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Catnip, not just for Cats

© Traute Klein

Herbal relaxants and how to use them effectively. With a bit of cat poetry thrown in, in fact, the first of my poems which I decided to hold onto.

The Catnip Monster

Lecturing my cat on her bad habit
of eating catnip plants to the root

You found it again!
True - it was planted for you.
Catnip was meant for cats to enjoy,
but why do you have to destroy it?

All cats like catnip.
True - they love it immensely.
Catnip is meant for cats to enjoy,
but why do you have to devour it?

Let me keep it alive for you.
Let me save some slips for new plants.
Catnip was meant for cats to enjoy,
but you little monster won't let it grow.

- Written June 12, 1993

Read about the circumstances of the writing of this poem.

A Herb for Cats and Humans alike

I never heard of catnip until I came to Canada. I don't even know its German name. That is certainly unusual considering that I grew up with a family history of natural remedies.

Some cats supposedly do not react to catnip, but then they have only been exposed to the dried plant, and that does not compare to the fresh one. In my garden, all catnip would get eradicated as soon as it emerges from the soil, if I had not found a way to protect it from overzealous feline admirers. A wire basket placed upside down over every plant has proved to be the perfect solution. It upsets the cats only until the aromatic leaves start growing through the basket.

Saving Catnip for the Winter

Catnip is one of the three mints which are hardy in our zone 2 climate. The other two are spearmint and peppermint. You can start a plant easily from a little cutting. All mints root easily.

Whereas most mints are stimulants, catnip is a relaxant. At the end of the season, I cut off and dry all catnip plants and keep them in a pillowslip. I place this dream pillow in whichever box is going to be my cat's bed for the winter. That is the only way I know of assuring that she will actually use the box, especially if it is placed near a source of heat.

Should I have a difficult time falling asleep some night, I know whose pillow to borrow.

Proper Use of Herbal Relaxants

Valerian root is the strongest of all herbal relaxants. I grew up with it and love it. My family drank the tea made from its root, and my father's favorite candy was a couple of drops of the "Baldrian" tincture on a sugar cube. Unfortunately, all relaxants lose their effectiveness with repeated use, and I noticed that no amount of valerian root had any effect on me whatsoever.

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