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Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases
U.S. Department of Agriculture
  1. Home
  2. Nepeta cataria

Nepeta cataria (Lamiaceae)

Common Names
Catnip
How this plant is used
Generally Recognized as Safe

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View the list of ubiquitous chemicals
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List of plant chemicals.
Click on column headings to sort table by that column. *Unless otherwise noted all references are to (Duke, 1992)
Chemical Name Activity Count Plant Part Low Parts Per Million High Parts Per Million Standard Deviation Reference
BETA-NEPETALACTONE 0 Plant 125.0 2730.0 *
BETA-SITOSTEROL 47 Plant *
BETA-SITOSTEROL 47 Shoot 900.0 1.36 *
CALCIUM 28 Plant 739.0 6160.0 -0.79 *
CAMPHOR 41 Plant 16.0 80.0 -0.61 List, P.H. and Horhammer, L., Hager's Handbuch der Pharmazeutischen Praxis, Vols. 2-6, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1969-1979.
CARVACROL 37 Plant Williamson, E. M. and Evans, F. J., Potter's New Cyclopaedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations, Revised Ed., Saffron Walden, the C. W. Daniel Co., Ltd., Essex UK, 362 pp, 1988, reprint 1989.
CARYOPHYLLENE 31 Plant 40.0 3200.0 3.66 *
CARYOPHYLLENE-OXIDE 8 Plant 285.0 2365.0 4.03 Bourrel, C., Perineau, F., Michel, G., Bessiere, J.M. 1993. Catnip (Nepeta cataria L.) Essential Oil: Analysis of Chemical Constituents, Bacteriostatic and Fungistatic Properties. J. Ess. Oil Res., 5: 159-167.
CHROMIUM 24 Plant 0.3 2.7 -0.61 *
CIS-OCIMENE 3 Plant 10.0 50.0 -0.34 *
CITRAL 53 Plant *
CITRONELLAL 20 Plant Williamson, E. M. and Evans, F. J., Potter's New Cyclopaedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations, Revised Ed., Saffron Walden, the C. W. Daniel Co., Ltd., Essex UK, 362 pp, 1988, reprint 1989.
CITRONELLOL 15 Essential Oil 126000.0 0.52 *
COBALT 2 Plant 1.4 11.8 -0.09 *
DIHYDRONEPETALACTONE 0 Plant 6.0 30.0 List, P.H. and Horhammer, L., Hager's Handbuch der Pharmazeutischen Praxis, Vols. 2-6, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1969-1979.
DIHYDRONEPETALACTONE-N3 0 Plant 34.0 260.0 Bourrel, C., Perineau, F., Michel, G., Bessiere, J.M. 1993. Catnip (Nepeta cataria L.) Essential Oil: Analysis of Chemical Constituents, Bacteriostatic and Fungistatic Properties. J. Ess. Oil Res., 5: 159-167.
DIMETHYL-3,7-OXA-1-BICYCLO(3,3,0)OCT-2-ENE 0 Plant 15.0 90.0 Bourrel, C., Perineau, F., Michel, G., Bessiere, J.M. 1993. Catnip (Nepeta cataria L.) Essential Oil: Analysis of Chemical Constituents, Bacteriostatic and Fungistatic Properties. J. Ess. Oil Res., 5: 159-167.
EO 0 Plant 2000.0 13000.0 0.25 Bourrel, C., Perineau, F., Michel, G., Bessiere, J.M. 1993. Catnip (Nepeta cataria L.) Essential Oil: Analysis of Chemical Constituents, Bacteriostatic and Fungistatic Properties. J. Ess. Oil Res., 5: 159-167.
EPINEPETALACTONE 0 Essential Oil 1000.0 400000.0 *
EPINEPETALACTONE 0 Plant 10.0 4000.0 Leung, A. Y. and Foster, S. 1995. Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients 2nd Ed. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 649 pp.
View the list of ubiquitous chemicals
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List of plant activities.
Click on column headings to sort table by that column. *Unless otherwise noted all references are to (Duke, 1992)
Activity Chemical Count Reference
Beta-Blocker 2 *
Beta-Glucuronidase-Inhibitor 2 *
Bronchoprotectant 1 *
Bronchorelaxant 1 Huang, K. C. 1993. The Pharmacology of Chinese Herbs. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL 388 pp.
Calcium-Antagonist 5 *
Calcium-Channel-Blocker 1 *
Cancer-Preventive 17 Stitt, P. A. Why George Should Eat Broccoli. Dougherty Co, Milwaukee, WI, 1990, 399 pp.
Candidicide 11 Economou, D., and Nahrstedt, A. 1991. Chemical, Physiological, and Toxicological Aspects of the Essential Oil of Some Species of the Genus Bystropogon*. Planta Medica, 57: 347, 1991.
Candidistat 1 *
Carcinogenic 3 Science News, 146: 421.
Cardiomyopathogenic 1 Davies, S., and Stewart, A. 1990. Nutritional Medicine. Avon Books, New York. 509pp.
Cardioprotective 8 *
Cardiotonic 1 *
Cardiotoxic 1 *
Carminative 3 Yamamoto, A., Umemori, S., and Muranishi, S. 1993. Absorption Enhancement of Intrapulmonary Administered Insulin by Various Absorption Enhancers and Protease Inhibitors in Rats. J. Pharm. Pharmacol. 46: 14-18, 1994.
Caspase-3-Inducer 1 *
Caspase-8-Inducer 1 *
Cerebrotoxic 1 J. Aromatherapy 4: 24.
Chelator 1 *
Chemopreventive 4 *