Chinese Cat Powder

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*).