Skullcap
Scutellaria lateriflora
Common Name
Skullcap, blue skullcap, mad-dog skullcap, madweed, hoodwort,
helmet flower, blue pimpernel, hooded willow herb
Family
Lamiaceae
Parts Used
Leaf, flower, stems
Native To
North America
Geographic Distribution
Canada and the United States
Botanical Description
This branching plant grows to a height of 1-3 feet tall. The green leaves are arranged in opposite pairs on a square stem. The small blue-purple hooded flowers are arranged along one side of the racemes. The flowers bloom starting in midsummer. The plant is not particularly aromatic, in contrast to most mint family plants.
Key Constituents
Flavonoids (including baicalein, baicalin, scutellarein, wogonin), iridoids (including catalpol), volatile oil, tannins, and resin (Holmes, 2006; Hoffmann, 2003).
Harvesting Guidelines
Harvest aerial parts in mid- to late summer, when the flowers are blooming. Skullcap prefers rich, moist soil and dappled sun, and grows happily in damp meadows and alongside rivers and ponds (McIntyre, 1996).
Uses
Skullcap is an herbaceous perennial plant in the mint family (Lamiaceae). There are several species of skullcap, among them Virginian or American skullcap (S. lateriflora) found in North America, common skullcap (S. galericulata), and lesser skullcap (S. minor) found in Britain, and California skullcap (S. californica), which all have generally similar properties and herbal actions. Chinese skullcap (S. baicalensis), also called baical skullcap or huang qin, is quite a different plant, both biochemically and in terms of herbal uses (Holmes, 2006). This monograph focuses on American skullcap (S. lateriflora).
The leaves, stems, and flowering tops are harvested and used fresh or dried for use in teas, tinctures, and freeze-dried capsules. Some herbalists suggest that a fresh plant tincture is the most potent preparation of skullcap because it retains the delicate volatile oils.
Energetically, skullcap is cooling and drying with a slightly sweet, slightly bitter, and earthy taste. Skullcap is a soothing, relaxing nervine that is also grounding in the sense that it brings one into bodily presence. As a nervine, it is indicated when there is stuck life energy resulting from a constant state of stress and adrenaline rushes that leave one tense and exhausted, with the potential for heart palpitations (Hardin, n.d.). Skullcap is also indicated for people needing to release control, or as herbalist David Winston (2019) describes, those who are likely to “fly off the handle” when under stress.
Skullcap has nervine, anxiolytic, antispasmodic, digestive, hypotensive, and analgesic actions (Hoffmann, 2003; Holmes, 2006; Kuhn & Winston, 2008). The Cherokee have traditionally used skullcap as a sedative and antispasmodic to relax nervous tension; the herb also has a history of use among the Cherokee for easing breast pains and in formulas for stubborn respiratory conditions and bronchitis (Garrett, 2003). The Delaware have used marsh skullcap (S. galericulata) plant tops as a digestive stimulant and laxative (Tantaquidgeon, 1972).
David Hoffmann (2003) calls skullcap “perhaps the most relevant nervine available to us in the Western materia medica. It effectively soothes nervous tension while renewing and revivifying the central nervous system” (p. 582). In a nod to its uplifting, nervine effects, herbalist Kiva Rose Hardin (n.d.) has renamed the plant with the much lovelier moniker “blisswort.” In general, skullcap is considered a nerve trophorestorative, meaning it restores balance to the nervous system by nourishing and rebuilding nerves. Herbalist Peter Holmes (2006) describes it as a nervous system restorative for the effects of longstanding and unproductive stress, whether from disease or lifestyle.
As a relaxant, skullcap eases tension and aids its release. As Hardin (2008) explains, skullcap “opens up the internal flow of energy and stress, helping to move it and let it cycle out” (para. 3) and “helps retrain the body to deal with stress in more productive ways, encouraging it [to] move along rather than stagnating or sticking in one tired, manic part of your brain or body” (para. 3). Skullcap nourishes and builds our nerves, easing the effects of chronic stress on our nervous system, and moves tension stored in our bodies. It builds, relaxes, and encourages flow. As such, skullcap is used for overcoming exhaustion or depression. Skullcap is also a nice tea or tincture for easing into sleep, calming nervous and restless energy, and inviting deep sleep and dreaming. It blends well with other nervines such as milky oat (Avena sativa), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla), and linden (Tilia spp.).
Nervous system-nourishing skullcap also has antispasmodic, analgesic, and hypotensive actions that help ease stress-related tension headaches, back spasms, facial tics, tremors (such as those associated with Parkinson’s disease), restless legs syndrome, and neuralgic pain related to Lyme disease (Holmes, 2006; Kuhn & Winston, 2008). Holmes (2006) indicates skullcap for high blood pressure and related issues such as irritability, anxiety, and insomnia, as well as nervous system deficiency associated with chronic depression, fatigue, restlessness, pain, and spasms. In a preclinical study conducted by Lohani et al. (2013), skullcap was found to have significant antioxidant effects in vitro; the authors suggested that skullcap may have therapeutic potential against various oxidative stress-associated neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases such as anxiety, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and Parkinson’s disease. Thus, the herb’s antioxidant effects may contribute to its anxiolytic action.
Kiva Rose Hardin (n.d.) suggests skullcap “is most appropriate for those who have anxiety from exhaustion, often accompanied by sensations of heat, flushing and/or sweating and emotional lability or brittleness” (para. 4). A review of human clinical trials conducted by Sarris et al. (2013) indicates support for the efficacy of Scutellaria lateriflora for anxiety disorders. In a placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover study conducted by Brock et al. (2014), 43 healthy participants were given either a placebo or 350 mg of whole, freeze-dried aerial parts of skullcap three times per day for 2 weeks; the results showed significant mood enhancement among those who took skullcap, but not in the placebo group. The authors concluded that “S. lateriflora significantly enhanced global mood without a reduction in energy or cognition” (Brock et al., 2014, Abstract) and recommended further study of its anxiolytic effects. Another double blind, placebo-controlled study of healthy subjects also demonstrated skullcap’s noteworthy anxiolytic effects (Wolfson & Hoffman, 2003). Awad et al. (2003) proposed that the antioxidant-rich flavonoids baicalin and baicalein may play a role in the herb’s anxiolytic activity by binding to the benzodiazepine site of the GABAA (gamma-aminobutyric acid-A) receptor.
Skullcap is used for addictions to drugs, alcohol, nicotine, coffee, or medications, as it helps support one to break repeated, stuck patterns. As herbalist Sage Maurer describes, “It helps create the pause between feeling the stimulus of the addictive desire and fulfilling the addiction, allowing the nervous system to create a new neural path” (personal communication, 2014). For this purpose, Gail Faith Edwards (2000) suggests taking 4-6 cups of skullcap infusion daily or 10-15 drops of tincture every 2 hours to calm the nerves and ease the process of withdrawal.
As do most members of the mint family, skullcap helps to stimulate appetite and ease indigestion, particularly in the case of appetite loss and gastric distress associated with nervous tension or stress (Holmes, 2006). This effect is attributed to skullcap’s antispasmodic and bitter actions, which help support the liver and relax digestive spasms, stimulate the production of bile to improve digestion and toxin removal, and cool heat from the digestive system.
Skullcap’s antispasmodic and nervine actions also make it an ally for premenstrual tension, dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramping), menorrhagia (heavy bleeding), menopause, and accompanying impacts to the nervous system such as irritability, depression, and anxiety.
As indicated by its folk names mad-dog skullcap and madweed, skullcap was also historically used in cases of rabies.