Kingdom Plantae Family Lamiaceae Scientific name Scutellaria barbata Rank Species | Order Lamiales Genus Scutellaria Higher classification Skullcap | |
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Similar Skullcap, Lamiaceae, Blue Skullcap, Hedyotis diffusa, Scutellaria indica | ||
Scutellaria barbata
Scutellaria barbata, the barbed skullcap, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to Asia.
It is a perennial herb generally reaching up to 35 centimeters tall, sometimes taller. The lightly toothed leaves are somewhat lance-shaped or triangular and up to about 3 centimeters long. The flowers are borne on pedicels that have tiny, sharp bracteoles. The purple-blue, lightly hairy flower corolla is roughly a centimeter long. The plant grows in moist and wet habitat, such as paddy fields.
As an herb used in traditional Chinese medicine it is known as Ban Zhi Lian (Chinese: 半枝莲; pinyin: bànzhīlián). It has been tested in clinical trials for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. Extracts induced apoptosis in prostate cancer cells in laboratory studies. The plant is used as an herbal remedy for inflammation and traumatic injury.
