Why You Should Drink Catnip Tea

Catnip is known for being an herb added to many cat toys to make them playful. The funny thing is catnip actually has the opposite effect on humans. It can be used to relax us and has sedative properties similar to the valerian root. This little herb can be very powerful for children when they are sick, as it is a natural fever reducer and is great for calming colds and relieving congestion.

How to Take Catnip

If you are lucky enough to have access to fresh catnip, you could actually chew on the leaves, which was a common practice for centuries. As a matter of fact, catnip leaves were given to babies to nibble on when their teething pain was intense! The leaves of catnip were also chewed on to relive stomach aches and adult tooth aches!

However, many of us are not growing catnip in our herb garden, so you can find supplements at a health food store for catnip as well. One of the easiest ways to keep catnip on hand is by buying catnip tea. It's great to drink down when your sick, adding a little bit of honey and lemon adds to it's beneficial effects when your sick. Kids can sip on the tea while battling a fever, and can even drink it cold, like an ice tea.

Catnip for Detoxifying Your Body

Our culture is more aware of the importance of detoxing to cleanse the body. Unfortunately this has lead to "detoxify" as being one of those terms that are thrown around on many supplements and weight loss products. However, you rarely need an all in one "pill" to detoxify your body. Often times drinking plenty of clean, distilled water and taking certain herbs, such as catnip, in tea formation is even more beneficial than swallowing some horse pill, that your body had to breakdown and metabolize. Catnip is great for detoxing because it cleanses the liver, removing many toxins from your body and supports your digestive track.

Other Uses for Catnip

Catnip has many beneficial uses other than the ones we just discussed. You can use catnip to rid a migraine! Yes a MIGRAINE headache. However, since migraines are sever, a very strong infusion of catnip tea is recommended and a couple of cups many be necessary. Catnip can also be taken to help ease stomach aches and pains and can be given to babies suffering with colic! because of it's relaxing properties, it will induce a calmness and promote sleep.

Along with easing a migraine, catnip its also great for woman suffering from menstrual cramps. It would make a great tea to sip on around "that time" to prevent cramping and headaches as a preventive measure, or to drink when in need of relief of the pain. Catnip tea is also known for regulating the menstrual cycle and would be very beneficial to women who suffer for a hormonal imbalance.

You can use catnip tea as a scalp rinse to calm an irratated scalp and even apply it on insect bites and rashes, since it has anti inflammatory and antiseptic properties, which also makes it great for a sore throat!

As you can see catnip is a very diverse herb that can be used for every member of the family. Keep this powerful tea on hand for just about anything!

One word of caution, it you have a cat in the house, the smell of the tea bags will cause him/her to dig through your trash bags! Dispose of carefully, as funny as that is, it's very true!

Sources:

http://catnipteaguide.com/the-benefits-of-catnip-tea/

http://www.herbal-supplement-resource.com/catnip.html