Catnip Tincture & Alcohol-Free Extract

Catnip (Nepeta cataria) is a perennial of the mint family, Lamiaceae, native to southern and eastern Europe, the Middle East, and central Asia, and naturalized along roadsides and fence lines throughout North America. It grows 50 to 100 centimeters with square, downy stems and grey-green, heart-shaped, coarsely toothed leaves that are soft and felted beneath, and from midsummer carries dense whorls of small white flowers dotted with purple. The whole plant smells pungently of mint and lemon, and its oil, dominated by nepetalactone, is what sends domestic cats rolling and purring when they rub against or chew the leaves. We extract the dried leaf and flower.