Botanical Library
Catnip
Holistic tradition
🍄Image: CatnipAdd an image URL to this ingredient in Admin to replace this placeholder.
At a glance
Where it's from
Native to Europe and Asia; naturalized in North America.
Look & taste
A grey-green mint-family herb with small white flowers. Minty, slightly bitter
Signature compounds
Nepetalactone (the compound that excites cats) and volatile oils.
Traditionally used for
A gentle traditional tea for calming nerves, settling the stomach and easing fevers.
In Canada, we can say...
Traditionally used in Herbal Medicine to relieve digestive spasms and indigestion (carminative), to induce sweating in feverish conditions, and to relieve restlessness and nervousness (calmative).
Did you know?
The same compound that sends cats into a frenzy has a mild calming effect on people as a tea.
History & natural history
Long brewed as a calming bedtime tea in Europe before it was famous for cats.
What we're actually allowed to say
🇨🇦 Health Canada
✓ Permitted: Traditionally used in Herbal Medicine to relieve digestive spasms and indigestion (carminative), to induce sweating in feverish conditions, and to relieve restlessness and nervousness (calmative).
How to use it
As a gentle tea before bed.
Want this?
Catnip isn't in stock yet. Tell us you'd like it and we'll consider adding it.
Request Catnip →Side effects & safety
Do not use if pregnant; check if breastfeeding.
A note on how to read this page. Traditional (TCM / Ayurveda) and holistic notes are cultural and historical context, offered for education — not medical advice or health claims. Health Canada's permitted claims reflect what regulators have assessed. Emerging research is early, and not a promise of results. Nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Always talk to your (or your pet's) health professional before starting a supplement.