Mad Dog Skullcap / Scutellaria lateriflora

Has anyone ever heard of a pink flowered Mad Dog skullcap? After 6 months of poking around the internet researching I swear I have a bunch of it growing in a wetland under an alder canopy around here. Mad Dog does grow around here. I haven't found a Scutellaria that it looks more like.

Anyway, does anyone have experience harvesting any Scutellaria's and using them medicinally? At what stage do you harvest them? Three or for weeks ago they where just popping up (I was pretty sure it was them at that point) Now they are about 6 inches tall with several layers of true leaf and I am sure of it. I'm interested in this plant.

From Wikipedia:

"The flavonoids 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"

I wonder what the ideal ratio of biomass harvest to potency is...

Experiences?

I wonder what the differences are between this and typical skullcap???

Steven, I believe that 'Mad Dog Skullcap' is the endemic medicinal skullcap for North America - what often referred to commonly just as 'skullcap' but this is also a generic terms for several medicinal Scutellaria species.

Wikipedia redirect from 'skullcap' mentions at least 2 medicinal varieties of North American and Chinese Origin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scutellaria

I have seed that I bought and it is for that mentioned in your title. No success germinating it so far.

Steven Feil wrote:I wonder what the differences are between this and typical skullcap???

Looks like it is the same, the one in my books has the same Latin name "Scutellaria lateriflora".

I have been wanting to order some.

There is also Baical skullcap (ROOT) "Scutellaria baicalensis"

Used in both Chinese and Japanese herbal
medicine, baical skullcap is a major remedy for
allergic and inflammatory states. In traditional
terms, it clears “hot and damp” conditions such
as fever and dysentery; in the West it is mainly
used to treat asthma, hay fever, and allergies

It grows in mud pits and swamps - like straight out of the water in soil that's like pudding - but submerged. Lots of shade too - mottled sun at best. That's how it grows wild anyway - might be worth keeping in mind if you are having trouble getting it to germinate for you.

Three things.

1) I'm going to have to go harvest more of this tomorrow. I'm feeling anxious because they are clear cutting at least an acre of the alder forest where my patches are.

2) I am now comfortable claiming success on transplanting a number of these. They have just survived a unusual hot, dry spell, and I am fairly certain that they will take for good at this point. One patch is under a shady northeast corner shaded by a deciduous tree in rich soil. The other is on the shady bottom N/E corner of a 4 foot and steep (the kinda Hugel depicted in the Paul Wheaton Article) In pure alder humus. Gets plenty of direct sun even in that deep shade spot of the hugel.

3) I'm not an herbalist, but the way this man presents his information I am inclined to respect his opinion as being a well informed one. He had me at 6.30 "I wanted to see what effect this plant had on me so I went out in the forest and ate 15 or so plants whole..."

http://www.bountifulgardens.org/Baikal-Skullcap/productinfo/HSK-8409/

Baikal Skullcap Scutellaria baicalensis

GROW BIOINTESIVE CULTURAL INFO: P /Zones 3-9 /Height 1-4'/Spacing 12"

DAYS TO MATURITY: 1 year

SEEDS PER PACKET: 100

SOURCE CODE: C

APPROX GERM DAYS: ~24

PLANTING DEPTH: 1/4" or less

WHEN TO PLANT: Spring

PACKET LABEL INSTRUCTIONS: Sow in flats, barely covered with soil. Keep moist but not wet until germination. When plants are 3" high, transplant to a sunny, well-drained spot. Plant 12" apart. Will need water to get established, but once mature, do not overwater as it will make less medicinally active. Harvest tops as blooming begins. If roots are desired, they should be dug in the fall of the plants second year.

BOTANICAL NAME: Scutellaria sp.

DESCRIPTION: This Asian skullcap has completely different uses from the North American variety. New research shows strong anti-viral activity, very active against flu viruses, hepatitis, and dysentery, as well as staph infections. Baikal Skullcap is emerging as one of the essential disease-fighting herbs. Important anti-allergy and immune-strengthening activity also. The root is dug in the second year. Easier to grow than comparable herbs such as goldenseal. Super cold-hardy but needs very good drainage. Lots of beautiful flowers--easy perennial.

http://www.bountifulgardens.org/Skullcap/productinfo/HSK-8410/

Skullcap Scutellaria lateriflora

Detailed Description

SECTION: Herbs, Skullcap,

North American rhizomatous perennial to 2’, with spires of pink-to-blue tubular flowers. Tolerates semi-shade. Sow in spring. Medicinal: Prized as the nerve tonic that has the “deepest” action on the nervous system, nourishing the nerves, and calming anxiety. Contains scutellarin, a sedative and antispasmodic.
when using 8" spacing in the bed.

(Select Cultural Info/Seed Codes in red top bar for more details about codes below)

EA CULTURE: P Zones 3-9/Spacing 8"

SEEDS PER PACKET: 100

SOURCE CODE: C

APPROX GERM DAYS: 14 days

PLANTING DEPTH: 1/4"

WHEN TO PLANT: Indoors early spring/ outdoors late spring

PACKET LABEL INSTRUCTIONS: Stratify seeds by planting outdoors in pots in fall or very early spring.(Or keep slightly moist seed in fridge 1-2 weeks before sowing) Requires soil that is fertile and continuously moist. Part shade lowers water need, but needs some sun. Hard to weed once established; keep seedlings well-weeded and mulch around established plants. Hardy zones 4-9. Blooms mid-to-late summer.

Steven, did you get your seeds to germinate?

I have some that I had in the fridge for a bit over 30 days and they are now in their LONG germination phase. I won't know for a couple of weeks yet. I have stuff popping up in the pot, but probably just "weeds".

Steven Feil wrote:I have some that I had in the fridge for a bit over 30 days and they are now in their LONG germination phase. I won't know for a couple of weeks yet. I have stuff popping up in the pot, but probably just "weeds".

I've grown it from seed. I think I just poked it into the dirt.

Patrick