Herbal KnowledgeFeb 2, 2022

How Skullcap Helps Us Create Peace of Mind From Seed to Shelf

Have you ever heard of Skullcap? It is traditionally used to support, restore and tone the nervous system.* While Skullcap is a member of the Mint (Lamiaceae) family, Skullcap isn’t as well-known as many of its relatives, like Lavender, Thyme, Sage, Rosemary and Peppermint.

Unlike many other Mint family members, Skullcap isn’t particularly aromatic. Known by the botanical name Scutellaria lateriflora, Skullcap is actually bitter and vegetal in flavor. It features small pale purple to violet flowers that grow in pairs along one side of the stem, and it can reach about 2½ feet tall.

Skullcap is known as a traditional relaxing herb to calm your mind.* It also helps us create peace of mind for those who buy our products. Here’s how: Skullcap is among the 65 different crop species we grow on our Certified Organic farms in southern Oregon. We put our farm-grown Skullcap in our Good Mood™, Nervous System Tonic™, Muscle Calmer™, PMS Comfort™ and Brain & Memory™ formulas, and we also offer Skullcap tincture and alcohol-free glycerite.

When we extract Skullcap, we always use fresh (not dried) Certified Organic Scutellaria lateriflora plants. We harvest the plants when their delicate flowers are in full bloom every summer, then promptly extract them in small batches while they are still fresh and succulent.

But, even though we’ve grown the Skullcap ourselves, tending it from seed to sprout to full flowering herb, it still gets validated by our laboratory before extraction. We assure the identity of every herb we use — whether we grow it on our farms or source it from a trusted partner. We use both macroscopic and organoleptic analysis; in other words, we use our expertise as herbalists and scientists to check its appearance, scent and other distinguishing characteristics. Then, we confirm it using methods like high-performance thin-layer chromatography. This basically “fingerprints” the herb and compares it to a standard that’s specific to each herb.

Only after we confirm its identity does Skullcap, or any herb, enter our processing facility for extraction. It’s how we create peace of mind from seed to shelf.

We know you’re counting on us to get it right, every time. You can rest assured knowing that anytime you take one of our high-quality herbal products, what is listed on the label is what’s inside your bottle — it’s that simple.