Catnip

Catnip is also known as catswort and catmint. It's a perennial from the Labiatae family or also known as the Mint family. Catnip is aptly named because this herb is loved by all cats. Not exactly all cats, but most cats are in love with Catnip and behave themselves very peculiar when they've come in contact with it. Also bees, butterflies and other benificial insects find Catnip attractive. Catnip is a very versatile herb that's used in the kitchen and in alternitive medicin. Catnip is used in alternitive medicin because of it's calming, fieverreducing, expectorant, blood cleansing and perspiration reducing qualities. It's also used against headache, jaundice and anemia.

You can also add Catnip to soups or salads. The flavour of Catnip is very mint- and lemon-like. You can make tea from Catnip leaves. This tea is very soothing and calming. Catnip is a very attractive perennial and a member of the mint family often used as ground cover for border and garden. You can use the dried leaves of Catnip to colour wool and cotton. It has lavender blue flowers. It needs a lot of sun and can be grown on every soil. It is very easy to grow from seed, but it has a long germination period. To encourage self seeding, prune the plant all the way back after flowering. Semi-hardy Perennial.