Rank Species | Genus Scutellaria Higher classification Skullcap | |
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Similar Coptis chinensis, Skullcap, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Pinellia ternata, Female ginseng | ||
Huang qin scutellaria baicalensis chinese meds com
Scutellaria baicalensis (or Baikal skullcap, as opposed to Scutellaria lateriflora, a skullcap native to North America) is a species of flowering plant in the Lamiaceae family.
Contents
- Huang qin scutellaria baicalensis chinese meds com
- Distribution
- Traditional Chinese medicine
- Pharmacology
- Name confusion
- References
Distribution
The plant is cultivated in Siberia, Mongolia, the Russian Far East, China and Korea.
Traditional Chinese medicine
It is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it has the name huáng cen (Chinese: 黄芩). As a Chinese traditional medicine, huang qin usually refers to the dried root of S. baicalensis Georgi, S. viscidula Bge., S. amoena C.H. Wright, and S. ikoninkovii Ju.
Pharmacology
Several chemical compounds have been isolated from the root; baicalein, baicalin, wogonin, norwogonin, oroxylin A and β-sitosterol are the major ones.
Name confusion
It is important to use the Latin name, as the term skullcap is used for over 200 varieties, and various ailments, each with varying degrees of effectiveness. Sometimes, Scutellaria lateriflora (North American skullcap) is mistaken for S. baicalensis. This confusion can result in the intake of the S. lateriflora variety which can be processed and contaminated with other plants at high enough levels to be of concern.
