Indian Medicinal Plants An Illustrated Dictionary

N
436 Nepeta cataria Linn.
glycosides. Leaves gave quercetin, isoquercitrin
and leucoanthocyanidin.
Isoquinoline alkaloid, nuciferin, is
neuroleptic. Active agents in the leaves
are the alkaloids, nelumbin and roemerin.
Dosage ◮ Dried flower—12–24 g for
decoction (API, Vol. II); rhizomes—
5–10 m powder; 10–20 ml juice
(API, Vol. III). Seed—3–6 g powder;
flower—10–20 ml juice. (CCRAS.)
Nepeta cataria Linn.
Family ◮ Labiatae, Lamiaceae.
Habitat ◮ Cultivated in Britain and
the USA. Occurs in Himalayas from
Kashmir to Nepal at 2,000–3,300 m.
English ◮ Catnip, Catnep, Catmint.
Action ◮ Leaves and flowers—
gentle nerve relaxant and sedative,
carminative, antispasmodic, antidiarrhoeal,
diaphoretic, febrifuge.
Used in restlessness, convulsions,
nervous headache, colic, early stages
of fever, colds and influenza. The
herb is to be infused (not boiled).
Catnip contains iridoids, tannins
and volatile oil, major components being
alpha- and beta-nepetalactone (up
to 42%), citronellol and geraniol.
The catnip response in the domestic
cat is being attributed to iridoid lactones,
nepetalactone, dihydronepetalactone,
iso-dihydronepetalactone and
neonepetalactone. Its reputation as
a hallucinogen has been disputed, but
a few studies have shown behavioural
effects, although weak, in young chicks,
rodents and cats. (Potter’s New Cyclopaedia.)
Neptalactone is structurally related
to valepotriates found in valerian.
(Natural Medicines Comprehensive
Database, 2007.)
Nepeta hindostana
(Roth) Haines.
Synonym ◮ N. ruderalis Buch-Ham.
ex Benth.
Family ◮ Labiatae; Lamiaceae.
Habitat ◮ Punjab, Uttar Pradesh,
Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya
Pradesh and South India up to
2,400 m. (Blue-flowered var.)
Unani ◮ Baadranjboyaa, Billilotan.
Also equated with Melissa officinalis.
Action ◮ See Nepeta cataria.
The alcoholic extract of the plant
yielded a triterpenoid aldehyde, nepehinal.
Nepetidone, nepedinol, and
a triterpenic acid have also been reported.
The plant contains flavonoids
including nepitrin, dinatin, nepetin.
Flowers and stem gave napetol, hentriacontane
and beta-sitosterol. An
aqueous extract of flowers contained
Na,K,Ca,Mg,Zn,Cd,Cu,Ni,Mn
and Fe.
Alcoholic extract of the plant produced
marked hypocholesterolaemic
effect in experimental animals. It also
produced beneficial effects in the
histopathology of myocardial infarction.
Aqueous extract of the plant,
given intravenously, lowered the blood
pressure in dogs by 26.87%. It also
showed CNS depressant and sedative