Also known as Scutellaria baicalensis. It is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae, which contains 300 species. Native to Eastern Asia. It is often confused with American Skullcap, consequently look for preparations that contain and go by the latin name. Also known as Huang Qin in Traditional Chinese Medicine where it is one of the “fifty fundamental herbs”. It has been shown to be effective against prostate cancer in numerous formal published studies. Also was one of the ingredients in PC Spes.
Scutellaria’s primary and somewhat unique active ingredients are considered to be Baicalen, Baicalein and Wogonin in addition there are others, that I’ve come across before, having some proven effect on PCa are listed below:
APIGENIN, BETA SISTOSTEROL, CAMPESTEROL, CHRYSIN, LINALOOL among others.
So much has been published about this phytonutrient that it is one of the more remarkable herbs that I’ve researched. It has been shown effective against not just PCa but other cancers as well. Well tolerated, dose dependent effects, synergistic with a number of other phytonutrients/chems.
It has inhibited bladder cancer cells, induced apoptosis in SCC-4 human tongue cancer cells, found to inhibit three human liver cancer cell lines, induced apoptosis in human gastric cancer cell lines, it is anti-proliferative against bladder and pancreatic cell lines and t-lymphoid leukemia. Baicalein has shown “impressive anti-inflammatory effects”. It even has been shown to have a positive effect on gingivitis.
In a rat model, it has been shown to inhibit the formation of amyloid beta peptide, and possibly inhibit as well, brain inflamation in alzheimers patients. Gout has also been shown to be affected by baicalein.
Studies-
From the International Journal of Oncology January 2005:
– investigated baicalein and baicalin on human umbilical vein endothelial cells and on human PCa cell lines Du 145 and PC3. DU145 cells were also injected into mice and the oral administration of baicalein was studied as well. (DU 145 and PC3 are androgen independent cell lines). The mice were divided into four groups: one a control the other 3 with escalating doses of baicalin.
-in vivo treatment of mice demonstrated “significant tumor volume reduction”
-baicalein and baicalin demonstrated dose dependent growth inhibitory effects on human PCa cells.
From a study performed by the University of California and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center:
-an herbal combination containing baicalein, was shown to demonstrate reversal and or stabilization of metastatic prostate cancer patients with “significantly improved survival, quality of life scores and other positive outcomes in almost all patients”.
-“researchers attribute much of the antitumor effects of this herbal combo to the presence of baicalein”
-“it appears to be of particular benefit in prostate cancer treatment…in combination with other phytonutrients…may help to prevent the developement of clinically important prostate cancer”
Pubmed study # 16550232:
-six known anti-PCa herbs were studied. The two most effective were Scutellaria baicalensis and Dendrathema morifolium (common chrysanthemum). All inhibited in a dose dependent manner the PCa human cell line 22Rv1 (androgen indendent) except Serenoa repens (Saw Palmetto). Several were studied in two-extract combos. Skullcap and chrysanthemum “were additive with a trend toward synergy”.
-all four extracts together were more effective than any one alone.
Pubmed study # 15897592:
-four compounds isolated from Scutellaria baicalensis produced anti-androgenic effects, reduced androgen receptor expression and suppressed androgen regulated genes.
-in vivo: reduced the growth of PCa xenografts and slowed down tumor growth substantially.
Pubmed study # 12470437:
-this study was an attempt to study various concentrations of Scutellaria baicalensis against a variety of common human cancer cell lines IN VIVO. Squamous cell carcinoma, breast cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, prostate carcinoma (PC3 and LNCaP) and colon cancer.
-effective against all lines.
-most effective against prostate and breast cancer cell lines.
Pubmed study # 12421879:
-It was determined that the two ingredients in PC-Spes that accounted for virtually the total effect against prostate cancer were Scutellaria baicalensis and Glycyrrhiza uralensis (licorice root, one of the 50 fundamental herbs in Trad. Ch. Medicine)
-further study of baicalein alone showed that while it could not account for all of the PC-Spes effect, it could suppress growth and PSA expression in LNCaP cells and could also arrest cell division at G(1)S.
Pubmed study # 11053652:
-This study looked into the effect of baicalin on several PCa cancer lines: DU 145, PC3, LNCaP and CA-HPV-10.
-the line most affected was DU 145, least was LNCaP. This was based on exposure to baicalin of just a few days. This is important because anything that induces apoptosis in the androgen independent cell lines can be of vital importance when predominately androgen dependent cancer becomes unresponsive to hormone blocking therapy.
Pubmed study # 19004559: (A review of the studies of the last 20 yrs)
-“the bioactive components of Scutellaria confirmed to be flavones.
-“major constituents… are wogonin, baicalin, baicalein
-they’ve been shown to have both in vitro and in vivo effects against cancer
-while showing almost no toxicity to various normal internal cells.
-suppress COX-2 gene expression
-attenuate NF-KappaB activity
-inhibits several genes important to cell cycle activity (in cancer cells)
-scavenges oxidative radicals
Pubmed study # 16193657:
(I am going to copy excerpts of a very brief abstract of a Russian study. Primarily for its importance to me as someone who has spent much of the last year fighting anemia.)
“The skullcap extract produced a significant erythropoiesis-stimulating effect under the conditions of cytostatic myclosuppression. Activation of the erythroid branch of hemopoiesis was related to the growing number of erythropoiesis precursor cells in the bone marrow and also to an increase in the concentration of humoral factors of erythropoiesis regulation in the peripheral blood serum.”
These are not my words. They are the words of the abstract of a published study. I repeat them here because of the excitement I feel in reading them. Anyone who has suffered anemia because of treatment for cancer might find some encouragement in the above quote. I have read thousands of abstracts and quite a few full studies. I have learned much in regards to some 3 to 400 “nutraceuticals”. While it didnt say in the abstract WHICH fraction increased production of blood cells (something I will find out when I obtain the full study) it is clear enough that it is one of the primary fractions in Scutellaria baicalensis.
No you probably cant go into a grocery store and buy some Scutellaria (except maybe as a supplement) and I doubt that you might find it even in a large plant nursery, (though if I had to give one a try, I’d try Russell’s in Wayland). If most of them can do what Scutellaria can do, then there is certainly hope for those with ALL stages of prostate cancer…. and you’d be surprised at the number of nutraceuticals that can effectively repress prostate cancer.
It gave me tremendous satisfaction working on this post.
I hope that this helps anyone with prostate cancer or a significant other suffering from it.
My life and heart have gone into this.
good luck in your journey
mm
thousandfeathers 