Latin Name
Scutellaria lateriflora

General Description
The leaves and blue flowers of this 2-foot-tall perennial are used as an ingredient in many over-the-counter herbal sleep remedies. Some researchers, especially in Europe and Asia, report that skullcap contains chemicals that calm the nervous system. Chinese medicine physicians believe that skullcap is effective for treating hepatitis, a serious liver disease. In the United States, however, skullcap is considered controversial and even useless by many medical authorities, at least partly because of its early — and unearned — reputation for curing rabies, for which it garnered the now archaic name of mad dog weed. Its current name comes from an elongated, caplike appendage on the upper lip of the flower.

Target Ailments
Taken internally for:

• Nervous tension, headaches and muscle aches caused by tension, insomnia, convulsions and drug or alcohol withdrawal.
  
• Symptoms of premenstrual syndrome aggravated or caused by stress.

Preparations
Over the counter:
Available as prepared tea, tinctures, dried leaves and capsules.

At home:
Tea: A cup of boiling water poured over 2 tsp. dried leaves and steeped for 10 to 15 minutes.
Tincture: 1/2 to 1 tsp. taken per 8-oz. glass of warm water.

Special Information

• WARNING: Skullcap may cause drowsiness. Do not operate a car or heavy machinery after taking it.
  
• WARNING: Large amounts of the tincture may cause confusion, giddiness, twitching and, possibly, convulsions.
  
• Use skullcap in medicinal amounts only under professional supervision.
  
• Two Japanese animal studies showed that skullcap increases levels of the "good" kind of cholesterol, raising the possibility that skullcap may one day be useful in preventing heart disease and strokes.