SCIENTIFIC NAME
Scutellaria lateriflora L.
COMMON NAME
Skullcap
Mad dog skullcap
Blue skullcap
Side flowering skullcap
Huang Qin (TCM)
PARTS USED
Aerial
CONSTITUENTS
Flavinoids (baicalein, baicalin, scutellarein, and wogonin)
Iridoids (including catalpol)
Volotile oil
Tanins
ACTIONS
Nervine tonic
Antispasmodic
Hypotensive
Analgesic (anodyne)
Antispasmodic
Sedative
Soporific (hypnotic)
ENERGETICS
Cooling
Relaxing
INDICATIONS
Functional nervous exhaustion
Post-febrile nervous weakness
Chorea
Hysteria
Agitation
Epileptiform convulsions
Insomnia
Nightmares
Restless sleep
Delirium tremens
Nervous excitability
SAFETY
Reports of hepatotoxicity attributed to skullcap were later determined to be related to adulteration with germander.
Skullcap can potentiate the effects of sedative medications.
PREPARATIONS
Tincture
Infusion
ORIGIN
Northern areas of the Northern Hemisphere including Europe, Asia, and almost all of Canada and North America
GROWTH
Hardy perennial
FOUND IN
Marshes, fens, riverbanks, pond margins, and canalsides.
FOLK HISTORY
The Cherokee and other tribes used skullcap as a ceremonial plant to introduce girls to womanhood. It was also used to treat breast pain, promote menstruation, and help expel the placenta during childbirth. The Iroquois used an infusion of the root to treat smallpox and keep the throat clear.
European settlers and folk herbalists learned how to use skullcap from Native Americans. In the 19th century, herbal physicians brought it to Great Britain, where it was used to treat conditions such as anxiety, phobias, and seizures.
In the 19th century, Physiomedicalists used skullcap as a nerve tonic for conditions such as hysteria, epilepsy convulsions, and schizophrenia. They believed it had a deeper effect on the nervous system than other herbs.
The name skullcap comes from the flower's resemblance to the helmets worn by European soldiers.
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH/STUDIES
Read more