Chinese Cat Powder

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It is rumored that the dried leaf of this tree, which
is closely related to the kiwi bush (Actinida
chinensis Planch.) (Schneebeli-Graf 1992, 93*), is a
potent inebriant or strong tranquilizer for animals;
hence its common name Chinese cat powder.
In Asian zoos, it purportedly is used to sedate large
wild cats. The branches and young leaves of this
plant are said to produce hallucinogenic effects
(Grubber 1991, 60*). The bush is found in
Manchuria, Korea, Japan, and western China and
on the island of Sakhalin. Both metatabilacetone
and actinidine have been found in this plant
(Emboden 1979, 168*).