Skullcap tea: how to make it, and what a cup actually provides

Skullcap tea is a hot-water infusion of the dried herb — but "skullcap tea" covers two different products depending on species: American skullcap tea uses the leaf and flowering tops, while Chinese skullcap tea uses the root. No trial has tested tea itself; both human trials of skullcap used capsules at a stated dose.

How to make it

Steep 1-2 teaspoons of dried herb — leaf and flowering tops for American skullcap, sliced or cut root for Chinese skullcap — in a cup of just-boiled water for 10-15 minutes, covered, then strain. Pre-made tea bags of either type are also sold and are steeped the same way. Honey is a common addition; there's no research reason to add anything else.

American vs. Chinese skullcap tea

These are different products from different plants, not two names for the same tea:

• American skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) — the aerial parts (leaf and flowering top) are used. This is the species behind both human trials on mood and anxiety, though neither trial tested tea; see skullcap benefits: what the research does and doesn't show.
• Chinese skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis) — the root is used, and it's a different part of a different plant. Chinese skullcap has no human trial on any mental-health outcome; its research is almost entirely lab and animal work on isolated compounds like baicalin. See what is skullcap for how the two species diverge.

Checking which species (and, for American skullcap, which plant part) is on the package label is the only reliable way to know what's actually in the cup.

What a cup actually provides

Neither of the two controlled human trials of skullcap tested tea. Both gave adults 350 mg capsules of American skullcap three times a day (1,050 mg/day total) for two weeks. A cup of tea made from loose dried herb delivers an unstandardized and variable amount of the plant's compounds by comparison — there's no research converting a cup, or a specific number of cups, into anything close to that capsule dose. See how much skullcap should you take a day? for the full picture on amounts.

Does skullcap tea do anything for anxiety or sleep?

No trial has tested tea specifically, so this page can't attach a benefit to a cup of it. The two trials that do exist used capsules, in healthy adults, with mixed results even at that dose — one found no significant difference from placebo on a standard anxiety scale, though a separate mood measure improved. See skullcap benefits: what the research does and doesn't show for what was actually measured.

Tea blends with other herbs

Skullcap tea is commonly sold blended with valerian or passionflower, both traditionally used as calming herbs. No trial has tested skullcap alongside either one — a blend combines untested-together plants in a single cup, not a studied combination. See passionflower tea for the same "what a cup provides" question on that herb.

Questions people ask

What is skullcap tea?

A hot-water infusion of dried skullcap — either American skullcap's leaf and flowering tops, or Chinese skullcap's root. See the species comparison above for which is in a given product.

Where can you buy skullcap tea?

It's sold as loose dried herb or pre-made tea bags at herbal shops, health food stores and online — a description of where it's available, not a claim about what it does.

How much skullcap should you use for tea?

There's no research-based amount, because no trial has tested tea itself. A common starting point is 1-2 teaspoons of dried herb per cup, the way most herbal infusions are made, but that's a preparation convention, not a tested dose.

Is skullcap tea safe?

No trial has specifically tested tea's safety, though the two capsule trials that exist reported only mild effects in healthy adults over two weeks. See skullcap side effects and is it safe to take skullcap every day? for what's documented, including liver injury case reports tied to some skullcap products.

Does skullcap tea get you high?

No — the research on skullcap measured standardized mood and anxiety scores, not an intoxicating or psychoactive effect, and neither trial reported one.

What does skullcap tea taste like?

Herbal, grassy and somewhat bitter is the common description for American skullcap tea; Chinese skullcap root tea tends to be more bitter, consistent with a root-based infusion rather than a leaf tea. Taste isn't something either human trial measured or reported.

Related reading: what is skullcap, how much skullcap should you take a day?, and how to choose a good skullcap.