Reply To: Materia Medica
Hi Cindy! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the program so far. An evening tea with skullcap is the best! What a special treat to be able to harvest it and infuse it fresh. That combination sounds amazing.
I’ve never heard about any uses for the aerial parts of Scutellaria baicalensis. I wasn’t able to find any credible research pointing to its uses as herbal medicine. However, you could use it as a green mulch in your garden.
In terms of overwintering the plant, you could transplant it into a pot and bring it indoors or into a greenhouse until the spring. It may also survive on its own in the garden. The tops will die back but it could return in the spring. I found this website about the herb. This is for Ontario but it does say that it is freeze-tolerant. http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/CropOp/en/herbs/medicinal/skub.html
I hope this helps!