Skullcap herb - organic - cut and sifted

Skullcap is a flowering perennial plant native to North America. The name skullcap refers to the flower’s resemblance to helmets worn by European soldiers.

Skullcap is a Native American plant, the dried leaves and stems of which are used as an herbal medication and in teas to treat anxiety, stress and insomnia.

The plant has been used for centuries as a mild sedative and sleep promoter. Native Americans, especially Cherokee women, have used it as an emmenagogue. It is used to treat menstrual disorders, nervousness and nervous disorders (including hysteria, nervous tension, epilepsy and chorea). It is also used to treat digestive and kidney problems.

It is now used largely as a sedative and sleeping pill, often in combination with other herbs such as valerian. Skullcap extracts are prepared from the aerial parts of the Scutellaria lateriflora plant and contain large amounts of flavonoids, including scutellarin and baicalin, which are believed to be the active components accounting for its sedative and antispasmodic activity. It is thought that the flavonoid compounds may act as gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) agonists similar to the benzodiazepines.

The plant contains flavonoids, which are found throughout the plant but are more concentrated in the leaves, and the concentrations are found to decrease slightly as the plant matures. The dried leaf is reported to contain about 50 milligrams of flavonoid per gram. The flavonoids are readily extracted using hot water.