Herb & supplement monograph

Catnip Drug Interactions, Uses, Effectiveness, Safety & More

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS ·Updated July 2026

What is this page for?

First and foremost: how Catnip interacts with medications. The heart of this page is the interaction list — every drug Catnip is known to interact with, and how serious each one is.

But these pages have grown well beyond that into a full monograph — what Catnip is, what people use it for and how strong the evidence is, its safety and side effects, and answers to the questions we’re asked most — written and reviewed by the clinical staff at HelloPharmacist. It’s educational information from our licensed clinical databases, not medical advice, and we don’t sell or endorse products. Our editorial policy

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Reviewed by licensed pharmacists Sourced from Natural Medicines

On this page

Catnip Drug Interactions: The Bottom Line

From the HelloPharmacist Editorial Team · Updated July 2026

Based on the available evidence, the overall risk of a clinically significant Catnip drug interaction appears low for most people, though a couple of situations deserve real attention. None of the listed interactions are rated major, and the concerns rest mostly on theory rather than on confirmed harm in people.

Interactions deserving the most attention

The pairing we watch most closely is with lithium, a medicine with a narrow safety margin. Catnip is thought to act as a mild diuretic, which could slow how the body clears lithium and nudge its levels upward, so this combination warrants monitoring by a prescriber. The other concern involves sedatives and other CNS depressants: research shows catnip itself has calming properties, so adding it to sleep aids, anxiety medicines, or opioids could theoretically increase drowsiness.

What the rest of the list means

The long list of interacting medications looks bigger than it really is, because so many common prescriptions have sedative effects and each one counts separately. Nearly all of these entries reflect the same theoretical concern about added drowsiness, not documented problems in people, and no combination here has been shown to cause serious harm.

Check your medications against Catnip

Based on HelloPharmacist’s Catnip interaction data and reviewed under our editorial standards.

Interaction report

Drugs that interact with Catnip

248 medications have a known interaction with Catnip, graded by severity. Select any drug for the full evidence-based detail.

Don’t want to scroll the list? Just ask.

Tell us the medications you take and we’ll check each one against Catnip using our pharmacist-reviewed interaction data.

AI summaries are generated from our Catnip interaction data for education only — always confirm with your pharmacist. How we use AI

2,830 drugs

Read The List Like a Pharmacist

What Severity, Likelihood & Evidence Mean

Severity — How Serious It Can Be

Major. Clinically significant; generally best avoided, or used only under direct professional supervision.
Moderate. May need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one.
Minor. Generally not clinically significant, but still worth noting and mentioning to your pharmacist.
No known interaction. Checked against our sources with nothing documented — not the same as proven safety.

Likelihood — How Well It’s Documented

Likely. Well-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction
Probable. Interaction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
Possible. Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists
Unlikely. Interaction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.

Where This Data Comes From

Interaction records are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database (TRC Healthcare), the same reference used by pharmacists and hospitals.
Each drug listed above links to the full report for that exact Catnip combination — clinical detail, likelihood, evidence level, and citations.
Content is reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

The big picture

The kinds of drugs Catnip affects

Every type of medication (drug category) Catnip is known to interact with. Open any category for the detail — or search your exact drug in the checker above.

All 2 drug categories Catnip interacts with

Cns DepressantsLithium

Cns Depressants

Theoretically, concomitant use with drugs with sedative properties may cause additive effects and side effects.
Clinical and animal research shows that catnip has sedative properties.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Lithium

Theoretically, catnip might reduce excretion and increase levels of lithium.
Catnip is thought to have diuretic properties which might reduce lithium excretion. The dose of lithium might need to be decreased.

Likelihood Probable Evidence D

Monograph

Catnip: Uses, Safety & Side Effects

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS · Reviewed July 2026 ·

The bottom line

Catnip is a mint-family herb most often used as a calming tea for sleep, anxiety, and minor digestive upset, but solid human research supporting these uses is lacking. It is generally considered fairly safe in small culinary or tea amounts for most adults, but it should be avoided during pregnancy and used cautiously otherwise. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using it, especially if you take medications or have a health condition.

Scientific name: Nepeta cataria
Family: Lamiaceae
Part used: Leaves, flowers, and essential oil
Common forms: Tea, capsules, tincture, dried herb, essential oil

People commonly use it for

Sleep and insomnia
Anxiety and stress
Digestive upset
Cold and flu symptoms
Insect repellent

Popular and traditional uses — not proof it works. See “Uses & effectiveness” below for the evidence.

Safety at a glance

OverallUse caution

Likely fine for most adults in tea amounts, but human safety data are limited.

PregnancyBest avoided

Avoid during pregnancy, as it may stimulate the uterus and safety is not established.

BreastfeedingBest avoided

Not enough safety information is available, so it is best avoided.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Jump to a section

Overview

Catnip (Nepeta cataria) is a perennial herb in the mint family. It is native to Europe and parts of Asia but now grows in many places, including North America. It has a distinctive minty smell and small white or pale purple flowers.

Catnip is best known for the playful, sometimes excited reaction it causes in many cats. In people, it has a long history in traditional or folk medicine. It is most commonly taken as a tea, but it also comes as capsules, tinctures, dried herb, and an essential oil.

People have traditionally used catnip to help with sleep, calm nerves, ease stomach upset, and soothe cold and flu symptoms. Its oil is also studied as a natural insect repellent.

How it works

The main active compound in catnip is nepetalactone. This is the chemical that triggers the well-known reaction in cats and is also being studied for repelling insects.

In people, catnip's possible calming and sleep-supporting effects are thought to come from compounds that may act mildly on the nervous system, similar to other relaxing herbs. It may also have a gentle antispasmodic (muscle-relaxing) effect on the digestive tract, which could explain its traditional use for stomach discomfort.

It is important to know that these proposed mechanisms are based largely on laboratory and animal research. The way catnip behaves in the human body is not well understood.

Effectiveness

Does Catnip work?

Here’s what the research actually shows for each use — graded by Natural Medicines and reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD.

Evidence overview · 13 uses evaluated

13 Insufficient evidence

How to read these evidence grades

Natural Medicines’ 7-point scale. We show each rating’s label word-for-word.

1EffectiveStrong, consistent evidence it works.

2Likely EffectiveGood evidence, though not yet conclusive.

3Possibly EffectiveSome evidence suggests a benefit.

4Possibly IneffectiveSome evidence it may not help.

5Likely IneffectiveFairly strong evidence it doesn’t help.

6IneffectiveStrong evidence it doesn’t work.

7Insufficient Reliable Evidence to RateToo little research to say either way.

For Catnip, current evidence isn’t strong enough to rate any specific use. The conditions it has been studied for are listed below.

Also studied for 13 conditions — evidence insufficient to rate

Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Amenorrhea