Plant Comparison
Catnip vs Wood Betony
A side-by-side comparison of two medicinal plants — every documented constituent, action, use, safety note and cited source, assembled automatically from the Omnia Sana database.
At a glance
Catnip and Wood Betony: both belong to the Lamiaceae family; they share 5 indicated uses (arthritis / joint pain, bloating, indigestion, …); 2 pharmacological actions in common.
Evidence face-off — shared uses
| Condition | Catnip | Wood Betony | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arthritis / joint pain | 1/10 | 1/10 | Comparable evidence |
| Bloating | 1/10 | 1/10 | Comparable evidence |
| Indigestion | 1/10 | 1/10 | Comparable evidence |
| Inflammation (general) | 1/10 | 2/10 | Comparable evidence |
| Skin irritation | 1/10 | 1/10 | Comparable evidence |
Evidence scores (1–10) are computed from the tier of each cited source. “Comparable” means the two scores are within one point. Follow a score to its detailed sources.
Key Constituents
The characteristic volatile iridoid responsible for the cat-attractant effect and studied for sedative, antimicrobial and insect-repellent activity.
Rich in nepetalactone isomers along with other monoterpenes; studied for antimicrobial and antioxidant activity.
Anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic constituents.
Antioxidant, astringent and aromatic constituents; methanolic extract of the herb showed strong free-radical-scavenging and lipid-peroxidation-inhibiting activity in vitro.
Pharmacological Actions
Antioxidant - among the strongest free-radical scavengers in a comparative study of Lamiaceae herbs
Anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic
Gentle calmative for anxiety; Nervine / relaxant for nervous tension and tension headaches (especially headache worsened by anxiety or muscle tension)
Digestive bitter for indigestion, mild stomach upset and bloating
Traditional & Indicated Uses
inferred from anti-inflammatory action
inferred from digestive action
inferred from antimicrobial action
inferred from anti-inflammatory action
inferred from sedative action
inferred from anti-inflammatory action
Gentle calmative for anxiety; Nervine / relaxant for nervous tension and tension headaches (especially headache worsened by anxiety or muscle tension)
inferred from anti-inflammatory action
Digestive bitter for indigestion, mild stomach upset and bloating
Nervine / relaxant for nervous tension and tension headaches (especially headache worsened by anxiety or muscle tension)
Digestive bitter for indigestion, mild stomach upset and bloating
inferred from anti-inflammatory action
inferred from antispasmodic action
Nervine / relaxant for nervous tension and tension headaches (especially headache worsened by anxiety or muscle tension)
inferred from anti-inflammatory action
Safety, Cautions & Contraindications
Pregnancy: Do not use (traditional concern around stimulating menstruation/uterus) (Health Canada, n.d.). Breastfeeding: Health Canada advises talk to a healthcare professional first (Health Canada, n.d.). Kids: It’s often described as a “gentle” traditional tea, but large amounts are not a good idea—there’s a published case where a toddler became very sleepy/“slowed down” after consuming a lot. Keep catnip tea away from toddlers unless a clinician advises it (Osterhoudt et al., 1997). Sedatives / alcohol: Catnip can be calming, so don’t stack it with other sedating herbs/sleep meds/alcohol (you could get extra drowsy) (WebMD, n.d.a). Essential oil caution: Catnip essential oil is concentrated. Research notes it may cause mild skin irritation for some people—always dilute, patch test, and never treat it like “tea.” (Reichert et al., 2019)
Duke (2002) describes catnip primarily as a sedative, diaphoretic, and emmenagogue with experimental (score 1) support. It has demonstrated uterotonic and oxytocic activity, making it contraindicated in pregnancy. The active compounds include nepetalactone and iridoids. Catnip is classified as a mild nervine and antispasmodic in traditional North American herbal medicine, though clinical trials are lacking. Due to its emmenagogue and uterotonic properties, medicinal-dose use should be avoided during pregnancy (Duke, 2002).
