Botanic Garden >> Gardening > >> Houseplants >> Plants for Details >> Herbs

Catnip (Nepeta cataria): The Feline Favorite Herb

Catnip: A Beloved Herb for Cats and Humans

Catnip (Nepeta cataria), a member of the mint family Lamiaceae, is renowned for its euphoric effect on cats. Beyond entertaining felines, this perennial herb has a long history of human use in teas, herbal remedies, and as a garden ornamental.

Botanical Profile

Family:	Lamiaceae (lay-mee-AY-see-ee)
Genus:	Nepeta (NEP-eh-tuh)
Species:	cataria (kat-AR-ee-uh)

Native to Europe and Asia, catnip has naturalized across North America. It grows 2–3 feet tall with heart-shaped, gray-green leaves and spikes of white or pale lavender flowers. The plant contains nepetalactone, the compound that triggers the characteristic response in cats.

Uses and Benefits

Cat enrichment: Dried leaves or fresh sprigs provide stimulation for domestic cats.
Herbal tea: Mildly sedative, used to relieve stress, insomnia, and digestive upset.
Insect repellent: Essential oil repels mosquitoes, flies, and cockroaches.
Garden companion: Attracts beneficial pollinators like bees and butterflies.

Easy to grow from seed, catnip thrives in full sun and well-drained soil. Harvest leaves just before flowering for maximum potency.

Herbs: Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis): Aromatic Evergreen Herb for Kitchen and Garden; Borage (Borago officinalis): Starflower for Bees and Cuisine; Comfrey (Symphytum officinale): Healing Herb and Dynamic Accumulator; Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis): Spring Ephemeral with Red Sap; Lovage (Levisticum officinale): Towering Celery-Flavored Herb; Sweet Fern (Comptonia peregrina): Native Nitrogen-Fixer with Fern-Like Foliage; Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium): Delicate Anise-Flavored Herb for Spring; Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum): Ancient Spice and Medicinal Legume; Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis): Endangered Native Medicinal Herb of Eastern Forests; Dill (Anethum graveolens): Classic Culinary Annual

Garden Articles

Caraway (Carum carvi): Biennial Spice and Medicinal Seed

Common Myrtle (Myrtus communis): Fragrant, Evergreen Mediterranean Shrub for Topiary and Hedges

Anise (Pimpinella anisum): Sweet, Licorice-Flavored Annual for Seeds and Leaves

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra): The Sweet Root of Herbal Medicine and Confectionery

Dorstenia bahiensis: Unusual Tropical Fig Relative with Shield-Shaped Flowers

Catstongue (Priva lappulacea): Tropical Groundcover with Sticky Seeds

Sesame (Sesamum indicum): Ancient Oilseed Crop for Seeds and Oil

Plants

Hosta plantaginea: The Fragrant Species with Giant White Flowers

Comfortroot (Hibiscus aculeatus)

Hibiscus hamabo: Coastal Species

Mandrinette – Hibiscus boryanus

Furcraea macdougalii: A Giant, Trunk-Forming Relative of Agave

Euphorbia bupleurifolia: A Bizarre, Pineapple-Topped Succulent with a Caudex

Candelilla (Euphorbia antisyphilitica): A Leafless, Wax-Producing Shrub for Extreme Heat