Herbal Spotlight
Scutellaria baicalensis
Huang Qin
Baikal Skullcap
Scutellaria baicalensis, photo courtesy of Robyn Klein
This member of the mint family has at least 300 species in the same genus. This species has been used in China for at least 2,000 years (Foster and Chongxi, 34).
Scutellaria baicalensis is a perennial that grows 1½ feet tall by 2 feet wide. Leaves are opposite, lance shaped to linear ½ - 1 ½ inch long with many branches that terminate in purple-blue flowers. It flowers from July-August. Scutellaria baicalensis likes high, dry, sandy mountain soils in northeast China and north of the Yangtze River. Major production includes the provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Heibei, Nei Mongol, and Shanxi.
Scutellaria baicalensis prefers full sun, is drought tolerant and hardy. It must have good soil drainage. It is hardy in USDA zones 4 to at least 9. They do not tolerate saline conditions well. Do not overwater. Germination occurs in 15-20 days. 2 and 3 year old plants can be used for seed collection.
Roots can be dug in Spring or Autumn, Spring preferred. Harvest plants 3-4 years of age. Root is dried in partial sunshine until ½ dry, then root bark scraped off or after ½ dried it can be sliced thinly and fully dried.
Herbal Uses
As an herbal medicine it is considered bitter and cold. It enters the gallbladder, large intestine, lung and stomach channels. It purges fire and expels damp heat, especially from the upper burner (Bensky, 75). It clears heat and stops bleeding. It clears heat and calms the fetus when the fetus moves recklessly (Bensky, 76). Huang Qin has been shown to lower blood pressure with no reported side-effects. It has shown great effectiveness in the treatment of chronic hepatitis (Foster and Chongxi, 36).
Sources
Foster, Steven and Chongxi, Yue. Herbal Emissaries. 1992. Healing Arts Press. Rochester, VT.
Bensky, Dan and Gamble, Andrew. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica. 1986. Eastland Press. Seattle, WA.
Shafer, Peg. The Chinese Medicinal Herb Farm. 2011. Chelsea Green Publishing. White River Junction, VT.
Photo courtesy of Robyn Klein