Medicinal and Garden Benefits of Catnip (Nepetia Catara)

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I am big into medicinal herbs and growing my own.  I try to add a new one to my garden each year.  Growing our own medicines like this is one of the big ways we got ourselves off ALL pharmaceuticals, including prescription thyroid medication.  I will be doing more posts specifically on that in the future but right now I want to focus on the benefits of catnip (Nepeta Cataria) and why you may want to add it to your garden next year.

The main reason I grow it is for its analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.  It seems to be just as effective as the feverfew that I grow but without the strong bitter flavor. 

Catnip1.JPG
Catnip has many other medicinal benefits  such as being a good a sleep aid. Unlike being a stimulant for cats, in dogs and humans, catnip is sedative and I have used it in my nightly teas, especially when feeling stressed or anxious. I have also used it in a special calming, pain and anti-inflammatory medicine I have made for our dogs. 

Catnip is a good as a bug repellent. You can rub the fresh leaves on your skin to keep mosquitoes away.  I have not tried it yet as mosquitoes do not like me much, but I would imagine one could made a strong infusion and then spray it on skin and clothes.

Since it is a pest repellent, this means growing it in your garden will also help deter harmful garden insects while attracting honeybees and bumble bees. I have seen the bees gather thick in my catnip when it first starts blooming.  It is one of those that blooms long before all other bee attracting herbs like borage and calendula.  I love that it blooms all summer long clear through fall.

  Catnip is also a digestive aid that will help calm the stomach and prevent nausea and diarrhea.

A few of its other benefits is that it promotes weight loss, helps relieve nervous disorders, helps with common colds and flus, and applied topically can be used to soothe minor skin irritations.

Though it is a mint and gets bigger each year, it is not near as invasive as other mints as it does not spread under the ground so it is easier to keep up on in that respect so I like to grow it in several places throughout my gardens.

Here is a video I did this past summer in which I talk about some of the benefits of the catnip:


Please let me know in comments below if you would like to see more posts like this as I have many more of my garden herbs I would like to cover.

Hope you enjoyed this and learned something new! Thank you for your time Faithful Reader! ~Heidi


NOTE: I am NOT a doctor nor pretend to be one. Nothing I say should be used to replace professional medical counseling! Also, PLEASE do your OWN research!



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Comments

  1. ButrifliOctober 16, 2017 at 8:58 AM

    Love this... inspires me to try new plants in my garden... although i have always grown catnip in my garden i had never known the qualities it has to offer .... so yes please keep posting these informational inspirations...

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownOctober 16, 2017 at 3:12 PM

    Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us!! Your sweet spirit blesses me. Please keep making the videos!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownOctober 16, 2017 at 5:33 PM

      Thank you so much for that very gracious comment!

      Delete
  3. MATINAJuly 1, 2021 at 2:52 AM

    I was diagnosed as HEPATITIS B carrier in 2013 with fibrosis of the
    liver already present. I started on antiviral medications which
    reduced the viral load initially. After a couple of years the virus
    became resistant. I started on HEPATITIS B Herbal treatment from
    ULTIMATE LIFE CLINIC (www.ultimatelifeclinic.com) in March, 2020. Their
    treatment totally reversed the virus. I did another blood test after
    the 6 months long treatment and tested negative to the virus. Amazing
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    ReplyDelete

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