 Yes! Let's talk about catnip and check out lots of cute clips of kitties! But no, this herb is not just for your cuddly cats. You can drink catnip tea or eat catnip yourself. The funny thing is that while we can wallow through lots of anecdotal data and facts about catnip's compounds, we don't have much research on catnip itself. In case you don't already know, about a third of cats don't have what's called the catnip gene and aren't affected by catnip at all. From what we know about catnip as an herb, this is probably similar to humans according to what we know about it. According to mythology, the Egyptians were the first people to give catnip to cats, though catnip is actually from the Mediterranean region, specifically the town of Napet or Napetta in Italy, where it's believed that catnip gets its formal name, Napetta Cattoria. We also know that the Romans put catnip in their recipes and medicines, and it was brought to America in the 18th century to be used in much the same way. But don't confuse it with catnip. Some people like to call it this, but it's actually a different herb which has some similar benefits, but cats just don't like it as much. While catnip is well known for how it makes some cats go a little bit crazy, humans are known to enjoy it for its calming effects. And this isn't surprising as a lot of people will compare its benefits to cannabis, but I wouldn't suggest smoking it, more on that later. Some older studies concern the compounds in catnip. Catnip tea could improve your stress. My stress ain't being helped with that. Some older studies concerning the compounds in catnip conclude that catnip tea could improve your anxiety, stress, sleep, and insomnia. And experts agree that helping anxiety and relaxation are some of the best benefits for your cats too. Catnip is an antispasmodic as well as a diaphoretic, so if you're worried about sneezes, sore throats, or coughs, catnip can help you as well. Catnip is not only good for normal colds, but also influenza and fevers. And catnip is also believed to help with these various respiratory problems. Now, depending on how you want to do it, you can either drink your catnip tea or use it as an inhalant to get rid of that cold and sore throat. Maybe it can help my cat for his cold too. No! Sorry, from what we know, this is only good for the humans here. Catnip tea and catnip poultices are a long-standing recipe for toothaches. And this is something we actually have several studies on. No, seriously, if you've been watching my channel for any length of time, you know that the studies on herbs can be few and far between. Luckily, catnip has been shown to have antibacterial, antifungal, and antimicrobial properties that can help a variety of oral health problems. It's also believed that these same properties can stop intestal parasites and worms. So you got that going for you. Many people love catnip tea for gastrointestinal problems, and being a carbonative herb, this is no surprise at all. The important thing to remember here, of course, is moderation. As some people have been known to have vomiting or other digestive issues if they have too much catnip tea. But if you do it right, you could experience this lovely list of digestive benefits. Herbalists tout the tannins in catnip tea for helping repair damaged skin, stopping hemorrhages, and helping cuts. Historically, catnip tea has been used for burns, insect bites, and other skin issues like hives. And these are actually things that your cats can benefit from as well. Catnip is a diaphoretic agent, and this sweaty skill is its main claim to weight loss fame. Thanks to its various minerals and nutritional compounds, catnip is thought to help your rate of fat burning as well. And its ability to flush toxins out of your system is supposed to help your metabolism too. Catnip tea's anti-inflammatory properties have a history of use for all of these issues. The calming effects of catnip tea have also been thought to help headaches. But this is actually on a person-by-person basis, as we have research that says it can actually cause headaches in some, and reduce chronic migraines in others. Either way, without the clinical data, you're just going to have to try it for yourself to see if it works for you. Catnip tea rides the mega roller coaster of women's benefits. While it's great at tackling a variety of PMS problems, it's also considered a no-no for pregnancy, as it's been known to cause uterine contractions. Unless you're at that point where you want to cause uterine contractions, then I guess bring on the catnip tea. An increasing menstrual flow is kind of catnip's thing, so if you've already got a heavy flow, you probably want to skip the catnip tea. There is this other big list of potential benefits that you could get from catnip tea, but they haven't been confirmed by research yet, or as much by anecdotal evidence, and this includes goodies like helping body odor, and possibly sexy time benefits. Catnip, and especially catnip tea, is considered very safe for general use. However, smoking it is not the best option. For one, when smoking it, it's similar in benefits to cannabis, though it's not as strong. And catnip has more reports of side effects when smoking, like headaches and vomiting. And because catnip burns so fast, you have to add tobacco to smoke it properly, which of course adds in its own bunch of side effects. Tobacco, you know, problems, trouble. In general, if you have too much catnip, you can also suffer any of these problems. Also, if you have PID, it's suggested that you skip catnip and just give it to your kitty. Traditionally, in the past, catnip tea has been given to children to help with colic, but today they say, nah, that's not such a good idea. This is mainly because of the lack of research, and there's lots of other things out there that can help with colic as well. Most people say the standard one or two teaspoons of dried catnip in a cup of boiling water is the way to start. However, a lot of people say to actually go a lot longer in the steeping time, like 10 to 15 minutes. And I would suggest a maximum of three cups per day. And surprise, surprise, surprise, some people don't like the taste of catnip tea. So you might want to dig out the mint or some other herbs to make it taste a little bit better. If all else fails, if you don't like it, I'm sure there's a kitty close by that'll take that catnip off your hands. If you're liking the sleepy time qualities of catnip tea, you're probably going to like this video as well. Please be kind, take care of each other, and here sending lots of catnip love to you and your kitty.