Southern Showy Skullcap (Scutellaria pseudoserrata)

This wildflower is a member of the Mint Family (Lamiaceae).

The skullcap (scullcap) is a North American perennial. It grows in wet places in Canada and the northern and the eastern United States. Its generic name is derived from the Latin scutella (little dish), from the lid of the calyx. The fibrous, yellow root system supports a branching stem 30 to 90 cm tall, with opposite, ovate, and serrate leaves. The root is a short creeper which supports hairy, square, and branched stems from 15 to 45 cm tall, or in small plants, nearly simple, with opposite leaves, heart-shaped at the base, 1 to 6 cm long with scalloped or toothed margins. The blue to lavender flowers are in racemes and grow from the leaf axils. The flowers are tube shaped, hooded, with two lips, the upper lip being the hood and the lower lip having two shallow lobes. Flowering generally occurs from May to August. Above ground plant parts are collected during summer around bloom time, dried in shade and stored for later use as medicinal herb. Skullcaps are now becoming popular in southern gardens owing to their drought tolerance as well as bright and showy blooms.


Skullcap is a powerful medicinal herb and it is used in alternative medicine as an anti-inflammatory, abortifacient, antispasmodic, slightly astringent, emmenagogue, febrifuge, nervine, sedative, and a strong tonic. Skullcap is also utilized in treating a wide range of nervous conditions including epilepsy, insomnia, hysteria, anxiety, delerium tremens, and withdrawal from barbiturates and tranquilizers. A medicinal infusion of this plant is used to promote menstruation. It should not be given to a pregnant woman since it can induce miscarriage. Scutellaria infusion is also used for treating neuralgia, headaches in general as well as those arising from incessant coughing, without any unpleasant side effects. Normally, it should be used with extra caution since an overdose of this medicinal herb can cause giddiness, stupor, confusion, and twitching.


Skullcap is well known among the Cherokee and other Native American tribes, as a strong emmenagogue and medicinal herb for females. It is used in some tribes as a ceremonial plant to induct young girls into womanhood. Native Americans used skullcap to promote menstruation, and it was reputed to be effective against rabies, hence some of its common names. Cherokee women use skullcap to maintain healthy menstrual cycles, and a root decoction is taken after the birth of a child to stimulate the reproductive system. Skullcap is also used in purification ceremonies if menstrual taboos are broken. The Iroquois use an infusion of the root to keep the throat clear. Other Native American tribes use closely related species as bitter tonics for the kidneys. The herb is used to induce visions and as a ceremonial plant to be smoked as tobacco by some Native Indians.