CATNIP (Cat Mint) 



Nepeta cat aria L. 



Summer 'I'he soft, downy, <rrov loaves and the downy. tour-aniiliMl 

 Woods stems ol' tat nip wonld })oint it out if nothing else identilied 

 this plant with the clusters of ofrey-whito ilowers. But when 

 one crushes a leaf or smooths a stem, tlie aromatic odor whidi s])iin.i:s 

 forth tells at once tliat this is catniji. helovi^d l»y felines evcrvwhcre. Roth 

 the Latin and the coininon names concedi' to the ailmiration whieh cats 

 have for any i);)rti()n of fresh or dried catnip, for this is a recoirnized 

 (pialitv, not a fabk> — it really dws attract cats. 



Perhai>s it was for the henefit of the early cats which were l)rou<rht 

 alon«T as pets and rat-catchers to the Xew World that the first catnip 

 wa.s broufrht front Kuroi)o, for this is a naturalized herb from Europe. 

 Wherever it is planted niul wherever it f^rows — and it was first of all 

 planted in eai'ly h.ei-h pirdcns in America — cats seek it out. Witli a 

 beatific expression, tiiey roll in it, nibble it, i)urr loudlv, yowl, walk 

 around it and, <i;rinnin(r toothily, roll in it once a<rain. Dried catnip often 

 is placed in imitation mice or balls, and cats will play with these for hours. 



lint catnip was not only for tlie benefit of cats. It has been used a.s 

 a jiopular home remedy for infant colic. The leaves were brewed in hot 

 water a.s a tea, and even today catnij) tea is *riven for stomach ache or 

 is drunk simply as a refreshin<r afternoon beverajje. 



Catni]) is a irrey plant. The leaves are a ,Lrrc(>nish-jrrev, the stems 

 are decidedly pvy. the ilowers are ^^rey-white with tiny jjurplish si)eckles, 

 and the entire plant, flowers, seeds, leaves and root, has that aromatic 

 odor which means catnip and no other plant in the world. 



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