Catnip & Fennel

Catnip & Fennel is a liquid herbal combination formulated to relieve constipation, gas, indigestion, and intestinal cramping. This convenient liquid form is easy to use with infants and small children, and is especially helpful for colic. If a child refuses to take the liquid orally, a small amount can be rubbed topically into the abdominal area for absorption through the skin. Catnip & Fennel is in an alcohol-free glycerin base.

Catnip exhibits a soothing, sedative effect on the digestive system, relieving colic, diarrhea, flatulence, nervous indigestion, stomach upset, stress-induced dyspepsia, and headaches associated with digestive problems. Catnip has also been found to stimulate appetite prior to meals and improve digestion following meals. Catnip’s sedative properties help reduce excitability, insomnia, and palpitations. In addition, catnip acts as a mild antispasmodic to alleviate chronic coughs and menstrual cramping.

Catnip stimulates profuse sweating which helps reduce fever. It also acts as a mild astringent in mucus membranes and has been shown to have some antibiotic properties. In fact, catnip is commonly used in children’s formulas for bronchial infections, colds, fever, and flu. Catnip has also been found to stimulate appetite prior to meals and improve digestion following meals.

Fennel has been used as a digestive aid since early times—Hippocrates used fennel to treat infant colic during the 3rd century B.C. Fennel has also been used throughout history as an appetite stimulant, digestive aid and liver tonic, diuretic, expectorant, eyewash for conjunctivitis and sore eyes, and to increase breast-milk production in nursing mothers.

Fennel seeds contains a volatile oil which is responsible for the herb’s antispasmodic properties and its ability to help relieve gas. In fact, fennel’s is perhaps most commonly used to reduce abdominal distension (bloating) and ease stomach pain. Research shows fennel increases the production of digestive fluids, reduces inflammation, and acts as an antiseptic and diuretic. Fennel has also been shown to promote deeper breathing and is believed to help kidney stones. Fennel has often been used for amenorrhea, anorexia, colds, colic, constipation, coughs, diarrhea, dyspepsia, flatulence, flu, heart problems, teething in babies, and even for the relief of menopausal symptoms.

European research shows fennel not only relaxes the smooth muscle lining of the digestive tract and helps alleviate gas, but also destroys certain bacteria. In Germany, fennel is commonly prescribed for gas pains, indigestion and infant colic.

More recently, fennel has been studied for its use in the treatment of prostate cancer due to the herb’s mild estrogenic activity, as confirmed in research published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology.