>Hi nice people,
>I've always been curious about this, but couldn't find it
>anywhere.
>Um, does anyone know what the "drug" is in catnip? And
>why does it only work on cats (or is that not true)?
>Any hints or conjectures would be very much appreciated,
>or you can tell me where to go (which newsgroup, that is).
>Always curious (as is Rollie, my beloved Tabby)
>P.S., I'm a grad student in Pharmacology, so I'll use this
>information for good, not evil.
>Sandra
>----------------------
>sandraw at U.Arizona.EDU
Catnip (Nepeta Cataria): a perennial of the mint family. My "Grieves" Herbal
says of it that it is the bruised plant cats like - if not bruised, they
ignore it. Rats, apparently, hate it. It is carminative, tonic, diaphoretic,
refrigerant and slightly emmenagogic, particularly anti-spasmodic, and mildly
stimulating. etc. She doesn't, however, go into the chemical constituents as
she does with many herbs. However, I have read (I also have catnip-intoxicated
cats) that the scent is very close to a pheromone produced by lactating female
cats, which would explain the almost orgasmic writhing of our cat in the
catnip!
Rowena
