Real catnip

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Real catnip
Real catnip (Nepeta cataria)

Real catnip ( Nepeta cataria )

Systematics
Family : Mint family (Lamiaceae)
Subfamily : Nepetoideae
Tribe : Mentheae
Sub tribus : Nepetinae
Genre : Catnip ( Nepeta )
Type : Real catnip
Scientific name
Nepeta cataria
L.

The catnip ( Nepeta cataria called), sometimes called "Cats Melissa" or "catmint" is a species of the genus Catnip ( Nepeta ) within the family of Lamiaceae (Lamiaceae). It was and is used in many ways.

description

Illustration from storm
Upper part of an inflorescence
Detail view of a zygomorphic flower

The parts of the plant have a pleasant, tart, lemon- like odor reminiscent of mint .

Vegetative characteristics

The real catnip grows as a perennial herbaceous plant and reaches heights of 60 to 100 centimeters. The independently upright, branched, square, hollow stem is tomentose from the base (collenchyma strands, open-collateral vascular bundles ).

The against-constantly arranged on the stem leaves are clearly divided into petiole and leaf blade. The simple leaf blade is 3 to 7 centimeters long and egg-heart-shaped with a pointed upper end. The leaf margin is serrated. The underside of the leaf is hairy gray-tomentose and the leaf surface is gray-green and softly hairy (glandular hairs).

Catnip pollen (400 ×)

Generative characteristics

The flowering period extends from July to September. Rarely only one, usually a few to more than twenty flowers stand together in pseudo-whorls apart in spike-like inflorescences . The flowers are densely packed in the armpits of common leaves or leaves that have been transformed into bracts.

The hermaphrodite flowers are zygomorphic and five-fold with a double flower envelope . The calyx is regularly five-toothed and the calyx teeth are oblique. The two-lipped corolla is usually white to pale blue, rarely reddish. When viewed from above, the lower lip of the corolla is scalloped to bowl-shaped, recessed, arched and notched, with purple spots. The four stamens (two short and two long) do not protrude above the upper lip; the stamens and the style are longer than the closed corolla tube.

The real catnip forms Klausen fruits , which disintegrate into four solitary partial fruits (Klausen) when ripe. The brown Klausen are round-oval with a length of about 1.5 millimeters and a diameter of about 1 millimeter; they remain viable for five years. On one side the seeds are homogeneous, on the other side a longitudinal indentation and a white marking on the underside are visible.

Chromosome set

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 32, 34 or 36.

ecology

The real catnip is a hemicryptophyte (or chamaephyte ). It contains essential oils .

There is partial self-pollination ; otherwise pollination occurs by hymenoptera such as bees and bumblebees . Using the example of the real catnip, it could be demonstrated that the flower visitors leave scent marks on the flowers , which indicate that the flowers have already been visited and therefore no further search for nectar is worthwhile.

Occurrence

Nepeta cataria is common in southern Europe, Asia and Africa. Their original range extends from southern Europe to Korea. In North America and New Zealand it is a neophyte .

The real catnip has been overgrown in Central Europe since the middle of the 18th century and occurs scattered on hedges, on rubble sites and roadsides or roadsides, but has often disappeared again (Upper Rhine, Neckar and Maing areas, Saale and Unstrut areas, Jura, Alpine foothills , Weserbergland, Schleswig-Holstein). In all of Europe it occurs at altitudes of up to 900 meters.

The real catnip thrives best on moderately dry, nutrient-rich soils , mostly sandy or stony loamy soil, and loves warmth in summer and a little nitrogen. It is not salt-tolerant, but drought-tolerant. In Central Europe it occurs particularly in plant communities of the Onopordion association , and more rarely of the Arction association .

Taxonomy

The first publication of Nepeta cataria was in 1753 by Carl von Linné . The specific epithet cataria means "acting on cats".

use

The real catnip is used in several cultivated forms as a bedding plant and cut flower.

Propagation can be done by cuttings (April to May or in autumn), dividing the rootstock (April to June) or sowing (germination period one to four weeks). The ideal soil quality for most Nepeta species is slightly sandy, loose, loamy soil with a pH value of 6.4. Catnip is rarely attacked by pests due to its insect-repellent substances, with the exception of snails.

ingredients

0.2 to 0.7% essential oil , consisting mainly of α- and β- nepetalactone (10 to 95% in the oil), nepetal acid (10 to 85% in the oil), epinepetalactone (1–28% in the oil ), Citronellol , geraniol , α- and β- citral and, in smaller amounts, camphor , thymol , carvacrol , citronellal , nerol , humulene , caryophyllene , ferns , myrcene , piperiton and pulegon .

