Witnessed by: TCM
Barbed skullcap (Scutellaria barbata), of the Lamiaceae family. Small square-stemmed perennial herb of moist waste ground; native range: wet fields and ditches of central and southern China. Globally recognized as ban zhi lian (半枝蓮) in Chinese, and barbed skullcap, half-branch lotus in English. The part used is whole herb. Thin green stems and small paired leaves, faintly bitter, with two-lipped blue-purple flowers ranged along one side.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
BARBED SKULLCAP
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- barbed skullcap
- Scientific name
- Scutellaria barbata D.Don
- Family
- Lamiaceae
Form
- Part used
- whole herb
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- bitter, slightly acrid
Temperature
- TCM
- cold
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Lung · Liver · Kidney
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- clears heat, resolves toxicity, drains dampness, invigorates blood and reduces swelling
Cautions
- Contraindications
- avoid in blood or yin deficiency without heat, and in pregnancy
- Toxicity
- generally well tolerated at usual dose
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