Papaya - a world class meat tenderizer, natural digestive aid, prevents ulcers, and also a soft contact lense cleaner.
The remembrance of these astounding folk discoveries... should sober our thoughts when we criticise too freely the old pharmacopoeias. It is easy to make fun of medieval recipes: it is more difficult and may be wiser to investigate them. Instead of assuming that the medieval pharmacist was a benighted foot we might wonder whether there was not sometimes a justification for his strange procedure. -- George Sartori, Harvard Professor and Author
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Green Papaya's home remedies are meant for temporary relief and first aid measures; for the average person without any special needs or uncommon or compounding medical conditions. Green Papaya's advice, regardless of the situation, IS NOT a replacement for professional care and consultation. Please consultant with your family doctor or any emergency service immediately.
Also known as: Skullcap, Virginia Skullcap, Quaker Bonnet, Hoodwort, Helmet Flower, Mad Dog Weed
Parts used: Leaves
For an herb reputed to calm people down, skullcap has caused considerable controversy. One respected herbalist calls this blue-flowered North American native “perhaps the most widely relevant tranquilizer” in medicine. But skeptics dismiss it as “nearly worthless and essentially inactive.”
The truth is, skullcap’s traditional use as a tranquilizer may have some merit.
Mad Dog Weed
For centuries, Chinese physicians have used Asian skullcap (S. baikalensis) as a tranquilizer/sedative and treatment for convulsions.
Skullcap was first brought to the attention of physicians in the West in 1772 as a cure for rabies. A New England physician claimed that his experiments proved the herb prevented and cured the much dreaded “hydrophobia.” Over the next hundred years, herbalists used skullcap as a digestive aid and tranquilizer.
America’s 19th-century Eclectic physicians recommended the herb primarily as a tranquilizer/sedative for insomnia and nervousness, and for treatment of “intermittent fever” (malaria), convulsions, and delirium tremens of advanced alcoholism.
Skullcap entered the U.S. Pharmacopoeia in 1863 as a tranquilizer. It remained there until 1916, when it moved to the National Formulary, the pharmacists’ reference, where it remained until 1947.
Contemporary herbalists recommend skullcap as a tranquilizer for insomnia, nervous tension, premenstrual syndrome, and drug and alcohol withdrawal. Some say it treats fever and convulsions.
American scientists are almost unanimous in their condemnation of skullcap. They’ve never gotten over those old, mistaken claims that it treats rabies. The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) current official assessment echoes the 1943 edition of The Dispensatory of the United States, which stated: “Skullcap is as destitute of medicinal properties as a plant may be. When taken internally it produces no obvious effects and probably is of no remedial value.”
Tranquilizer - Sedative. Of course, 1943 was a long time ago.
Since then, some European and Russian researchers have lent support to skullcap’s traditional use as a tranquilizer. European medical experts now accept skullcap’s potential usefulness as a tranquilizer and sedative, and it is used in many commercial sleep preparations that are widely available in Europe.
Intriguing Possibility - Two Japanese animal studies showed skullcap increases levels of “good” cholesterol (high-density lipoproteins or HDLs). As HDLs increase, the risk of heart attack decreases. These findings suggest the herb may potentially help prevent human heart disease and some strokes.
Chinese physicians claim to have treated hepatitis successfully with the herb. It’s too early to tout skullcap for this potentially serious liver disease, but the herb deserves further research.
Rx for Skullcap
For a tranquilizing infusion, use 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried herb per cup of boiling water. Steep 10 to 15 minutes. Drink up to three times a day. Skullcap tastes bitter; adding honey, sugar, and lemon or mixing it with an herbal beverage blend will improve flavor.
Skullcap should not be given to children under age 2. For older children and people over 65, start with low-strength preparations and increase strength if necessary.
There are no reports of toxicity from skullcap infusions, but large amounts of the tincture can cause confusion, giddiness, twitching, and possibly convulsions.
The FDA lists skullcap as an herb of “undefined safety.” For otherwise healthy non-pregnant, non-nursing adults, skullcap is considered relatively safe in amounts typically recommended.
Skullcap should be used in medicinal amounts only in consultation with your doctor. If skullcap causes minor discomforts, such as stomach upset or diarrhea, use less or stop using it. Let your doctor know if you experience unpleasant effects or if the symptoms for which the herb is being used do not improve significantly in two weeks.
Sedatives from the Garden
Many skullcap species grow in Europe, but the American herb is the one used in herbal Healing. It’s sometimes called Virginia skullcap, but it grows all over the United States and southern Canada.
Skullcap is a slender, 2-foot, branching, square-stemmed perennial with opposite, serrated leaves. The flowers have two lips. The upper lip includes an elongated caplike appendage, which is the source of most of the herb’s popular names.
Skullcap may be propagated by seeds or root divisions planted in early spring. Thin seedlings to 6-inch spacing. Skullcap grows in any well-drained soil under full sun and requires little care. Although it is a perennial, skullcap rarely lives longer than three years.
Papaya - a world class meat tenderizer, natural digestive aid, prevents ulcers, and also a soft contact lense cleaner.
All-American Tranquilizer
American scientists are almost unanimous in their condemnation of skullcap. They’ve never gotten over those old, mistaken claims that it treats rabies. The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) current official assessment echoes the 1943 edition of The Dispensatory of the United States, which stated: “Skullcap is as destitute of medicinal properties as a plant may be. When taken internally it produces no obvious effects and probably is of no remedial value.”
There are no reports of toxicity from skullcap infusions, but large amounts of the tincture can cause confusion, giddiness, twitching, and possibly convulsions.