Structure of nepetalactone

The oil of Nepeta faassenii consists of up to 40% menthol and up to 10% menthone , epinepetalactone (= trans-cis-nepetalactone, main component) and free ursolic acid .

Nepetalactone

Of the ingredients in catnip, the most thoroughly researched is nepetalactone . It is chemically seen a iridoid - monoterpene and was first made in 1941 Nepeta cataria isolated and identified the 1954th The defined structure determination took place from 1941 to 1954. Nepetalactone has an antiviral and antimicrobial effect , it is also a contact insecticide against plant pests and has a strong repellent effect on fleas, mosquitoes and cockroaches (therefore nepetalactone or catnip oil can be used as an effective repellent ) . In catnip, nepetalactone occurs as a mixture of configuration isomers ( cis-trans isomerism ); one stereoisomer smells lemon-like, the other like peppermint .

From the adult flat pea aphid (or vetch louse, field bean louse ) Megoura viciae ( Aphididae ), nepetalactone (cis-trans) and nepetalactol were identified as the active pheromone components.

It is interesting that only (+) - nepetalactone has an attractive effect on Megoura viciae , while (+) - and (-) - nepetalactone has an attractive effect on cats. Nepetalactone is relatively non-toxic to humans. It also affects the behavior of male chrysopids ( lacewings ).

The iridoid monoterpenes arise in plants from geranyl pyrophosphate (GPP). There are several possibilities in the plant kingdom to produce iridoids from GPP. In catnip, the route is taken via S - (-) - 10-hydroxycitronellol, which is produced from S - (-) - citronellol by a cytochrome P450 -dependent oxygenase.

Nepetalactone attracts potential pollinators and repels parasitic insects, harmful fungi and bacteria. The plant also uses the attractive effect on cats, because when the cats roll over the plant, Klaus fruits often stick to the fur and fall back to the ground after a few meters, but at the latest after the next grooming ( epizoochory ).

use

In the 15th century, the fresh leaves were used to season meat. Early evidence of the use of catnip and its healing effects can be found in 827 in the didactic poem Liber de cultura hortorum by Abbot Walahfrid Strabo . Furthermore, John Gerald reported on the catnip in a plant book in 1597.

Medicine

The old medicine attributed the real catnip to relieve colds , flu and upset stomach, it is considered in folk medicine as antipyretic and diaphoretic, antispasmodic, detoxifying, diuretic and slightly euphoric. The tea was also used as a sedative . Catnip is also said to help with chronic bronchitis and, due to its antibacterial properties, prevent infections.

Studies in the 1970s showed that catnip tea was calming. It stimulates the appetite before eating and aids digestion after eating. This effect is caused by the psychoactive alkaloid actinidine and the various essential oils .

The tea can be prepared from the fresh leaves (more precisely a hot water extract). For a storable tea, leaves and flowers are harvested between July and August and dried in the air at room temperature. The tea should not be heated to boiling during preparation, as otherwise the essential oils will evaporate with the steam . In the past, the leaves were also chewed for toothache .

Popular belief

In Universal Herbal , a herbal book from 1820, it is written: If you plant it, cats will dance around it; if you sow them, the cats will be late. If the foliage is injured while planting or harvesting, cats will come from everywhere, roll over, shred the leaves and eat them.

Effect on cats

The name "catnip" or "cat's weed" comes from the fact that sexually mature cats are attracted to the main odorous substance of catnip ( nepetalactone ). Due to its stimulating effect, dried catnip (English catnip ) is added to some cat toys. Catnip is also eaten by many cats, or they literally roll around in the plant. The reasons for this are unclear. An effect as an aphrodisiac is excluded by some scientists, since neutered cats also respond to Nepeta .

As to why cats react so to the smell of the plant, there are various assumptions and, in the last few decades, there have been numerous scientific studies. The cats' reaction may be genetic and may be pronounced in around 70% of cats; Young animals and very old cats show little attraction. It was previously believed that the effects of catnip were related to the development of the opioidergic system in cats.

