Kotovnik

This herb received the unusual name catnip precisely because it was very much chosen by representatives of the cat family. They are drawn to this beautiful and fragrant plant like a magnet. In ancient times, catnip was attributed magical properties and otherworldly powers. It was believed that such a plant has power over any animal. In the Middle Ages, sorcerers used the leaves of this grass, crushed into dust, to summon evil spirits, and young girls put dried catnip flowers under the pillow of their chosen one in order to tie him to themselves forever.

Types and varieties of catnip

Kotovnik is a genus of plants of the Lamiaceae family, numbering about two hundred and fifty species. This perennial herb grows on almost all continents: in Africa, America and Eurasia. It is distributed in Southern and Central Europe, Central Asia. He is not afraid of the subtropical climate of Nepal, Pakistan and India. It is also found in the Far East and the North Caucasus, in the south of Western Siberia.

In fact, catnip is a rather unpretentious plant. It grows well both on the slopes of the mountains and in wastelands. Feels good in forest clearings and along roads. He does not disdain and weedy places.

Such a grass has a branched woody root and an upright fluffy stem, reaching a height of up to one meter. Triangular leaves have a heart-shaped base and large teeth along the edges.

The catnip flower is most often off-white in color with purple or purple flecks. The first flowers appear in June and bloom until August. The fruit is a smooth brown nut, it is formed in late summer and early autumn.

Kotovnik is a frost-resistant plant that tolerates cold and drought well. The lack of moisture has a bad effect on the seeds – they dry out and lose their ability to reproduce, and its excess leads to the death of the plant.

Often this herb is confused with lemon balm, since catnip also has a strong lemon aroma, but unlike lemon mint, the smell of the plant is somewhat milder, and the color of the leaves is much brighter.

Catnip is not only wild. It is often grown in home gardens. This plant looks advantageous for decorative purposes, and its pleasant aroma attracts bees and other insects. Due to its exquisite smell and beautiful appearance, catnip is often used in landscape design.

There are quite a lot of catnip species, and there are several times more selectively bred varieties. Therefore, we will focus our attention on a few of the most common plants.

Almost all species are wild. The most basic varieties used for decorative and household purposes are:

• catnip catnip or lemon catnip – the most popular and most common species;
• fassen catnip is a hybrid species valued primarily for its decorative qualities;
• large-flowered catnip – also grown for decorative purposes;
• semi-sessile catnip – an unpretentious plant widely used in landscape design;
• catnip moussini or musina – used as a spice in marinades and in liquor production;
• Siberian catnip – grows in Siberia, Mongolia and Central Asia;
• catnip iezsky – a species that is on the verge of extinction, found in the north of Japan and in the Sakhalin region;
• catnip veined or veined – used in landscape design.

Numerous varieties of plants are bred for the most part for decorative purposes. These include:

• blue carpet – one of the popular varieties of veined catnip;
• centaur, basilio, velvet and blue frost – varieties of lemon catnip;
• Fassena Six Hills Giant, Choice Blue, “Superba Buhl” – refer to Fassen catnip;
• bramden is a beautiful variety of catnip, bred specifically for design purposes.

Valuable composition and useful properties of catnip

This plant is famous primarily for the presence of essential oil, which contains carvacrol, which has powerful antibacterial properties. The organic substance pulegone is present in its composition, to which catnip owes its fresh mint-lemon aroma.

In addition, the plant contains ascorbic acid, tannins, saponins and glycosides.

Due to its valuable chemical composition, catnip is widely used in cooking and folk medicine, and is used in the perfume industry. This plant is a honey plant – it attracts bees to itself.

The essential oils that make up this herb are in great demand in the manufacture of perfume fragrances, giving them an amazing fresh lemon scent.

Numerous reviews suggest that lemon catnip can be used against mice. It has a repulsive effect on rodents and drives them away from home.

The stems and leaves of the plant are used in cooking. They are dried and ground into powder, resulting in a spicy fragrant spice, which is customary to add to various dishes. It is used to prepare:

• meat and fish dishes;
• vegetable side dishes;
• salads, especially those containing green vegetables;
• various desserts and sweets;
• vegetable soups;
• soft alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks;
• marinades, especially for salting and pickling herring;
• bouquets and mixtures of spices;
• baking.

