Common Name:

General Information

Nepeta hindostana is an annual to short-lived perennial plant with rather slender, erect or ascending stems around 30 - 50cm tall[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Asia - Himalayan regions from Afghanistan, through Pakistan and India to Nepal

Habitat

Shade of hedges, among low shrubs, growing on sandy banks; at elevations up to 2,400 metres[, ].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.40 m
Pollinators	Bees, Insects
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Nepeta species generally grow best in a sunny position and a well-drained soil. Many are found in poor soils in the wild, and have a bushier growth habit in more fertile soils[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

An infusion of the leaves and flowers act as a gentle nerve relaxant and sedative, also having carminative, antispasmodic, antidiarrhoeal, diaphoretic, and febrifuge properties. It is used in the treatment of restlessness, convulsions, nervous headache, colic, early stages of fever, colds and influenza[]. It is taken internally in Nepal as a treatment for gonorrhoea[].
The herb is to be infused and should not be boiled[].

The plant is used in the treatment of various cardiac conditions, including cardiac asthma[, ].
A decoction of the whole plant is used as a gargle to cure sore throat and its decoction has been used for relief of pain (ear and tooth pain) and fever[, ].

Aln acoholic extract of the plant produced a marked hypocholesterolaemic effect. It also produced beneficial effects in the histopathology of myocardial infarction. Aqueous extract of the plant,
given intravenously, lowered the blood pressure in dogs by 26.87%. It also showed CNS depressant and sedative activities[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown in the autumn, in situ if possible. Germination of spring sown seed can be erratic[]. The seed is best sown in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer.