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Comment by dylan604 | Hacker News Reader

How much catnip would be needed for me to receive the same benefit from rolling in it? I currently have 5 separate plants growing for my fur baby's use, but now I'm thinking I'll need more for myself

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catnip#As_an_insect_repellent

> Nepetalactone is a mosquito and fly repellent. Oil isolated from catnip by steam distillation is a repellent against insects, in particular mosquitoes, cockroaches, and termites. Research suggests that, while a more effective spatial repellant than DEET, when compared with SS220 or DEET, it is not so effective as a repellent as it is when used on the skin of humans.

The research for the spatial repellant aspect is: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/08/010828075659.h...

And for the skin based one: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16119554/

See, there you go ruining a perfectly bad joke with science.

However, I'm now inclined to get that copper/brass distiller I've always wanted. I was going to make my own essential oils, but now I'll just use it as mosquito defense for my back patio

You know it has a really strong smell, right? You're going to repel more than just mosquitoes but then again if you publicly share your life with a fur baby it may not make any difference that you might notice.

Also, it might be in the mint family but it makes terrible juleps. Do not recommend.

It sounds like there's a story to that last line and now I'm curious.

Weed has a really strong smell too, and it is a good litmus test in that it repels uptight peeps away and attracts like minded people.

I'm not uptight - live and let live - but I absolutely cannot stand the stench. It's revolting to me. Oddly, I smoked it a bit in high school. But back then it had a much fainter, sweeter smell. Nowadays it smells like a skunk died on top of a bed of rotting cabbage sitting in the sun for 3 days. It makes me retch.

But have at it if that's your thing!

I'll be waaaay over there. Upwind -----------> :)

Smells so much like burning hair I wonder if dealers cut weed with hair sometimes :D

I live across the street from a college dorm. People go outside to smoke, and sometimes the pressure in my building pulls in air from outside. It's absolutely miserable to have your house smell like weed.

I'm all for legalization and everything, just ... do that somewhere that doesn't affect me. It's funny because they're obviously forced to smoke outside to increase the indoor air quality for their dorm-mates, but then it ruins mine in exchange. Oh externalities.

The stuff they have at stores now, when it is being burned, reminds me of antiquity like an old book with some remnants of potpourri in there. It resembles a very faint incense aroma.

If I was at a bar and someone smelled like cat nip because they rolled in it, I would buy them a beer for sure. It also might mean I'm at DEF CON.

Also, it might be in the mint family but it makes terrible juleps.

Where I grew up in Indiana, the stuff was a weed (yes, our cats were constantly high all summer). That's how I found out that it not only makes for a nasty tasting tea, it also will not get humans intoxicated.

(OTOH, maybe it needs decarbonization like cannabis. You try it first, I already took one for the team.)

^Decarboxylation

Late reply, but thanks for the correction. Autocorrect was no help, so I just winged it, and that's the result.

That would only change your mosquito problem into a cat problem ...

Not a problem.

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