Catnip Constituents:Nepetalactone

Catnip Oil Description

Catnip provides an all-natural alternative to commercial insect repellents, which contain harmful chemicals. Catnip (Catnep to the English) has an aromatic, characteristic odor, which bears a certain resemblance to that of both Mint and Pennyroyal. It is owing to this scent that it has a strange fascination for cats. Researchers at Iowa State University found nepetalactone, the essential oil in catnip that gives the plant its characteristic odor, is ten times more effective at repelling mosquitoes than DEET.