External Ids
Botanical Description
Perennial herb, 30-100 cm tall, with greyish-green, downy, square stems typical of the mint family. Leaves are opposite, triangular-ovate with scalloped or toothed margins, grey-green above and softly felted (whitish) beneath, releasing a minty-lemony aroma when crushed. Small white flowers, spotted with purple or pink, are borne in dense terminal and axillary spikes. Nepetalactone, the volatile compound famous for its effect on cats, is concentrated in glandular hairs on the leaves and stems.[9]
Perennial herb (Lamiaceae), 30-60 cm tall, with square, mostly unbranched, hairy stems. Leaves are mostly basal, oblong to heart-shaped, toothed and wrinkled. Small, reddish-purple, two-lipped flowers are borne in a dense, interrupted terminal spike.[11]
Habitat
Native to Europe and temperate Asia and widely naturalised in North America; grows on disturbed, sunny ground - roadsides, waste places, hedgebanks and dry, calcareous or well-drained soils.[9]
Native to Europe, growing in open woodland, grassland, hedgebanks and heathland on well-drained, often slightly acidic soils.[11]
Harvesting
Aerial flowering parts are cut during flowering (summer) and dried.[11]
Traditional Uses
Catnip has a long North American and European folk-medicine history as a mild sedative/nervine, diaphoretic (fever-reducing, sweat-promoting) remedy, carminative digestive and traditional emmenagogue; it was also given as a children's tea for colic and restlessness, though large amounts are not advised for young children and it is traditionally avoided in pregnancy.[9]
Wood betony has an ancient European reputation - praised in Anglo-Saxon and medieval herbals as a cure-all, giving rise to the saying 'sell your coat and buy betony' - as a gentle nervine for headache, anxiety and nervous tension, and as a digestive bitter. Modern phytochemical studies confirm it is among the strongest antioxidants of the Lamiaceae family, alongside anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic constituents.[11, 13]
Preparations
Dried aerial parts steeped in hot water - the classic calming and digestive preparation.
Dosage
Health Canada's NNHPD monograph gives 1.2-12 g of dried herb top per day for adults 18 years and older, with infusion among the accepted methods of preparation. Educational reference only, not a prescription. Keep away from toddlers and young children beyond very small amounts, and avoid medicinal-dose use in pregnancy.
References
Drug Class Interactions
Not documented
Lookalikes Review
References & Sources
- Geissler, M., Neubauer, C., Sheludko, Y.V. and Warzecha, H (2024) 'Nepeta cataria L. (catnip) can serve as a chassis for the engineering of secondary metabolic pathways', Biotechnology Letters, 46(5), pp. 843-850. doi:10.1007/s10529-024-03489-w Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-024-03489-w - Lockhart, A., Simon, J.E. and Wu, Q (2024) 'Stability study of Nepeta cataria iridoids analyzed by LC/MS', Phytochemical Analysis, 35(7), pp. 1674-1687. doi:10.1002/pca.3410 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1002/pca.3410 - Nadeem, A., Shahzad, H., Ahmed, B., Muntean, T. and others (2022) 'Phytochemical profiling of antimicrobial and potential antioxidant plant: Nepeta cataria', Frontiers in Plant Science, 13, pp. 969316. doi:10.3389/fpls.2022.969316 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.969316 - Tan, J., Li, J., Ma, J. and Qiao, F (2019) 'Hepatoprotective effect of essential oils of Nepeta cataria L. on acetaminophen-induced liver dysfunction', Bioscience Reports, 39(8), pp. BSR20190697. doi:10.1042/BSR20190697 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1042/BSR20190697 - Mollova, S., Dzhurmanski, A., Fidan, H., Bojilov, D. and others (2023) 'Chemical Composition of Essential Oils from Nepeta cataria L. Cultivated in Bulgaria and Their Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activity', ACS Omega, 8(17), pp. 15441-15449. doi:10.1021/acsomega.3c00704 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.3c00704 - Reichert, W., Ejercito, J., Guda, T., Dong, X. and others (2019) 'Repellency Assessment of Nepeta cataria Essential Oils and Isolated Nepetalactones on Aedes aegypti', Scientific Reports, 9(1), pp. 1524. