Can i smoke catnip?

If you’re a cat owner, then chances are you’ve heard about the joys of catnip. It’s no secret that cats go wild for this aromatic herb, but what about humans? Could we smoke it too? As strange as it may sound, there are those out there who have considered the possibility. In this article, we’ll explore the topic at hand and answer one big question: can I smoke catnip?

Is Catnip Safe to Smoke?

First things first: is smoking catnip safe? While the thought of lighting up a pile of green leaves might seem harmless enough (or not!), there are potential health concerns associated with smoking anything that isn’t specifically intended for inhalation.

For starters, inhaling any kind of smoke can damage your lungs over time – regardless of whether or not it comes from plants generally assumed to be “safe”. Additionally, while catnip is non-toxic, other additives or contaminants could potentially harm you if they’re used in conjunction with the herb.

Not convinced yet? Well how about this: even if smoking catnip were completely safe (which it isn’t), many users report little-to-no psychoactive effects after trying to get high off the stuff. So unless a nasty cough and a headache count as legitimate highs these days (and they don’t), perhaps reaching for something else would make more sense.

What Happens When Cats Use Catnip?

To understand why someone might consider smoking catnip themselves (whether sane or insane), it’s important to first know what happens when cats use it. Typically speaking (but not always!), when presented with fresh or dried clumps of Nepeta cataria (the scientific name for “true” / “common” / “garden-variety” /purrfectly evil/ </= $&!/ ‘fun time herb’/), felines will:

  • Rub their heads, cheeks, and bodies against the plant
  • Lick the leaves or try to eat them
  • Roll around in euphoria for several minutes before wandering off nonchalantly

So what causes these strange behaviors? The answer lies in a compound called nepetalactone that’s found within catnip. It interacts with protein receptors within a cat’s nose that trigger an unusual response – hence all the headbutting and wild-seeming movements.

What About Humans?

Now that we’ve covered cats’ reactions to Nepeta cataria (arguably one of our cutest subsections), let’s focus on what might happen if people were to smoke it. As mentioned earlier, some folks have reportedly attempted this stunt in order to get high – but do they actually succeed?

Short answer: probably not. Long answer: while there isn’t an overwhelming amount of information out there about humans smoking catnip (emphasis on ‘smoking’ here), most anecdotal experiences suggest that the herb is more likely to make you feel dizzy or like throwing up than relaxed and happy.

If for no other reason, this is why it’s just better not to inhale burned anything except maybe candles (although try telling THAT $&%# %^&(! scented-candle maniac).

Alternatives…

Okay fine – so smoking catnip might be a bust… but surely there are other natural alternatives worth exploring? Below are just a few options for curious cannabis-free thrill-seekers:

Kanna:

Kanna is made from ground-up roots and leaves of succulent plants native to South Africa. People who use it describe feelings of relaxation, euphoria (finally!) and enhanced cognition after ingesting it via pills or sublingual spray.

Kratom:

Kratom comes from trees indigenous to Southeast Asia. Consuming kratom can result in pain relief, diminished anxiety and improved mood.

Kava:

Kava is derived from the root of a plant native to the Pacific Islands. People who drink kava typically report feeling relaxed and sociable (the perfect addition to those awkward family dinners).

Ultimately, that’s just scratching the surface when it comes to naturally-occurring substances capable of making us feel something other than ‘meh’. But as exciting as all this talk about relaxation, euphoria and what have you might be… please don’t smoke catnip.

Final Thoughts

We know there are probably people out there still wondering “can I smoke catnip?” despite everything we’ve laid out above (you’re not fooling anyone!), so let’s address them directly: yes technically, it is possible. You could burn almost any plant material on earth if you really wanted to with varying degrees of harmlessness or riskiness…

But moral of the story? It isn’t worth destroying your lungs for something that may potentially make you sick (if anything at all). There are plenty of other ways to experiment with natural remedies – ones that aren’t likely cause more trouble than they’re worth.

So go ahead – get creative! Just remember that sometimes even plants deserve better fates than being set ablaze (unless we include weeds.).

Random Posts