Scutellaria baicalensis is a species of flowering plant in the Lamiaceae family. Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi contains wogonin, a flavone which was found in one study to have anxiolytic properties in mice at doses of 7.5 to 30 mg/kg, without exhibiting the sedative and muscle-relaxing properties of benzodiazepines. It may have anti-tumor potential.
It also contains baicalin, another flavone. Baicalein induces apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells through down-regulation of the anti-apoptotic Mcl-1 protein in vitro .
The flavone baicalein was identified as an apoptosis-inducing factor from the wounded roots of Scutellariabaicalensis. This flavone mediated apoptosis in Scutellaria cells through oxidative damage of nuclear DNA without inducing an oxidative burst. S.baicalensis possesses the system to quickly produce baicalein by hydrolyzing baicalin.