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Essay On Skullcap

1164 Words5 Pages

Having the opportunity to research the history, science, and uses of skullcap, I now have a greater understanding of its' significance. A relative of the mint family, skullcap is a smaller plant that ranges in height from one to four feet. The botanical name is lateriflora, meaning flowers only grow on one side of the stem. Depending on the season, flowers bud with colors varying from a white-blue to purple-pink. The petals of the flowers have a shape similar to that of medieval helmets, giving thus, its common name skullcap.

For centuries, skullcap has been considered sacred in many different cultures. The females of Native American tribes, for example, use this plant not only for maintaining good reproductive health but also for important …show more content…

The first to credit skullcap's amazing ability to be a nerve tonic was physiomedicalists of a 19th-century Anglo-American school of herbal medicine. They noticed that the results yielded were far better than any other herb had to offer at that time. Due to the powerful nature of this plant, physiomedicalists even treated serious conditions such as schizophrenia. Upon doing this research, I learned that while there are many different species of skullcap, the two most commonly used are; American Skullcap and Chinese Skullcap. American skullcap, having the scientific name of Scutellaria lateriflora, is used by many naturopaths and herbalists effectively as a sedative, nervine tonic and antispasmodic. A wide range of nervous conditions such as; anxiety, insomnia, depression, stress, convulsions, epilepsy, and more can all benefit from the use of skullcap. I first heard of skullcap at a health seminar from a naturopath, who claimed the sedative properties would help calm, if not stop the body convulsions I was struggling with at the time. Unfortunately, she never recommended which species to try. Luckily though, I had blindly ordered the right species online, being American skullcap, to help aid my body in calming down. It's to bad I hadn't done this research paper

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