Wogonin is an O-methylated flavone, a flavonoid-like chemical compound which is found in Scutellaria baicalensis. The glycosides of wogonin are known as wogonosides. For example, oroxindin is a wogonin glucuronide isolated from Oroxylum indicum. It is one of the active ingredients of Sho-Saiko-To, a Japanese herbal supplement.

Pharmacology

Wogonin has been 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. Preliminary in vitro studies have shown pharmacological effects that indicate wogonin may have anti-tumor properties. Wogonin has also been found to possess anticonvulsant effects. It acts as a positive allosteric modulator of the benzodiazepine site of the GABAA receptor with a binding affinity of Ki 0.92μM and an IC50 value of 1.26μM which is about 100x less potent than diazepam (IC50 value of 0.012μM). The LD50 of pure Wogonin in mice is 3.9 grams per kilogram of body weight suggesting low toxicity