Scutellaria lateriflora.   Scullcap, Hoodwort, Helmet flower, Quaker bonnet   Family: Labiatae
PART USED: Aerial parts. Gathered during the late flowering period.
TASTE: Bitter ODOR: Slight
ACTIONS
GROUP: The Musculo-Skeletal System- Antispasmodics
1. Antispasmodic.[2,5]
2. Anticonvulsive.[1,2,5] Nervine.[5]
3. Sedative.[1,2,5]
INDICATIONS
1. Convulsive disorders including St Vitus' Dance. Delirium tremens. Epilepsy,[1,2] and especially grand-mal epilepsy.[1,2]  Headaches including migraines and tension headaches. Fearfulness- with mental confusion and inability to concentrate. Neuralgias. Chorea.[1] Hysteria.[1,5] Nervous tension states.[1,5] Rabies.
2. Dysmenorrhea. "Undue sexual desire”
3. Nervous heart conditions.
4. Rheumatic conditions.
5. Urinary incontinence.
SPECIFIC INDICATIONS: Grand mal.[1]
COMBINATIONS
- Nervous states, use with Hops and Passionflower.
PREPARATIONS:  3X /day
Dried herb  1-2 g,[1,2,5] or by infusion 1:20.[1,2]
Fluid extract  1:1 in 25% alcohol  2-4 ml.[1,2,5] 45% alcohol (Mediherb-S. baicalensis as well). 30% alcohol.
Fluid extract- leaf 1:1 45% alcohol.[4]
Tincture  1:5 in 45% alcohol  1-2 ml.[1,2]
MANUFACTURING: Tends to stick to percolating tubes.

ORIGIN: North America.
DESCRIPTION: Leaves opposite, cordate-lanceolat3e, shortly stalked with a tapering apex. Flowers blue, with a helmet-shaped upper lip, in axillary racemes. Hydridization with other species readily occurs and substitution may occur in commerce.
References
Inner Path can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Constituents
Research

American Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora): a randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study of its effects on mood in healthy volunteers.
Brock C, Whitehouse J, Tewfik I, Towell T.
Abstract
Scutellaria lateriflora, a traditional herbal remedy for stress and anxiety, was tested on human volunteers for its effects on mood. In a placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover study, 43 healthy participants were randomised to a sequence of three times daily S. lateriflora (350 mg) or placebo, each over two weeks. In this relatively non-anxious population (81% were mildly anxious or less, i.e. Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) scores=15), there was no significant difference between skullcap and placebo with BAI (p=0.191). However, there was a significant group effect (p=0.049), suggesting a carryover effect of skullcap. For Total Mood Disturbance measured by the Profile of Mood States, there was a highly significant (p=<0.001) decrease from pre-test scores with skullcap but not placebo (p=0.072). The limitations of carryover effect, generally low anxiety scores and differences in anxiety levels between groups at baseline (p=0.022), may have reduced the chances of statistical significance in this study. However, as S. lateriflora significantly enhanced global mood without a reduction in energy or cognition, further study assessing its putative anxiolytic effects in notably anxious subjects with co-morbid depression is warranted.
PMID: 23878109 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.5044   Phytother Res. 2014 May;28(5):692-8. doi: 10.1002/ptr.5044. Epub 2013 Jul 22. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Phytochemical and biological analysis of skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora L.): a medicinal plant with anxiolytic properties.
Awad R, Arnason JT, Trudeau V, Bergeron C, Budzinski JW, Foster BC, Merali Z.
Abstract
The phytochemistry and biological activity of Scutellaria lateriflora L. (American skullcap) which has been traditionally used as a sedative and to treat various nervous disorders such as anxiety was studied. In vivo animal behaviour trials were performed to test anxiolytic effects in rats orally administered S. laterifolia extracts. Significant increases in the number of entries into the center of an "open-field arena"; number of unprotected head dips, number of entries and the length of time spent on the open arms of the Elevated Plus-Maze were found. The identification and quantification of the flavonoid, baicalin in a 50% EtOH extract (40 mg/g) and its aglycone baicalein in a 95% EtOH extract (33 mg/g), as well as the amino acids GABA in H2O and EtOH extracts (approximately 1.6 mg/g) and glutamine in a H2O extract (31 mg/g), was performed using HPLC. These compounds may play a role in anxiolytic activity since baicalin and baicalein are known to bind to the benzodiazepine site of the GABAA receptor and since GABA is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter.
PMID: 14692724 DOI: 10.1078/0944-7113-00374  Phytomedicine. 2003 Nov;10(8):640-9. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

An investigation into the efficacy of Scutellaria lateriflora in healthy volunteers.
Wolfson P, Hoffmann DL.
Abstract
Scutellaria lateriflora is an herbal medicine with long-standing traditional use as a relaxing nervine. There has been controversy in the literature with regards to its efficacy, and this study was designed to clarify its effectiveness in reducing anxiety, one of the phytotherapeutic indications. A double blind, placebo-controlled study of healthy subjects demonstrated noteworthy anxiolytic effects. The use of phytomedicines for the treatment of anxiety is reviewed, as is the published literature on S. lateriflora and its putative toxicity.
PMID: 12652886  Altern Ther Health Med. 2003 Mar-Apr;9(2):74-8. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Anti-oxidative and DNA protecting effects of flavonoids-rich Scutellaria lateriflora.
Lohani M, Ahuja M, Buabeid MA, Dean S, Dennis S, Suppiramaniam V, Kemppainen B, Dhanasekaran M.
Abstract
Scutellaria lateriflora (American skullcap), a native plant of North America, has been used by Americans and Europeans as a nerve tonic for more than 200 years. In vivo studies have shown anxiolytic activity ofS. lateriflora in animals and humans. However, the neuroprotective mechanisms ofS. lateriflora are not fully understood. Oxidative stress plays a vital role in the neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases such as anxiety, Alzheimer's disease, depression, and Parkinson's disease. Bioactive compounds present in various medicinal plants neutralize or scavenge toxic free radicals and thus suppress oxidative stress. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the antioxidant effects of S. lateriflora. The antioxidant potential of aqueous or ethanolic extracts of S. lateriflora was determined in mouse brain tissue using various biochemical assays. Protective effects of S. lateriflora against oxidative stress induced DNA fragmentation was determined using plasmid DNA. The ethanolic and aqueous extracts scavenged the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals. The ethanolic extract reduced tert-butyl peroxide-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxides in the mouse brain homogenates. Furthermore, the ethanolic extract of S. lateriflora protected hydrogen peroxide-UV induced cleavage of supercoiled plasmid DNA. In conclusion, S. lateriflora exhibited significant antioxidant effects. The current findings posit S. lateriflora as one of the potential experimental herbal drugs that should be screened for its therapeutic potential against various oxidative stress associated mental disorders.
Nat Prod Commun. 2013 Oct;8(10):1415-8. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov