Chaste Tree / Vitex agnus castus

 

Botanical Name: Vitex agnus castus

Familie: Verbenaceae

Parts Used: The dried fruit

Main constituents: 0.5% of essential oil, which is dominated by the monoterpene derivatives limonene, 1,8-cineol, bornyl acetate, α- and β-pinene and sabinene. Flavonoids (castican, orientin and isovitexin) and iridoid glycosides (agnuside, aucubin).

 

Traditional Uses of Chaste Tree in Herbal Medicine

Since the days of Hippocrates, Chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus) has been used for gynecological problems such as menstrual disorders, PMS, and other conditions.

Properties of Chaste tree include:

• Diaphoretic
• Antipyretic
• Regulatory
• Uterine Tonic

Indications for Chaste Tree:

• Dysmenorrhoea,
• Hormonal disfunctions
• Fibrocystic Breast Disease
• Infertility (Female)
• Menopause
  Menorrhagia (Heavy Menstruation)
• Menstrual Difficulties (Secondary Amenorrhea)
• Premenstrual Syndrome

Supporting Research

The majority of women (85–97%) in reproductive age report somatic and mental disorders experienced prior to menstruation (Milewicz and Jedrzejuka, 2006). A study conducted by Prilepskaya, et al., (2006) showed that from over 100 patients suffering from PMS, 68% reported significant improvement of symptoms after taking Vitex agnus-castus for 3 months (3 cycles).

References

Milewicz, A. and Jedrzejuk, D. (2006) Premenstrual syndrome: From etiology to treatment. Maturitas, Volume 55, Supplement 1,S47-S54. INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON PHYTOMEDICINES IN GYNECOLOGY

Prilepskaya, V.N. Ledinaa, A.V. Tagiyeva, A.V. and Revazova, F.S. (2006) Vitex agnus castus: Successful treatment of moderate to severe premenstrual syndrome. Maturitas, Volume 55, Supplement 1, S55-S63. INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON PHYTOMEDICINES IN GYNECOLOGY