I have a question do anybody know what is in catnip and where does it come from?

Question

I also heard from other people says that catnip has a little bit of marijuana in it is this true or false.

Answer 1

There's NO marijuana in catnip.

From the website: http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/obedcat/...

Catnip is a perennial herb that belongs to the mint family Labiatae.

"The active ingredient in catnip is called Nepetalactone. The response to this chemical is mediated through the olfactory system (vomeronasal organ) that cats have a special receptor for."

"When cats smell catnip they exhibit a range of behaviors that may include sniffing, licking and chewing the plant, head shaking, chin and cheek rubbing, head rolling, and body rubbing. This psychosexual reaction lasts for 5-15 minutes and cannot be evoked again for an hour or more after exposure."

"Very young and senior cats do not respond as much, or at all, to catnip. Also, 10-30% of the cat population does not respond to catnip at all, at any age. This is due to genetics - some cats are genetically "programmed" to respond to catnip, some aren't."

"Cats are unique in their response to catnip, and the response can be very dramatic in some cats - rolling, licking, rubbing, drooling, jumping, running. Other cats appear to become very sedate after exposure. And, as mentioned above, up to 30% of the cat population does not respond at all to catnip. In any case, for all of the (sometimes entertaining) behaviors seen, catnip is completely nontoxic to cats. If a large quantity of fresh catnip is consumed, you may see some vomiting or diarrhea, but this is rare and self-limiting. If your cat experiences this, limit or withhold catnip."

Answer 2

No, marijuana is a totally different plant.

Catnip gets it's kick from the oil in the herb. It's a member of the mint family and cats respond to the oils in the leaves and flowers of it.

There is a decorative version of this plant which has the oils bred out of it--that's cat mint, which looks sort of the same but has smaller leaves and has blue flowers. That one is used as a decorative plant but cats don't bother it because it's a really watered down version.

Catnip is native to the USA, the Indians used it to settle upset stomachs--you make a tea of the flowers, but I can tell you from experience that even though it does work, use camomile instead, as catnip tastes like it smells and it's too strong to go down well.

Answer 3

Catnip is an herb and contains no cannabis. Fresh catnip has a sort of minty fragrance, and it is that fragrance that cats love. It does seem to have a dope-like effect on them, because their pupils get very large when they are sniffing, licking and defending their catnip socks.

Other things elicit strange reactions from cats. Mine love the smell of my kitchen counter after I've cleaned it with bleach. They love to sleep with their noses in our shoes, and, most disgusting of all, they love my husband's dirty underwear!

Answer 4

Catnip is an herb.

You can grow it easily in just about any conditions--watch out, it grows like a weed. Our back patio turned into the neighborhood kitty crack house.

The commercially available stuff is just dried, chopped catnip.

There is no cannabis in catnip.

Answer 5

Catnip is an herb. it has no marijuana in it. it gets cat's high.

Humans can consume it. It is good for a lot of ailments.

Answer 6

cat nip is a plant and I grow it in my garden. It's like a crazy drug for cats (meaning it makes them go really hypo!) P.S it does NOT have marijuana in it

Answer 7

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catnip

Wikipedia is your friend. Click and read.