A hardy, upright, perennial herb with sturdy stems bearing hairy, heart-shaped, grayish-green leaves. The flowers are white or lilac, 0.25 inch long, and occur in several clusters toward the tips of the branches. The calyx is dry, striate, tubular, obliquely 5-toothed. The corolla is naked and dilated in the throat, 2-lipped, twice the length of the calyx; upper lip rather concave, erect, notched, or 2-cleft; lower spreading, 3-cleft, middle lobe largest and crenate. The stamens are 4, ascending under the upper lip; anthers approximate in pairs, the cells divergent.

Repels insects and attracts cats (flower); antispasmodic, antitussive, astringent, carminative, diaphoretic, slightly emmenagogue, refrigerant, sedative, slightly stimulant, stomachic and tonic (leaf and flower).

Nepeta cataria L.
King's American Dispensatory
Plants for a Future

Alpha-humulene, beta-elemene, camphor, carvacrol, caryophyllene, caryophyllene-oxide, cis-ocimene, citral, citronellal, geraniol, myrcene, nerol, piperitone, pulegone, rosmarinic acid, thymol (plant); nepetalactone (flower); nepatol and nepetalic acid (essential oil); linoleic acid, oleic acid (seed oil).

In hysteria, amenorrhea, chlorosis and toothache, for colds, flus, fevers, infectious childhood diseases, to prevent miscarriage and premature birth as well as allays morning sickness (plant); in toothache (leaves)

Chandel et al., Biodiversity in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in India.