Note: This is a project under development. The articles on this wiki are just being initiated and broadly incomplete. You can Help creating new pages.

Nepeta cataria - Catmint

From Ayurwiki
Jump to: navigation, search
Nepeta cataria, Catmint

Catmint officially called Nepeta cataria is an herbacious perennial herb that is native to Europe, Asia and Africa.

Uses

Wounds, Cuts, Snakebites, Liver disorders, Skin eruptions, Blotches, Pimples, Diarrhea, Sore throats.

Parts Used

Dried folaige, Whole herb.

Chemical Composition

Contains volatile oils, flavonoids, apigenin, luteolin, quercetin, kaempferol, tiliroside, triterpene glycosides including euscapic acid and tormentic acid, phenolic acids, and 3%–21% tannins[1]

Common names

Language Common name
Kannada
Hindi
Malayalam
Tamil
Telugu
Marathi NA
Gujarathi NA
Punjabi NA
Kashmiri NA
Sanskrit
English Catmint


Properties

Reference: Dravya - Substance, Rasa - Taste, Guna - Qualities, Veerya - Potency, Vipaka - Post-digesion effect, Karma - Pharmacological activity, Prabhava - Therepeutics.

Dravya

Rasa

Tikta (Bitter), Kashaya (Astringent)

Guna

Laghu (Light), Ruksha (Dry), Tikshna (Sharp)

Veerya

Ushna (Hot)

Vipaka

Katu (Pungent)

Karma

Kapha, Vata

Prabhava

Habit

Herb

Identification

Leaf

Kind Shape Feature
Simple The leaves are divided into 3-6 toothed leaflets, with smaller leaflets in between

[2]

Flower

Type Size Color and composition Stamen More information
Unisexual 2-4cm long Yellow 5-20 Flowers Season is June - August

Fruit

Type Size Mass Appearance Seeds More information
7–10 mm (0.28–0.4 in.) long pome Clearly grooved lengthwise, Lowest hooked hairs aligned towards crown With hooked hairs {{{6}}}

Other features

List of Ayurvedic medicine in which the herb is used

Where to get the saplings

Mode of Propagation

Seeds, Cuttings.

How to plant/cultivate

Easily grown in most soils, preferring a calcareous soil. Thrives in a dry lightly shaded position, though it prefers full sun.Plants usually self-sow quite freely when growing in a suitable position. The seeds are contained in burrs that can easily attach themselves to clothing or animal's fur, thus transporting them to a new area where they can germinate and grow.The cultivar 'Sweet scented' is popular in France for making tea because the whole plant is sweet scented and the flowers have a spicy apricot-like fragrance[3]

Commonly seen growing in areas

Tall grasslands, Meadows, Borders of forests and fields.

Photo Gallery

References

External Links