
(6): 455?456.
PMC
1480656
.
PMID
17423611
.
- ^
Reader's Digest:
Does Catnip "Work" On Big Cats Like Lions And Tigers?
Accessed 22 May 2015 Archived:
https://web.archive.org/web/20130118224630/http://www.readersdigest.ca/pets/fun-facts/does-catnip-work-big-cats-lions-and-tigers/
- ^
Poole, Chris (2 August 2010).
Q: Do Tigers Like Catnip?
.
Big Cat Rescue
.
Archived
from the original on 3 November 2021
. Retrieved
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– via YouTube.
- ^
Poole, Chris (19 March 2013).
Q: Do Tigers Like Catnip? Part 2
.
Big Cat Rescue
.
Archived
from the original on 3 November 2021
. Retrieved
22 March
2015
– via YouTube.
- ^
Durand, Marcella (4 March 2003).
"Heavenly Catnip"
.
CatsPlay.com
. Archived from
the original
on 15 May 2013
. Retrieved
2 January
2015
.
- ^
"Catnip Overdose or Something More Serious? - TheCatSpace"
. 27 February 2023
. Retrieved
15 July
2023
.
- ^
Becker, Marty; Spadafori, Gina (2006).
Why Do Cats Always Land on Their Feet? 101 of the Most Perplexing Questions Answered About Feline Unfathomables, Medical Mysteries and Befuddling Behaviors
. Deerfield Beach, Florida: Health Communications.
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.
- ^
Spadafori, Gina (2006).
"Here, Boy!"
. Universal Press Syndicate
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3 May
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.
- ^
Moore, Arden (2007).
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. Storey.
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.
- ^
Turner, Ramona (29 May 2007).
"How does catnip work its magic on cats?"
.
Scientific American
. Retrieved
14 February
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.
- ^
Stromberg, Joseph (12 September 2014).
"How catnip gets your cat high"
.
Vox
. Retrieved
15 February
2021
.
- ^
Hart, Benjamin L.; Leedy, Mitzi G. (July 1985). "Analysis of the catnip reaction: mediation by olfactory system, not vomeronasal organ".
Behavioral and Neural Biology
.
44
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.
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.
- ^
Todd 1962,
"Inheritance of the catnip response in domestic cats"
- ^
Villani 2011,
"Heritability and Characteristics of Catnip Response in Two Domestic Cat Populations"
- ^
Moutinho, Sofia (20 January 2021).
"Why cats are crazy for catnip"
.
Science
. Retrieved
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2021
.
- ^
"Crazy for catnip"
.
HumaneSociety.org
. Humane Society of the United States
. Retrieved
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2023
.
Further reading
[
edit
]
- Khan, M. A.;
Cameron, Mary M.
; Loza-Reyes, E. (May 2012). "Interference in foraging behaviour of European and American house dust mites
Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus
and
Dermatophagoides farinae
(Acari: Pyroglyphidae) by catmint,
Nepeta cataria
(Lamiaceae)".
Experimental and Applied Acarology
.
57
(1): 65?74.
doi
:
10.1007/s10493-012-9532-2
.
PMID
22382713
.
S2CID
17494631
.
External links
[
edit
]
Look up
catnip
in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.