Skullcap

Scutellaria lateriflora · American skullcap

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Sleep quality¹ Mood² Anxiety in healthy volunteers^{2, 3} Gingivitis⁴	Pregnancy or breastfeeding⁵ Alcohol or sedatives⁵

Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora, American skullcap) is a plant traditionally used by Native Americans and Europeans as a nerve tonic and sedative, and its predominant constituents are flavonoids⁶. That calming use underlies its current role in stress and anxiety and in sleep. The cited trial studied adults aged 18 to 70 with mild to moderate primary insomnia¹. A chewing gum combining skullcap and Cistus extracts has also been tested for gingivitis.

Human research is limited to about four small trials, covering mood and anxiety in healthy volunteers, sleep in primary insomnia, and gingivitis. A 2023 case report described autoimmune hepatitis after a skullcap supplement, which improved on stopping; no controlled study has tested how often this occurs. Many products listing skullcap are on the market in the United States, mostly liquid tinctures and some capsules; see Form comparison.

LiverTox rates skullcap a very likely but rare cause of clinically apparent liver injury, with cases confounded by multi-herb products⁷. Adulteration with germander, a hepatotoxic plant, has also been documented in skullcap products⁸. Health Canada lists a caution against combining skullcap with alcohol or other sedatives⁵.

Last updated October 17, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

36 sources, 19 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources