''Scutellaria baicalensis'', with the common name Baikal skullcap or Chinese skullcap, is a species of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...
in the family
Lamiaceae
The Lamiaceae ( )
or Labiatae are a family (biology), family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle, or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil (herb), ba ...
.
Distribution
The plant is native to
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
,
Korea
Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...
,
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...
, and Russia in the
Russian Far East
The Russian Far East ( rus, Дальний Восток России, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in North Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asia, Asian continent, and is coextensive with the Far Easte ...
and
Siberia
Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...
.
Traditional Chinese medicine
It is one of the
50 fundamental herbs used in
traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence ...
, where it has the name ''huángqín'' (). As a Chinese traditional medicine, ''huang qin'' usually refers to the dried root of ''S. baicalensis'' Georgi, ''S. viscidula'' Bge., ''S. amoena'' C.H. Wright, and ''S. ikoninkovii'' Ju.
Phytochemicals
Several
phytochemical
Phytochemicals are naturally-occurring chemicals present in or extracted from plants. Some phytochemicals are nutrients for the plant, while others are metabolites produced to enhance plant survivability and reproduction.
The fields of ext ...
s have been isolated from the root;
baicalein
Baicalein (5,6,7-trihydroxyflavone) is a flavone, a type of flavonoid, originally isolated from the roots of '' Scutellaria baicalensis'' and '' Scutellaria lateriflora''. It is also a constituent of '' Oroxylum indicum'' (Indian trumpetflower) ...
,
baicalin
As baicalin is a flavone glycoside, it is a flavonoid. It is the glucuronide of baicalein.
Natural occurrences
Baicalin is found in several species in the genus ''Scutellaria'', including ''Scutellaria baicalensis'', and ''Scutellaria laterifl ...
,
wogonin,
norwogonin,
oroxylin A and
β-sitosterol are the major ones.
Names
As the term 'skullcap' is applied to over 200 plant varieties, the scientific name is used. Sometimes, ''
Scutellaria lateriflora
''Scutellaria lateriflora'', (commonly "blue skullcap", "mad dog skullcap",[liver injury
A liver injury, also known as liver laceration, is some form of trauma (medicine), trauma sustained to the liver. This can occur through either a blunt trauma, blunt force such as a car accident, or a penetrating trauma, penetrating foreign objec ...]
with
jaundice
Jaundice, also known as icterus, is a yellowish or, less frequently, greenish pigmentation of the skin and sclera due to high bilirubin levels. Jaundice in adults is typically a sign indicating the presence of underlying diseases involving ...
arising 1 to 3 months after starting herbal or
dietary supplement
A dietary supplement is a manufactured product intended to supplement a person's diet by taking a pill (pharmacy), pill, capsule (pharmacy), capsule, tablet (pharmacy), tablet, powder, or liquid. A supplement can provide nutrients eithe ...
s containing ''S. baicalensis''.
See also
* ''
Piper methysticum
Kava or kava kava (''Piper methysticum'': Latin 'pepper' and Latinized Greek 'intoxicating') is a plant in the pepper family, native to the Pacific Islands. The name ''kava'' is from Tongan and Marquesan, meaning 'bitter'. Kava can refer to ...
'' (kava), another anxiolytic
GABAergic
In molecular biology and physiology, something is GABAergic or GABAnergic if it pertains to or affects the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). For example, a synapse is GABAergic if it uses GABA as its neurotransmitter, and a GABAergic ...
plant
* ''
Valeriana officinalis'' (
valerian), a sedative GABAergic plant
References
External links
''Scutellaria baicalensis'' List of Chemicals (Dr. Duke's Databases)''Scutellaria baicalensis'' (Plants for a Future)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q803769
baicalensis
Flora of China
Flora of Korea
Flora of Mongolia
Flora of the Russian Far East
Flora of Siberia
Medicinal plants of Asia
Plants used in traditional Chinese medicine
Anxiolytics
Dopamine reuptake inhibitors
GABAA receptor positive allosteric modulators