At the same time, you should know that even after heat treatment, the plant does not lose its beneficial properties and noble aroma. And dried catnip grass even becomes even more fragrant than fresh.

Catnip is a traditional spice in France, but is highly valued in cuisines around the world. And tea with the aroma of such a plant is not only very tasty, but also very healthy.

The healing properties of catnip are valued both in modern and in folk medicine. This herb is used for:

• migraines and severe headache;
• depression and apathy;
• melancholy;
• hysterical fits;
• spasms of internal organs.

This plant is indispensable for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. It improves intestinal motility, normalizes acidity, relieves intestinal atony, gastritis.

Infusions and decoctions based on such herbs are used as an expectorant for bronchitis and other diseases of the respiratory system.

The vitamin complex contained in the stems and leaves of the plant is very effective in dystrophy and anemia, helps to cope with female diseases and liver diseases. Catnip is quite effective for jaundice.

Among other things, it relieves pain spasms, and also treats skin diseases with it: scabies, eczema, boils.

The juice of the plant is often used in cosmetology to fight acne with problem skin.

This herb is often used as part of complex therapy in the treatment of diabetes and hypertension. Kotovnik normalizes metabolic processes in the body, lowers glucose levels and blood pressure, improves immunity and the body’s natural defenses.

The healing plant has the following effects:

• anti-inflammatory;
• antipyretic;
• tonic;
• choleretic;
• painkillers;
• diaphoretic;
• anthelmintic;
• hemostatic;
• antitussive.

Catnip helps well with acute respiratory infections, and also significantly increases appetite.

The recipe for preparing an infusion for the treatment of various diseases is universal. This will require:

• dry grass catnip – 1 tablespoon;
• water – 250 ml.

The crushed grass should be poured with boiling water, insisted for two hours in warmth, strained and taken fifty milliliters a maximum of five times a day.

Tea with catnip is good for insomnia and increased anxiety. This powerful sedative is best taken before bed. You can also use warm baths with a few drops of the plant’s essential oil. This will help you relax and calm down.

The benefits and harms of this plant are unequal. Contraindications to the use of catnip are minor:

• the period of breastfeeding and pregnancy;
• tendency to allergies;
• individual intolerance to the components that make up the plant.

Catnip growing and plant care

This plant is unpretentious and does not require much time and effort to care for. Cultivation of catnip occurs with the help of seeds or seedlings, as well as by dividing the bushes.

Seed propagation involves planting seeds in open ground. The distance between rows should not be less than thirty centimeters. They are buried in the soil by one centimeter, and thinned out at the first shoots. Removed sprouts can be transplanted elsewhere.

If it is planned to plant a plant using seedlings, then the seeds are planted in small containers. And when the first pair of true leaves appears, it is necessary to transplant the seedlings into the soil, followed by fertilizer. But at the same time, it is worth knowing that you need to replant the plant when frosts are no longer expected.

By dividing the bushes or dividing the root, the plant is propagated every three to five years. To do this, you need to dig up the plant, carefully clean the roots, divide them into several parts and plant them separately from each other. You should pay attention to the fact that each plant should have three to four buds and roots.

Catnip care consists in regular watering the plant, loosening the soil, and fertilizing. Feed the plant most often with compost, humus and various mineral complexes.

Such a plant rarely gets sick, but when waterlogged, powdery mildew may appear. It is easy to get rid of it with the help of various insecticides, but only if the grass is not eaten.

The smell of catnip repels pests, so you should not expect problems from this side. The only ones who are not afraid of its aroma are cicadas, but they do not do much harm to the plant.

The use of catnip in landscape design

Beautiful purple catnip flowers are often pleasing to the eye in home gardens and are used for decorative purposes.

It looks spectacular on alpine slides, rockeries and mixborders. Catnip goes well with tansy, phlox, meadow geranium, anafalis and santolina.

Medium-sized plants will decorate borders, hedges and borders. Low-growing grass can be used to decorate the near-trunk circles of shrubs or trees.

Moreover, catnip can be used not only for open ground. It will look pretty in pots and fill the room with its wonderful aroma.

In conclusion

Catnip is a useful and beautiful plant that can be grown almost anywhere. It has a pleasant lemon-mint flavor that repels mice and other pests. The valuable composition of catnip makes it possible to use it in folk and modern medicine, in cooking and cosmetology. It has proven itself very well for decorative purposes and is often used in landscape design.

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