Scutellaria baicalensis (Baikal or Siberian Scullcap)

Question 1

How do you recognise Baikal Skullcap?

Answer 1

A herbaceous perennial plant with purple blue flowers and simple opposite leaves. Native to Siberia, Mongolia, China, & Korea. AKA Huang qin or Siberian Skullcap. Sometimes called Chinese Skullcap.

Question 2

What are Baikal Skullcap’s main constituents?

Answer 2

Constituents
* **Flavones: scutellarin, baicalin, bacalein & wagonin are seen as being the primary constituents **they are all anti-inflammatory and antimutagenic.
* Terpenoids.
* Phytosterols.
* Volatile oils – antibacterial and antitumour actions.

Question 3

What family is Baikal Skullcap in?

Answer 3

Lamiaceae

Question 4

What is Baikal Skullcap good for?

Answer 4

Summary: Used for acute inflammation (remove heat) and also allergic conditions. In China used for diarrhea and dysentry.

• Anti-inflammatory
  * Anti-allergenic
• Antibacterial
• Antiviral
• Anxiolytic
• Neuroprotective
• Hepatoprotective
• Antitumour
• Hypotensive.
• In Chinese terms, it“clears heat and dries dampness”.

Applications
* **Conditions arising from allergy: Eczema, asthma, urticaria, rhinitis. ** Bendle also uses Stinging Nettle and Ephedra for allergy (like ephidrin) - he likes this as an alternative option.
* Infective diarrhoea and dysentery.
* Acute inflammation.
* Hepatitis.
* Cancer – seems to have anti-tumour effects especially on cancers of breast and prostate, lymphomas and myelomas.
* Seen by some herbalists as an immune system modulator –good for autoimmune conditions & chronic inflammation.
* May be useful in CVS problems – seems to be protective of heart cells and of capillary endothelial cells, is antiartiosclerotic and hypotensive. Check out Lisa Ganora book for more.
* The neuroprotective action may be useful in Alzheimer’s and in Parkinson’s disease
* Anti anxiety - but this secondary to other applications.

Question 5

What is Baikal Skullcap’s Latin name?

Answer 5

Scutellaria baicalensis

Question 6

What parts of Baikal Skullcap do you use?

Answer 6

Part used: roots

Question 7

What safety issues might Baikal Skullcap have?

Answer 7

Generally seen to be safe, but may affect blood levels of statin drugs and may potentiate the actions of anticoagulants and of immunosuppressant drugs.

Question 8

What useful research does Baikal Skullcap have?

Answer 8

External links:

Scutellaria baicalensis, the golden herb from the garden of Chinese medicinal plants

Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi. (Lamiaceae): a review of its traditional uses, botany, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology From the Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology.

Note the mistakes in the first two sentences of the introduction re botany – this perhaps indicates that there might be other mistakes in the document, but it does contain some useful
information.”

Question 9

What remedies might you use Baikal Skullcap in?

Answer 9

In China has been generally prepared as a decoction which possibly extracts the flavone constituents better than alcohol.

Bendle talks about a case study where he used Baikal Skullcap to a patient. He had years of bad excema and intial tincture prescription included Siberian Skullcap at 20% with other things like Rumex, Urtica. Then when it became apparent some of his issue was anxiety, he had a precsciption of Scullaria b 20, Hypericum 25, Leonorus 15, Matricaria 20, and Eleutheracoccus 20. The excema cleared up.