“Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, producing varied fruits with coloured flowers and herbs.” ~ Francis of Assisi
As life gets gassed with more nuttiness each day, with many Americans feeling the need to celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ by emptying bank accounts, maxing out credit cards in order to purchase chunks of junk mostly made in China, there is an herb that can provide a bit of calm for those who might be taking a more ethereal approach to Christmas. And as with most of the bounty provided by Mother Earth, one can grow the herb themselves, or take a very small portion of the medium of exchange donated for chunks of junk and instead purchase a bit of Mother Nature’s wonder.
Skullcap is a comforting herb. It is traditionally used to alleviate tension and anxiety.
“the ability of skullcap to control and rectify nervous irregularities makes it one of the most effective remedies for tension and anxiety that leads to muscular contractions.”
Skullcap is also believed to lower blood pressure and cholesterol.
The skullcap plant is native to North America. Native Americans had such high regard for the plant that they believed in its use for stomach ailments, rabies, and even schizophrenia. Skullcap comes in two different forms, Chinese and American. The Chinese form of the plant is used primarily for teas, with the American form being used for more medicinal purposes.
Skullcap is typically mixed with Valerian for sleep disorders. We here at the Asylum mix it, in tincture form, with Kava. It is quite amazing how it calms the mind, allowing us to deal with about any of the everyday insanity.
From Mountain Rose Herbs, where we purchase skullcap:
Traditionally taken as a tea or tincture; can be used in capsule form. For a mild sedative, combine equal parts skullcap, hops and valerian root. This can be taken as a tea or tincture three times daily and a half hour before retiring. 15-20 drops of skullcap tincture taken every hour or two can lessen the severity of drug or alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
As of this writing, since it doesn’t appear that God, the Creator, the Universe, who or whatever that brought this land into form, giving us all that we might need for our health and sustainability, is going to come along and squelch the madness we face each day, having skullcap on hand seems a prudent thing to do – along with listening to a lot of Baroque music.
Handel: Messiah – For Unto Us a Child is Born – Sir Colin Davis, Tenebrae, London Symphony Orchestra
Disclaimer:
The content provided here is for informational purposes only and should not be used in place of the advice of a healthcare professional. Always consult a doctor or your trusted health guru if you have health concerns.
Photo credit (front page): By Pethan (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credit: By Fritzflohrreynolds (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons
Dispatches from the Asylum 
Skullcap is great stuff and I am a big fan of Mountain Rose Herbs though it is a lot harder to get it shipped to Ireland! Their herbal teas are really great as well. Needless to say with our emphasis on traditional medicine (western herbal and chinese) we only end up at the doctors for big stuff .. which is rare:)
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Spot on – skullcap is wonderful. Really works, at least for me, and sounds like for you as well. Thanks for the comment and stopping by
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