Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Scutellaria lateriflora

Scutellaria lateriflora

9.9
A North American mint herb used to calm nerves and ease muscle spasms
  • noun
  • /ˌskjuːtəˈlɛriə ˌleɪtəˈrɪflɔːrə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Scutellaria lateriflora
  • Many herbalists use Scutellaria lateriflora to help calm nerves and reduce anxiety.

Examples

  • Traditional healers relied on Scutellaria lateriflora as a remedy for muscle spasms.

  • Recent studies examine the chemical compounds found in Scutellaria lateriflora for possible medicinal properties.

  • The herbalist recommended Scutellaria lateriflora for its calming effects.

  • Many people use Scutellaria lateriflora to help with anxiety.

  • Many herbalists use Scutellaria lateriflora to help calm nerves and reduce anxiety.

  • Traditional healers relied on Scutellaria lateriflora as a remedy for muscle spasms.

  • The herbalist recommended Scutellaria lateriflora for its calming effects.

Synonyms

blue skullcap
vsScutellaria lateriflora
  • US
9.9

A North American mint plant with blue flowers used to calm muscle spasms

is the basic species term without the resinous detail
mad-dog skullcap
vsScutellaria lateriflora
  • Archaic
9.9

A North American herb of the mint family once used to treat seizures and nervous problems

is described as an antispasmodic rather than a general seizure remedy

Surface Forms

Scutellaria lateriflora singular

Morphology

Scutellaria + lateriflora

This is a Latin binomial (scientific) plant name; its meaning as a specific North American herb is not derivable from ordinary English words. The second element 'lateriflora' is not a common English word and is absent from dictionaries, and even knowing the genus 'Scutellaria' would not make the common-herb sense transparent to a B1 learner unfamiliar with botanical Latin.

Etymology

Scutellaria lateriflora comes from Latin words: scutella meaning 'small dish' and lateriflora meaning 'side flower', because its tiny cup-shaped flowers sit at the side of the stem like little caps, which gave it the common name 'skullcap'. So this image helps remember that people long used the herb to 'calm nerves' and reduce spasms.