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-36814-1 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-36814-1 - Tiwari, G., Chaturvedi, T., Gupta, A.K., Lal, R.K. and others (2023) 'Assessment of Genetic Diversity, Micromorphology and Antimicrobial Activity in Nepeta cataria L', Chemistry & Biodiversity, 20(2), pp. e202200241. doi:10.1002/cbdv.202200241 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1002/cbdv.202200241 - Giarratana, F., Muscolino, D., Ziino, G., Lo Presti, V. and others (2017) 'Activity of Catmint (Nepeta cataria) essential oil against Anisakis larvae', Tropical Biomedicine, 34(1), pp. 22-31. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33592976/ Preclinical
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33592976/ - Sarkar, M., Rashmi, R., Vikramaditya and Varma, P.N (1995) 'Pharmacognosy of Nepeta cataria', Ancient Science of Life, 14(4), pp. 225-234. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22556702/ Traditional / reference
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22556702/ - Bernardi, M.M., Kirsten, T.B., Lago, J.H.G., Giovani, T.M. and Massoco, C.O (2011) 'Nepeta cataria L. var. citriodora (Becker) increases penile erection in rats', Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 137(3), pp. 1318-1322. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2011.07.061 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2011.07.061 - Health Canada, Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate (2026) 'Natural Health Product Monograph: Catnip - Nepeta cataria'. Available at: https://webprod.hc-sc.gc.ca/nhpid-bdipsn/dbImages/mono_catnip_english.pdf Traditional / reference
https://webprod.hc-sc.gc.ca/nhpid-bdipsn/dbImages/mono_catnip_english.pdf - British Herbal Medicine Association (1983) 'British Herbal Pharmacopoeia'. Traditional / reference
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=British%20Herbal%20Pharmacopoeia - Gilani, A.H., Shah, A.J., Zubair, A., Khalid, S., Kiani, J., Ahmed, A., Rasheed, M. and Ahmad, V.U (2009) 'Chemical composition and mechanisms underlying the spasmolytic and bronchodilatory properties of the essential oil of Nepeta cataria L', 121(3), pp. 405--411. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2008.11.004 Traditional / reference
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2008.11.004 - Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (n.d.). Available at: https://powo.science.kew.org Traditional / reference
https://powo.science.kew.org - Duke, J.A (2002) 'Handbook of Medicinal Herbs, Second Edition'. Traditional / reference
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Handbook%20of%20Medicinal%20Herbs%2C%20Second%20Edition - Ghasemzadeh Rahbardar, M. and Hosseinzadeh, H (2024) 'Therapeutic potential of hypnotic herbal medicines: A comprehensive review', Phytotherapy Research, 38(6), pp. 3037-3059. doi:10.1002/ptr.8201 Meta-analysis / review
https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.8201 - Block, K.I., Gyllenhaal, C. and Mead, M.N (2004) 'Safety and efficacy of herbal sedatives in cancer care', Integrative Cancer Therapies, 3(2), pp. 128-148. doi:10.1177/1534735404265003 Meta-analysis / review
https://doi.org/10.1177/1534735404265003
