Skullcap is an herb that can be found throughout the US - in New York, West Virginia, South Carolina, Alabama and Missouri, as well as the surrounding areas. It can be found growing in a variety of settings such as woods, groves, cliffs and by the roadside. Skullcap has hairy and square stems on which blue or lavender flowers grow. It is actually a beautiful plant, which blooms May to August.

Scullcap is also known as Scutellaira lateriflora, and it has an extensive history of being used as a medicinal herb. Skullcap has been used as an antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, astringent, febrifuge, nervine, sedative and strong tonic. It was used in folk medicine to aid with epilepsy, insomnia, hysteria and nervousness, as well as a method to ease the withdrawal from barbiturates and tranquilizers.

Women have used it as an infusion to encourage menstruation. It has also been used to aid in throat infections, nervous headaches and neuralgia. Currently, it is being used by practitioners of alternative medicine to aid with ADD and some nerve related ailments.

This information clearly makes it seem as if Scullcap is a variable goldmine for alleviating a variety of ailments, including sleeplessness. However, Scullcap has been associated with having some potential ability to create toxicity in the liver. This is because there are other variations of Scullcap that find their way into holistic products. The American version does not have this effect, while the European version may; however, the European version is frequently substituted for the American version, which leads to problems. There is no real way to know if this has occurred, unless inquiring with the developer directly.

• Has many healthful uses

• Reported to have some potential liver toxicity associated with its use
• No research proven

When examining its traditional usage in folk medicine, Scullcap appears to have many healthful benefits. However there have been very few research studies conducted on its ability to ease insomnia, which is one of the purported abilities of this product’s formula. Given the fact that there is some toxicity associated with this herb, we believe that further research needs to be conducted before sufferers of insomnia start using it exclusively to boost sleep.

We do not believe it is worth the risk when there are so many other proven herbal sleep aids available on the market, such as Lemon Balm Extract, which is a rather amazing and extremely effective herbal sedative. This fact has been borne out in research studies in which participants reported that Lemon Balm gave them a sound and deep sleep by easing restlessness of both mind and body. Combined with Melatonin, a naturally producing hormone found in the body and used in many quality herbal supplements, Lemon Balm Extract will likely generate the feeling of sleepiness so many individuals seek.