Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) · Herb Profile

At a glance

Botanical name: Scutellaria lateriflora
Family: Lamiaceae
Part used: Aerial Parts
Taste: Bitter
Temperature: Cool
Moisture: Dry

No pre-1900 source found for this reading.

Safety at a glance

In pregnancy

Insufficient data; avoid

While breastfeeding

Limited data; moderate short-term use likely compatible; avoid high doses during breastfeeding.

For children

Used in children's nervine formulas; caution with dosing

Cautions

Ensure genuine S. lateriflora (adulteration with germander is hepatotoxic)

General contraindications

Insufficient safety data; avoid

Stewardship

Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) is cultivated; native to North America. Some commercial adulteration with Teucrium (germander — hepatotoxic) — source matters. Stewardship: the adulteration story of Skullcap teaches that identification is stewardship of the buyer's safety.

In the traditional record

Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) — used by the Cherokee for ceremonial and medicinal purposes; introduced into Eclectic practice in the late 18th century by Dr. Lawrence Van Derveer for hydrophobia and nervous excitability, and documented extensively in King's American Dispensatory as a premier nervine trophorestorative.

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Educational use

The Apothecary is educational and does not constitute medical advice. Nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a diagnosed condition.

On our sources

These entries draw on public-domain materia medica, most of it published before 1900, alongside a smaller number of modern reference works. Energetic qualities such as warming, cooling, drying and moistening are a traditional framework for describing how a plant behaves in the body, not a laboratory measurement. Where a period source states one, we cite it. Where none does, and for many North American herbs none exists, the value reflects modern herbal consensus rather than a historical text. When we cannot support a caution with real evidence, we say nothing rather than guess.