Chinese Medical Herb Fights Tumors

Skullcap (Scutellaria barbata) has impressive antitumor properties, making it a potential treatment for chronic disease, in part due to its active ingredient scutebarbatine A.

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

• Skullcap (Scutellaria barbata) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) plant known in China as banzhilian

• Researchers used DNA sequencing to uncover how skullcap produces one of its primary anticancer compounds, a clerodane diterpenoid known as scutebarbatine A

• The team uncovered skullcap’s genomic sequence, revealing clues about how it p…