June 2025 Full Moon Highlight

This month we’re highlighting an herb that I think deserves a space in everyone’s Apothecary Garden - Catnip! Catnip (Nepeta cataria) is part of the mint family and is energetically cooling and drying with a strong bitter taste. While it may make cats go bananas it has the opposite effect in humans!

Catnip is a wonderful relaxing nervine and sedative that is incredibly gentle and well-tolerated by all ages. It has a special affinity for soothing fevers and the pain of teething and toothaches in babies. Famous herbalist, Jethro Kloss, said of it, “If every mother had catnip on the shelf, it would save her many a sleepless night and her children much suffering.”

Catnip stands out as being particularly useful for anxiety combined with restlessness and irritability. I reached for it several times this week after making the mistake of doomscrolling and found it very helpful in taking the edge off and recentering me. Many herbalists will use it during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle if heightened irritability, tension, and headache are present. Moreover, Catnip is an excellent ally for anxiety that manifests in the stomach as loose stools or cramping. There is some very exciting research into Catnip’s positive impacts on the Enteric Nervous System. So if you’re the type of human who stores stress in your guts this might just be your new best herbal friend!

I’ll be the first to admit though that it is not the tastiest of remedies! It is strongly bitter and is best blended with other herbs such as spearmint, lemon balm, or chamomile. It grows like a dream here on the Eastern Shore; indeed if you don’t want it spreading everywhere you’d best put it in a pot. I find Catnip volunteering throughout my lawn far from the area where I first planted it!

So, as we bask in the rays of today's Strawberry Full Moon I invite you to channel your inner feline and give Catnip a try!