It's one thing to simply read about about the different ways that catnip can improve our health and wellbeing, but it can be overwhelming to learn how to prepare and use it properly. However, you don't have to buy fancy equipment or spend hours following countless steps to transform catnip into an effective substance. It can be as simple as making a cup of tea. While our cats are chasing around their catnip-filled toys in our living rooms, we're using it in the kitchen for wellness.

Medicinal Uses for Catnip

• It has sedative effects
• Is a febrifuge (anti fever)
• Has antibacterial effects.
• The compound can also be used to repel common insect pests such as mosquitoes and cockroaches.
• One of the excellent actions this can be used in is for people suffering from insomnia or restlessness during their sleep.

How to Use Catnip

The catnip can be taken as a tea to help relax the individual and enable much-needed rest.  It has no side effects and is not contraindicated in any patients except for pregnant women and nursing mothers. Regarding this nervine perennial, the aerial parts being the ones harvested for medicinal use. The flowers are the best parts used in tea form.  Take kitty in the other room and then steep your whole herb or tea bag.  The daily dosage is 3 cups per day.  Catnip is also available in capsule and tincture form at your local health food store as well as some of your grocery stores and big box stores in the herbal foods sections.

Drying Catnip

You can dry the herb and use it as a tea in the recommended dosage (3 cups per day) at a 2-gram amount (about a level tablespoon).  Use a tea ball or a strainer and after boiling your water, immerse the tea ball with the catnip in it for about 10 minutes.  A word of advice: when making any tisane (that’s an herbal tea), you should bring your water to a boil, and then take it off the burner, allowing it to cool down for 1 minute before pouring it over/adding your herb.

Making a Catnip Tincture

You can take a 51% alcohol solution with Grain Alcohol and spring or distilled water.  Chop up your catnip and place it in a jar with a tightly fitting screw lid.  Then cover your herb completely with the alcohol solution and shake it vigorously about 100 times.  Do this 2 times per day for two weeks, and keep the jar in a cool dark place.  When the two weeks have elapsed, you can strain off your solid portion of the herb and save your solution in a brown or blue-glass bottle.

Have you been able to use catnip for its medicinal properties? Let us know if there are additional ways to use it!

Article Source: Ready Nutrition