Was doing some reading over in the Changa forum, and saw there was a
question about using Catnip for Changa. Just thought I'd share my experience.
I grow Catnip (Walker's Low Catmint variety) for my cats, and also for its brilliant purple flowers. In fact, if you ever go to the Chicago Botanic Garden, you'll find catnip all over the place, especially in the rose garden, where it provides a soft green-and-purple backdrop for the many varieties of roses.
I have never found it to be psychoactive when smoked; however, I do feel relaxed when drinking it as a tea, either by itself or with some other mints or lemongrass (That could just be the soothing effects of a warm tea though). Most varieties tend to taste rather earthy, with a subtle mint flavor that I find to be quite pleasant.
Onto smoking. I recently took a bunch of the dried up catnip from last year, along with some hierbabuena (Spanish word used by Mexicans for spearmint) and a little peppermint I have left over to make a nice "smoking blend", perfect for enjoying the spirit molecule (only tried vaping the crystals directly off of it, but am cooking up an infused changa batch with it as we speak!).
So to answer the OP's original question: I do not find catmint to be a useful psychoactive platform for enjoying the spirit molecule; however, I find it an overall pleasant smoking experience and if you're looking for a nice base for your changa, give it a try!
*Please note that I've never tried the dried catnip you can buy at the pet store, only with the Walker's Low Catmint variety that I grow myself (very common variety). If you plan on growing it, please note it is a mint: perennial, extremely hardy, and will take over wherever you plant it if you're not careful!