Skullcap

Parts Usually Used

Aerial parts

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

Skullcap is a North American perennial plant; the fibrous, yellow rootstock produces a branching stem from 1-3 feet high, with opposite, ovate, serrate leaves that come to a point. The axillary, two-lipped flowers are pale purple or blue, blooming from July to September. Another variety: The Chinese skullcap (Scutellaria macrantha) is called Huang-ch’in.

Where Found

Grows in wet places in Canada and the northern and eastern United States. Found in damp, rich woods, moist thickets, meadows, and riversides; from Connecticut, south to Florida and Texas. Indigenous to North America.

Medicinal Properties

Alterative, antispasmodic, diuretic, sedative, tonic, nervine, slightly astringent

Biochemical Information

Fat, a bitter glycoside, iron, bitter principle, scutellarin, volatile oil, sugar, tannins, and vitamin E.

Legends, Myths and Stories

Known as Mad-dog skullcap because tea was once used as a folk remedy for rabies. This herb was highly esteemed as an herb tea by the old time empirics and eclectics. Skullcap is still collected in the eastern mountains of Tennessee and Kentucky and hung in rafters to dry, ready for use when deemed necessary.

Uses

Historically, herbalists administered infusions of skullcap for spasms, tremors, and various nervous complaints, attributing a calming quality to the plant for restlessness, stress, and sleeplessness. Traditional accounts recommended it for conditions such as rheumatism, rickets, palsy, neuralgia, neuritis, chorea, and muscle cramps, as well as for headaches and bedwetting. Practitioners also utilized it in cases of snakebites and insect stings, and regarded it as a substitute for quinine or as an aid to meditation.

Native American traditions employed the herb to promote menstruation and address menstrual cramps. Historical herbal texts further recorded its use for individuals experiencing alcohol or drug withdrawal, and it was sometimes combined with herbs such as nerve root, hops, catnip, and black cohosh to address wakefulness. Folk traditions also associated the plant with the management of excessive libido and issues related to fertility.

How Sold

It should be noted that most of what is sold as skullcap in this country is germander (Teucrium). Ask for the genuine herb. May sweeten with honey and add lemon if desired.

Bibliography

, Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. , Simon & Schuster/Fireside, Rockefeller Center 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020 Chinese Medicinal Herbs , compiled by Shih-Chen Li, Georgetown Press, San Francisco, California, 1973. Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R.

, Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, 1973 The Complete Medicinal Herbal , by Penelope Ody, Dorling Kindersley, Inc, 232 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, First American Edition, copyright 1993 Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10000 The Magic of Herbs , by David Conway, published by Jonathan Cape, Thirty Bedford Square, London, England.

, Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Copyright 1988, published 1992 American Folk Medicine , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1973 Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Fifth Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements , by James F. D. and Phyllis A. , Garden City Park, NY The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr.

David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 The Magic of Herbs in Daily Living , by Richard Lucas, Parker Publishing Co. (1988).