- Slapsyte, G., Dedonyte, V., Adomeniene, A., Lazutka, J.R. and others (2019) 'Genotoxic properties of Betonica officinalis, Gratiola officinalis, Vincetoxicum luteum and Vincetoxicum hirundinaria extracts', Food and Chemical Toxicology, 134, pp. 110815. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2019.110815 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2019.110815 - Apostolescu, G.F., Popescu, D.I., Botoran, O., Sandru, D. and others (2023) 'Chemical and Antioxidant Profile of Hydroalcoholic Extracts of Stachys officinalis L., Stachys palustris L., Stachys sylvatica L. from Romania', Acta Chimica Slovenica, 70(2), pp. 231-239. doi:10.17344/acsi.2023.8046 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.17344/acsi.2023.8046 - Hajdari, A., Mustafa, B., Franz, C. and Novak, J (2011) 'Variability of essential oils of Betonica officinalis (Lamiaceae) from different wild populations in Kosovo', Natural Product Communications, 6(9), pp. 1343-1346. doi:10.1177/1934578x1100600931 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1177/1934578x1100600931 - Giuliani, C., Pellegrino, R.M., Selvaggi, R., Tani, C. and others (2017) 'Secretory structures and essential oil composition in Stachys officinalis (L.) Trevisan subsp. officinalis (Lamiaceae) from Italy', Natural Product Research, 31(9), pp. 1006-1013. doi:10.1080/14786419.2016.1261347 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1080/14786419.2016.1261347 - Benedec, D., Oniga, I., Hanganu, D., Tiperciuc, B. and others (2023) 'Stachys Species: Comparative Evaluation of Phenolic Profile and Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Potential', Antibiotics, 12(11), pp. 1644. doi:10.3390/antibiotics12111644 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12111644 - Ohiienko, T., Kutsyk, R., Kurovets, L., Ohiienko, S. and others (2023) 'Screening of medicinal and aromatic plants extracts for the synergism with fluconazole against Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis fungi associated with denture stomatitis', Wiadomosci Lekarskie, 76(7), pp. 1615-1620. doi:10.36740/WLek202307115 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.36740/WLek202307115 - Lazarevic, J.S., Dordevic, A.S., Kitic, D.V., Zlatkovic, B.K. and others (2013) 'Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Stachys officinalis (L.) Trevis. (Lamiaceae)', Chemistry & Biodiversity, 10(7), pp. 1335-1349. doi:10.1002/cbdv.201200332 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1002/cbdv.201200332 - Stegarus, D.I., Lengyel, E., Apostolescu, G.F., Botoran, O.R. and others (2021) 'Phytochemical Analysis and Biological Activity of Three Stachys Species (Lamiaceae) from Romania', Plants, 10(12), pp. 2710. doi:10.3390/plants10122710 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10122710 - Háznagy-Radnai, E., Balogh, Á., Czigle, S., Máthé, I. and others (2012) 'Antiinflammatory activities of Hungarian Stachys species and their iridoids', Phytotherapy Research, 26(4), pp. 505-509. doi:10.1002/ptr.3582 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.3582 - Bilušić Vundać, V (2019) 'Taxonomical and Phytochemical Characterisation of 10 Stachys Taxa Recorded in the Balkan Peninsula Flora: A Review', Plants, 8(2), pp. 32. doi:10.3390/plants8020032 Meta-analysis / review
https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8020032 - The Naturopathic Herbalist (n.d.) 'Stachys officinalis (Wood Betony)'. Available at: https://thenaturopathicherbalist.com/herbs/r-s/stachys-officinalis/ Traditional / reference
https://thenaturopathicherbalist.com/herbs/r-s/stachys-officinalis/ - Matkowski, A. and Piotrowska, M (2006) 'Antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities of some medicinal plants from the Lamiaceae', Fitoterapia, 77(5), pp. 346--353. doi:10.1016/j.fitote.2006.04.004 Preclinical
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fitote.2006.04.004 - PeaceHealth (n.d.) 'Wood Betony (Health Information Library)'. Available at: https://www.peacehealth.org/medical-topics/id/hn-3662000 Traditional / reference
https://www.peacehealth.org/medical-topics/id/hn-3662000
Generated automatically from the Omnia Sana plant database and its cited sources. For educational purposes only — not medical advice. Always consult a qualified practitioner before using medicinal plants.