Scutellaria Baicalensis Georgi: A review on botany, phytoconstituents, and pharmacological activities

Abstract

Scutellaria baicalensis (Huang-Qin), prominently avowed as Chinese Skullcap, is a traditional herb that has been historically diversified and used culturally in Chinese medicine. The review focused on a rationalized summary of the morphological description, bioactive compounds, drug-herb interactions, and pharmacological activities of Scutellaria baicalensis , furthermore on its therapeutic requisitions. A wide-ranging search was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science to collect prior research data and analyzed. Significant active constituents found in the plant’s root include flavonoids and flavonoid glycosides, such as wogonin, baicalein, baicalin, oroxylin A, scutellarein, and norwogonin. These compounds have shown a variety of pharmacological activities, including effects against inflammation, oxidative stress, cancer, neurological, and hepatological diseases. Chinese Skullcap represents a persuasive boulevard for potential pharmacotherapeutic formulation advancement, emphasizing the call for scientific exploration and clinical trials. A key future perspective for Scutellaria baicalensis is genome sequencing to analyze gene expression patterns and variations, coupled with transcriptome sequencing to elucidate the biosynthetic pathways of its flavonoids. Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses, combined with protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks, help to chart the intricate relationships between bioactive compounds, their molecular targets, and biochemical pathways, which can be further investigated using bioinformatics approaches. A series of advanced experiments using in vitro models and animal models is conducted to verify the predicted mechanisms and therapeutic effects.