Fresh Skullcap Tea with Lemon Balm

We’ve had plenty of skullcap growing along the fringe of the woods along our driveway this year. It’s a mint, and I think it really likes that area because our seeps and creeks drain along that way and keep it well-watered.

Skullcap is so helpful for relaxation, calming anxiety, and getting to sleep.

I’ve used skullcap tincture before (and it works very well), but I had only ever bought it at the store. I’m not sure why it didn’t occur to me to make my own tea from my own mountain!

This week I finally did.

Like other mints, the entire Scutellaria plant is edible, so I just used my bouquet, along with a few sprigs of lemon balm—also a mint, and with a very similar leaf shape—for flavor.

If you’re at all familiar with mints, you know the stems are square, and for scullcap and lemon balm, the leaves are opposite and heart-shaped.

The resulting tea was delicate in flavor (the lemon balm has more flavor than the skullcap), and easy to drink. I had some of it while it was still hot, and drank the rest after refrigeration.

The effects, if any, were very mild. I think the tincture has more of the calming effect that I was looking for. Or I could have just used more of the fresh herb.

Next time I might chop and dry the Scutellaria so that I can use more and get a more concentrated liquid.

Now I want to make Lemon Balm Bars again…