How to Use a Catnip Plant

Many pet owners give their cats catnip, a tall, weedlike plant belonging to the mint family. Like the rest of its mint cousins, catnip grows rapidly and adapts well to many kinds of soil, including poor soils that other plants won't claim. It grows on tall, fibrous stalks with broad, dusky green triangular leaves. The leaves are rounded at the corners with many tiny lobes along the edges. They are also soft with tiny hairs on the top and bottom of each leaf.

Native to Europe, catnip is considered a weed in North America, but it's no less useful because of that. It is a medicinal herb in addition to being a stimulant for cats. You can purchase it at herbal shops or pick it and dry it yourself, though catnip in pet stores is not suitable for humans. If harvesting catnip yourself, pluck no more than four young leaves from any one plant.

Things You'll Need

• Dried catnip leaves
• Cheesecloth
• Teapot
• Sweetener

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Instructions

For Cats

• 1

  Read the ingredients on your catnip to make sure the manufacturer only uses the leaves and flowers of the plant. Other parts of the plants are slightly toxic and may cause your cat illness if ingested. Good catnip is usually available at pet stores.

• 2

  Fill toys with catnip yourself, to make sure the plant is high-quality. You can either purchase toys with pouches specifically for filling with catnip, or loosen a seam in a cat toy and sprinkle a little catnip into it.

• 3

  Offer catnip to your cat after it reaches 6 months old. Before this age most cats don't react to catnip. Rub some leaves or the toy between your hands to crumble them and release the scent. Sprinkle the catnip on a plate or place the toy on the floor near your cat and see what it does.

For Humans

• 4

  Crumble up some dried catnip leaves and blossoms into the middle of a small square of cheesecloth. Use about a teaspoon of catnip per cup of water. Tie the cheesecloth around the catnip and set it aside.

• 5

  Boil water and pour it into a teapot. Place the cheesecloth bundle inside. Let the tea steep for about 15 minutes to make sure it is strong enough. Remove the bundle from the pot and untie it to let the herbs dry for later use or compost them.

• 6

  Pour about 8 ounces of tea into a mug and sweeten with honey, stevia or another sweetener to taste. Nurse about a cup of catnip tea every two to four hours to help lift your mood, relieve headaches and colds or help you relax before bed.