the.com/catnip
a plant that turns apex predators into rolling, drooling, blissed-out idiots for ten minutes flat.
means A minty-smelling herb whose oils send many cats into a frenzy of rolling, rubbing, and ecstatic stupor, and which has long been used by people as a calming tea.
from A plain compound of "cat" plus "nip," with that second part coming from "nep," an old English name for the plant that traces back through Latin "nepeta" — still its botanical name today. So the word is essentially "cat's nep," the herb cats can't leave alone, with the spelling drifting toward the familiar "nip" over time.
- active compound
- Nepetalactone hijacks feline scent receptors directly.
- genetic lottery
- Up to 30% of cats feel nothing at all.
- bug repellent
- Outperforms DEET at deterring mosquitoes in studies.
- big cats too
- Lions and leopards lose it for catnip.
- human use
- Brewed as tea long before cats stole it.
nepeta cataria — the actual plant species native to central asia that contains nepetalactone, the compound that makes cats react
silver vine — actinidia polygama, a japanese plant that affects 80% of cats even more strongly than catnip
valerian root — valeriana officinalis, an alternative herb that excites cats and is used in commercial cat toys