Baikal skullcap (Chinese Skullcap)
Baikal skullcap (scientific name Scutellaria baicalensis) is a plant. The root is used to make medicine. Common substitutions for Baikal skullcap in Chinese medicine include related plants whose scientific names are Scutellaria viscidula, Scutellaria amonea, and Scutellaria ikoninikovii.
Contents
Benefits
- Inflammation of small air passages in the lung (bronchiolitis) and other lung infections.
- Arthritis: Some research shows that a specific commercial product (Limbrel, Primus Pharmaceuticals) that contains a combination of chemicals from Baikal skullcap and catechu, also known as flavocoxid, might help for arthritis in the knee.
- Psoriasis: There is one report that an ointment containing Baikal skullcap plus phellodendron and isatis improved psoriasis in an 8-year-old boy.
- Kidney, stomach, and pelvic infections.
- Hay fever.
- Seizures.
- HIV/AIDS.
- Nervous tension.
- Hemorrhoids.
- Prostate cancer.
- Hepatitis.
- Sores or swelling.
- Fever.
- Headache.
- Red eyes.
- Flushed face.
- Bitter taste in the mouth.
- Gastrointestinal (GI) infections
- Liver problems including viral hepatitis and jaundice.
- The active ingredient in Baikal skullcap, baicalin, is used in combination with shung hua (ephedra) to treat upper respiratory tract infections. In combination with other herbs, Baikal skullcap is used to treat attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), prostate cancer, a lung condition called bronchiolitis, arthritis, and hemorrhoids.
- Baikal skullcap is also sometimes applied to the skin for psoriasis.
- It is thought that the active chemicals in Baikal skullcap might be able to decrease inflammation, stop tumor growth, and prevent tumor cell reproduction.
Other Names
Baikal Scullcap, Baikal Skullcap Root, Chinese Skullcap, Escutelaria Asiatica, Huang Qin, Huangquin, Hwanggum, Ogon, Ou-gon, Racine de Scutellaire du Lac Baïkal, Radix Scutellariae, Scullcap, Scute, Scutellaire, Scutellaire Chinoise, Scutellaire du Lac Baïkal, Scutellaria, Scutellaria baicalensis, Scutellaria macrantha, Scutellariae Radix, Skullcap, Wogon.
References
Source: WebMD, “Baikal Skullcap”, www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/