Cat grass
NEPETA CATARIA
Origin SOUTHEAST ASIA AND EUROPE
Active ingredient ACTIDINE, NEPETELACONES
MEDICINAL, RITUAL use
Catnip (nepeta) has traditional uses in indigenous rituals among people along the banks of the Rio Grande in the USA, Mexico and Canada. Used in initiation ceremonies to induce altered states of consciousness, it has effects similar to LSD in cats, although milder in humans. Popular as a legal substitute for cannabis, nepeta is used as a natural tranquilizer, helping to relieve stress, insomnia and menstrual cramps.
Other plants
References:
Luz, Pedro. Psychonautic Letter. Rio de Janeiro: Dantes, 2015.