Skullcap

(Scutellaria lateriflora)

Other Names:

Blue Skullcap, Hoodwort, Virginian Skullcap, Mad-dog Skullcap

Range:

Family:

Lamiaceae - Mint Family

Growth Type:

Herbaceous Perennial plant

Height:

2 to 3 feet tall

Leaves:

Alternately arranged, ovate, serrated to toothed leaves.

Stem/Trunk:

Single, erect, square, stem

Root:

Taproot

Flower Season:

Summer

Flower Appearance:

Multiple small blue flowers borne in clusters along small flower stems

Seed/Fruit:

Tiny nutlets on a short stalk

Miscellaneous characteristics:

N/A

Habitat:

Marshes, meadows, and other wet areas

Parts Used:

Leaves, stems, roots

Culinary Uses:

None known

Energetics:

Taste: Bitter
Thermal: Cooling
Humidity: Drying

Traditional Medicinal Uses:

Used as a mild sedative, and to calm and soothe frazzled nerves. The antispasmodic action of Scutellaria lateriflora make is a highly effective muscle relaxer. I have spinal arthritis and severe spinal stenosis. This means my back is in an almost constant state of spasm. I have used powerful muscle relaxers which offered little or no relief. Once I started taking Scutellaria tincture it has worked wonders for me.

Any pain, myalgia, neuralgia from spinal or peripheral nerve irritability but without organic causes; hyperfunctions of skin nerves and CNS end organs; sciatica, neuritis shingles; lessens surface irritability to acupuncture, TNS, massage and even spinal adjustments; nocturnal neuropathies, choreas, and seizures where overt drug treatment might be an excess.

Historical Ethnobotanical Uses:

Convulsions, Hysteria, Infection, Insomnia, Irritability, Leg Cramps, Myalgia, Neuralgia, Pain, Restlessness, Saint Vitus Dance, Sciatica, Tension, Tremors

Usage Indictions:

Anxiety, Chorea, Depression, Dysesthesia, Nervous Dyspepsia, Epilepsy, Gingivitis, Huntington's, Insomnia, Intestinal Colic, Neurasthenia, Neuralgia, Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)

Indications Citations

The fact that studies concerning all indications listed above have not yet been completed, does not mean said uses are invalid. The plants I have included have a long history of effective use, and most were part of the U.S. Pharmacopeia prior to the advent of allopathic medicine.

Clinical Trials:

Depression: Brock C, Whitehouse J, Tewfik I, Towell T. American Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora): a randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study of its effects on mood in healthy volunteers. Phytother Res. 2014 May;28(5):692-8. doi: 10.1002/ptr.5044. Epub 2013 Jul 22. PMID: 23878109.

insomnia (Trouble Sleeping): Di Minno A, Morone MV, Buccato DG, De Lellis LF, Ullah H, Piccinocchi R, Cordara M, Larsen DS, Di Guglielmo A, Baldi A, Piccinocchi G, Xiao X, Sacchi R, Daglia M. Efficacy and Tolerability of a Chemically Characterized Scutellaria lateriflora L. Extract-Based Food Supplement for Sleep Management: A Single-Center, Controlled, Randomized, Crossover, Double-Blind Clinical Trial. Nutrients. 2025 Apr 28;17(9):1491. doi: 10.3390/nu17091491. PMID: 40362800; PMCID: PMC12073644.

Gingivitis: Di Minno A, Ullah H, De Lellis LF, Buccato DG, Baldi A, Cuomo P, El-Seedi HR, Khalifa SAM, Xiao X, Piccinocchi R, Piccinocchi G, Sacchi R, Daglia M. Efficacy and Tolerability of a Scutellaria lateriflora L. and Cistus × incanus L.-Based Chewing Gum on the Symptoms of Gingivitis: A Monocentric, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. Nutrients. 2024 Mar 16;16(6):862. doi: 10.3390/nu16060862. PMID: 38542772; PMCID: PMC10975933.

Medicinal Actions:

Anticonvulsant, Antispasmodic, Nervine, Sedative, Spasmolytic