This hub occured to me this weekend when I passed this tip on to a friend of mine who had commented that she was in desperate need of cough medicine. Rather than name my favourite brand of cough medicine, which I'm sure she had already had a dozen or so people do. I suggested an old remedy that had worked for me more times than I can count. A cup of catnip tea.

Catnip has an amazing history, Nepeta Cataria is in the mint family, which is obvious from the shape of the leaves, though (In my opinion) tastes nothing like mint. It has been hailed as an aid for both sleep and coughs. It helps with insomnia and loosens the phlegm.

In the past, traditional herbalists have used catnip as treatment for corns, hives, cancer and chewing of the fresh leaves was recommended for toothache, though I personally find cloves more helpful for toothache. At one point the herb was smoked as a treatment for bronchitis and asthma.

It has been hailed as both a menstruation promoter and a cure for menstrual cramps, In addition it can also be used as a digestive aid (which makes it an effective treatment for diarrhea) and an anti-biotic, which doubles its use as anti-diarrheal and a treatment for fever.

Catnip oil, when used as an insect repellentis more effective than DEET. Though I can't honestly say I'd go walking in cougar country covered in catnip.

Last but not least, Catnip, Like Dandelion greens can be put in salad for a touch of flavour. (Though dandelion greens must be picked at the right time or they're horribly bitter)

Contrary to recent pop fiction, catnip does not make you high when you smoke it, if it did would they have been using it for the past two thousand years?