''Scutellaria lateriflora'', (commonly "blue skullcap", "mad dog skullcap",''Scutellaria lateriflora''.
NatureServe. 2012., "American skullcap", "side-flowering skullcap", etc.) is a hardy perennial

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

of the mint family,

Lamiaceae The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a 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, mint, rosemary, sage, savory ...

, native to North America. It has an upright habit, growing in maximum height.Jepson Manual Treatment
/ref>Washington Burke Museum
/ref> It is a wetland-loving species and grows near marshes, meadows, and another wet habitat. The blue flowers are just under long. Most of the flowers do not appear at the top of the main stem but are produced along the length of side branches that grow from the leaf axils. Other skullcaps ('' Scutellaria'') species include common skullcap (''S. galericulata''), western skullcap (''S. canescens''), and southern skullcap (''S. cordifolia'').

Phytochemicals

The principal

phytochemical Phytochemicals are chemical compounds produced by plants, generally to help them resist fungi, bacteria and plant virus infections, and also consumption by insects and other animals. The name comes . Some phytochemicals have been used as poisons ...

s are polyphenols in the leaves, stems, and roots of some ''Scutellaria'' species, including

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 late ...

, baicalein,

wogonin Wogonin is an O-methylated flavone, a flavonoid-like chemical compound which is found in '' Scutellaria baicalensis''. The glycosides of wogonin are known as wogonosides. For example, oroxindin is a wogonin glucuronide isolated from ''Oroxylu ...

, and

oroxylin A Oroxylin A is an O-methylated flavone, a chemical compound that can be found in the medicinal plants ''Scutellaria baicalensis'' and ''Scutellaria lateriflora'', and the ''Oroxylum indicum'' tree. It has demonstrated activity as a dopamine reuptak ...

. Other constituents include lateriflorin,

melatonin Melatonin is a natural product found in plants and animals. It is primarily known in animals as a hormone released by the pineal gland in the brain at night, and has long been associated with control of the sleep–wake cycle. In vertebrates ...

serotonin Serotonin () or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Its biological function is complex and multifaceted, modulating mood, cognition, reward, learning, memory, and numerous physiological processes such as vomiting and vas ...

, viscidulin III-2’-O-glucoside, Chyrin-6-C-ara-glc, trans-verbascoside, viscidulin, trans-martynoside, oroxylin A-7-O-glc, wogonoside,

chitin Chitin ( C8 H13 O5 N)n ( ) is a long-chain polymer of ''N''-acetylglucosamine, an amide derivative of glucose. Chitin is probably the second most abundant polysaccharide in nature (behind only cellulose); an estimated 1 billion tons of chit ...

, and

scutellarin Scutellarin is a flavone, a type of phenolic chemical compound. It can be found in the plants '' Scutellaria barbata'' and '' S. lateriflora'' which have been used in traditional medicine''.'' The determination of the structure of scutellarin took ...

. ''Scutellaria lateriflora'' contains

flavonoid Flavonoids (or bioflavonoids; from the Latin word ''flavus'', meaning yellow, their color in nature) are a class of polyphenolic secondary metabolites found in plants, and thus commonly consumed in the diets of humans. Chemically, flavonoids ...

s. One study identified 5,6,7-trihydroxy-2'- methoxyflavone and its 7-''O''-glucuronide.

Scutellarin Scutellarin is a flavone, a type of phenolic chemical compound. It can be found in the plants '' Scutellaria barbata'' and '' S. lateriflora'' which have been used in traditional medicine''.'' The determination of the structure of scutellarin took ...

is a flavone found in ''S. lateriflora'' and ''S. barbata''. It is transformed by hydrolysis into

scutellarein Scutellarein is a flavone that can be found in '' Scutellaria lateriflora'' and other members of the genus '' Scutellaria'', as well as the fern '' Asplenium belangeri''. Glycosides The scutellarin Scutellarin is a flavone, a type of phenolic ...

. Genkwanin, hesperetin, quercetin, rutin, naringenin,

chrysin Chrysin, also called 5,7-dihydroxyflavone, is a flavone found in honey, propolis, the passion flowers, ''Passiflora caerulea'' and ''Passiflora incarnata'', and in ''Oroxylum indicum''. It is extracted from various plants, such as the blue passion ...

, and daidzein are the flavonoids found in ''S. lateriflora.'' The flavonoids are readily extracted using hot water. The oil from ''S. lateriflora'' contains τ- cadinene, calamenene, β-elemene,

α-cubebene Cubebenes are a pair of chemical compounds, classified as sesquiterpenes, first isolated from '' Piper cubeba'' berries, known as cubebs. The volatile oil from the distillation of cubebs is a pale green or blue-yellow viscous liquid with a wa ...

, and

α-humulene Humulene, also known as α-humulene or α-caryophyllene, is a naturally occurring monocyclic sesquiterpene (C15H24), containing an 11-membered ring and consisting of 3 isoprene units containing three nonconjugated C=C double bonds, two of them be ...

Traditional uses and research

Its extracts are used in

herbal medicine Herbal medicine (also herbalism) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. With worldwide research into pharmacology, some herbal medicines have been translated into modern remed ...

intended as a mild

sedative A sedative or tranquilliser is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement. They are CNS depressants and interact with brain activity causing its deceleration. Various kinds of sedatives can be distinguished, but t ...

and sleep promoter. Cherokee women have used it as an emmenagogue. In 1773, ''Scutellaria lateriflora'' became a common treatment in North America for the hysteria and hydrophobia caused by rabies.''Scutellaria lateriflora''.
Southern Cross Plant Science. Southern Cross University. Skullcap products have been analyzed, with some adulterated by ''

Teucrium canadense ''Teucrium canadense'', commonly known as Canada germander, American germander, or wood sage, is a perennial herb in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to North America where it is found across the contiguous states of the United States and in m ...

'' or ''T. chamaedrys'', also known as germander, which contains potentially

hepatotoxic Hepatotoxicity (from ''hepatic toxicity'') implies chemical-driven liver damage. Drug-induced liver injury is a cause of acute and chronic liver disease caused specifically by medications and the most common reason for a drug to be withdrawn f ...

diterpenes.

References

External links

Connecticut Botanical Society: ''Scutellaria lateriflora''

Plants For A Future: ''Scutellaria lateriflora''

USDA Plants Profile: ''Scutellaria lateriflora''

Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2701473 lateriflora Herbs Flora of Canada Flora of the United States Medicinal plants Plants described in 1753 GABAA receptor positive allosteric modulators Dopamine reuptake inhibitors Anxiolytics Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus

Phytochemicals

Traditional uses and research

See also

References

External links