Baikal skullcap
Baikal skullcap, Scutellaria baicalensis, is a plant of the mint family whose root is used in traditional Chinese medicine. It contains flavonoids such as baicalin.
Also listed as Skullcap, Huang Qin, Scutellariae Radix, Goldenroot
What has been tested in people?
In a randomized trial, people with type 2 diabetes received skullcap or placebo alongside metformin, then switched treatments after a washout period. The study used 3.52 g daily for eight weeks per treatment. The authors reported improved glucose tolerance, lower activity of the gene for the inflammatory messenger TNF-α and changes in gut bacteria. Some participants developed elevated liver enzymes. 1
The preliminary finding concerns an addition to metformin, not skullcap alone or diabetes prevention. 1
Microbial changes were measured, but do not establish broad digestive benefits. 1
Why are inflammation and liver metabolism being studied?
In mice fed a high-fat, high-fructose diet, skullcap plus metformin improved metabolic markers and reduced liver fat accumulation. This provides a research rationale for the gut-liver connection, but cannot show that a human supplement protects the liver. 2
A human marker result and animal findings warrant investigation, not a general anti-inflammatory treatment claim. 1 2
The favorable liver findings described here are from mice; human safety signals require separate attention. 1 2
Questions outside this review
Anxiety, chronic stress, mental energy, immune support and skin inflammation are not assessed here.
Effects by health goal
Open an effect to see the studies behind its rating. Bars show the size of the effect; the letter grades the evidence.
Organ Function1 effect
No study is linked to this rating.
Immune Support1 effect
No study is linked to this rating.
Longevity1 effect
No study is linked to this rating.
Stress & Mood2 effects
No study is linked to this rating.
Gut Health1 effect
No study is linked to this rating.
Weight Management1 effect
No study is linked to this rating.
Cognition1 effect
No study is linked to this rating.
Hair & Skin1 effect
No study is linked to this rating.
Other effects1 effect
No study is linked to this rating.
Sources
- Combined effects of Scutellaria baicalensis with metformin on glucose tolerance of patients with type 2 diabetes via gut microbiota modulation American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2020
- Combination of Scutellaria baicalensis and Metformin Ameliorates Diet-Induced Metabolic Dysregulation in Mice via the Gut-Liver-Brain Axis American Journal of Chinese Medicine, 2020