It is well established that the attraction of catnip to cats is based on the terpenoid nepetalactone , the scent of which the plant uses to repel insects. Like catnip works in exactly the cats, a working group has the biochemist Sarah E. O'Connor from the John Innes Center in Norwich close to the with Nepeta cataria related Nepeta mussinii investigated. In doing so, the scientists came across an enzyme that was previously unknown and which in catnip produces the cis-trans-nepetalactone, which is crucial for the effect on cats, in two independent steps. When this molecule gets to the olfactory receptor in the cat's nose, it stimulates the cats; they rub their heads and chins on it and roll around the plant. Why they do this and how the researched nepetalactone molecules produce their specific effects is still unclear.

Not only the house cat, but also big cats (lions, jaguars, leopards) are attracted; Rats, on the other hand, are supposed to drive away the smell. Tigers react only slightly to smells and thus also to Nepeta.

literature

  • Jeff Grognet: Catnip: Its uses and effects, past and present . In: Can. Vet. J. , Volume 31, No. 6, 1990, pp. 455-456. PMID 17423611 , PMC 1480656 (free full text)
  • Avril Rodway: Herbs and Spices. The most useful plants in nature - culture and use. Tessloff, Hamburg 1980, ISBN 3-7886-9910-8 .
  • Ruprecht Düll , Herfried Kutzelnigg : Pocket dictionary of plants in Germany and neighboring countries. The most common Central European species in portrait. 7th, corrected and enlarged edition. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2011, ISBN 978-3-494-01424-1 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Armin Jagel, Volker Unterladstetter: Nepeta cataria - real catnip (Lamiaceae) in North Rhine-Westphalia and the treatment of "old medicinal plants" in the red list. Yearbook of the Bochum Botanical Association. Volume 9, 2018, pp. 256–268 ( PDF 9.4 MB)
  2. ↑ a b Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas . With the collaboration of Angelika Schwabe and Theo Müller. 8th, heavily revised and expanded edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 , pp.  798 .
  3. ↑ a b Rafaël Govaerts (Ed.): Nepeta cataria. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  4. ↑ a b Real catnip, Nepeta cataria - care and pruning. In: Gartenlexikon.de, Advanco GmbH, Äußere Schneeberger Strasse 6, 08056 Zwickau. 2019, accessed July 25, 2019 .
  5. ↑ Real catnip - a magic herb with great benefits. In: Konrad, tippsNET GmbH, Eisenbahnstr. 14, 16909 Wittstock. September 11, 2017. Retrieved July 25, 2019 .
  6. ↑ https://www.gwern.net/docs/catnip/1987-tucker.pdf Artur O. Tucker, Sharon S. Tucker: Catnip and the Catnip Response I.
  7. ↑ Catnip (Nepeta cataria) - light herbal hallucinogen and medicinal plant. In: MagischePflanzen.de. August 15, 2015, accessed July 25, 2019 .
  8. ↑ a b c Nepeta cataria - real catnip (Lamiaceae). In: Armin Jagel & Volker Unterladstetter, Jahrbuch Bochumer Botanischer Verein eV January 14, 2018, accessed on July 25, 2019 .
  9. ↑ Mention of the traditional use of Nepeta cataria in the didactic poem Liber de cultura hortorum by Abbot Walahfrid Strabo from the year 827.
  10. ^ Catnip: Why Cats Go Crazy For It
  11. ↑ a b S. Bol, J. Caspers, L. Buckingham, GD. Anderson-Shelton, C. Ridgway, CA. Buffington, S. Schulz, EM. Bunnik: Responsiveness of cats (Felidae) to silver vine (Actinidia polygama), Tatarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica), valerian (Valeriana officinalis) and catnip (Nepeta cataria). BMC Vet Res. 2017 Mar 16; 13 (1): 70. doi: 10.1186 / s12917-017-0987-6 .
  12. ↑ Espín-Iturbe LT, López Yañez BA, Carrasco García A, Canseco-Sedano R, Vázquez-Hernández M, Coria-Avila GA .: Active and passive responses to catnip (Nepeta cataria) are affected by age, sex and early gonadectomy in male and female cats. Behav Processes. 2017 Sep; 142: 110-115. doi: 10.1016 / j.beproc.2017.06.008 .
  13. ↑ Lars Fischer: How catnip drives cats crazy. Spektrum.de, December 10, 2018, accessed on January 14, 2019 .
  14. ^ Ll JO, Pavlik EJ, Smith III GL, Burghardt GM, Coulson PB. Species-characteristic responses to catnip by undomesticated felids. J Chem Ecol. 1976; 2 (2): 239-53.

Web links

Commons : Real Catnip ( Nepeta cataria )  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files