[Herbalist] catnip vs catmint (is catmint dangerous)
Jadwiga Zajaczkowa / Jenne Heise
jenne at fiedlerfamily.net
Tue Apr 3 08:52:21 PDT 2007
> Common names are difficult.
> In the US, catnip is Nepeta cataria See these images from Google:
> http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=nepeta+cataria&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2
>
> My US floras for various regions, give catmint and catnep as synonmyns
> of catnip.
For SCA-period purposes, catnip and cat-mint, nep, or catnep appear to
be slightly different. The plant referred to as nep appears to be what
we call Calamint, lesser calamint, or Calamintha nepeta
Catnip (Nepeta Cataria) is traditionally considered a uterine stimulant,
which may be where the issue comes in; or it may be that Calamint is not
classified by the USDA as "Generally Recognized as Safe" (which means it
has a history of being used in this country and no major side effects
reported.)
--
-- Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, Knowledge Pika jenne at fiedlerfamily.net
"I thought you might need rescuing . . . We have a bunch of professors
wandering around who need students." -- Dan Guernsey
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