I agree with scholars who have pointed out that we need to view animals as subjects of their own lives rather than objects in ours. We would welcome your suggestions. Please email us at ethical. Portsmouth Climate Festival — Portsmouth, Portsmouth. Edition: Available editions United Kingdom. Become an author Sign up as a reader Sign in. Catnip induces changes in cat behavior. Anna Hoychuk.
From the hypothalamus, nepetalactone stimulates a sexual response in cats that are genetically predisposed to sensitivity to catnip. Some insects seem to react to nepetalactone, too. Strangely enough, chemical companies are studying nepetalactone because it seems to repel mosquitoes, ticks and mites, like a kind of natural DEET. For the insects to change their behavior around nepetalactone, even if negatively, suggests that they have nepetalactone receptors.
As for smoking catnip: not only does it fail to get people high, it can make them feel pretty awful. Too much catnip , whether smoked or drunk as a tea, could cause headaches and vomiting. Its effects appear to depend on how you consume it and your dose. You may be surprised to learn that catnip is mostly used by humans for its calming and sedative effects.
This is a far cry from the wacky effect many cats seem to enjoy. Catnip does contain a compound called nepetalactone , however, which has properties similar to valerian, a popular herbal sedative. The calming effect of catnip has also been thought to help relieve headaches, according to older reports. Plus, headaches are actually one of the reported side effects of catnip.
Catnip poultices made from the dried leaves and flowers of the plant are a folk remedy for toothaches that people still use today. Tea made from the herb has also been used for centuries to relieve toothaches. Extracts of catnip have been reported to have antibacterial and antifungal properties that stop the growth and adhesion of certain types of bacteria. Catnip was once believed to have aphrodisiac properties.
Rats were fed chow enriched with catnip leaves, which resulted in increased penile erections and improved sexual behaviors. Yes, you can smoke catnip. There are older reports that catnip was once used in place of cannabis or as filler in weed since it produced similar effects , like making you feel happy and slightly buzzed. First, cannabis is way more potent and effective than catnip for those looking to enjoy psychoactive effects.
It's the only recreational drug we routinely give to animals, and though it basically makes them freak out — rolling on the ground, drooling, and mashing their face into wherever the catnip was sprinkled — it has essentially no effect on us. Specifically, that plant is Nepeta cataria , a shrub in the mint family. It's native to Europe and Asia but now grows wildly across the Americas as well, along roads and highways. Matt Lavin. The plant produces a chemical called nepetalactone in microscopic bulbs that coat its leaves, stems, and seedpods.
When these fragile bulbs rupture, they release the nepetalactone into the air. Cats get high off catnip by inhaling the nepetalactone — whether from a live plant, dried plant material, or an oil extract. The chemical binds to receptors inside a cat's nose, which stimulate sensory neurons leading into the brain. This appears to alter activity in several areas of the brain, including the olfactory bulb , the amygdala, and the hypothalamus.
This last area, among other things, is involved in regulating the animal's emotions. Scientists previously hypothesized that the chemical also triggered a reaction in something called the vomeronasal organ — an extra olfactory organ found deep in the nose in many mammals but not humans that's involved in detecting pheromones — but experiments have ruled that out.
However, it is hypothesized that nepetalactone might mimic the shape of pheromones when binding to the nasal receptors. Regardless of the underlying reason, nepetalactone triggers an intense, intoxicated reaction in most cats. Once they're finished reacting, and they just sit there, it's like they're basically just a little bit buzzed.
Nepetalactone isn't the only chemical that triggers this sort of response in cats. Others include actinidine and iridomyrmecin, which are both naturally found in various plants.
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