Agnus Castus, Chaste tree Monk’s Pepper Tree, Hemp Tree Renuka (Ayurveda) Sambhalu (Unani)

Herbarius latinus, Petri, 1485

Ortus Sanitatis, Meydenbach, 1491

Krauterbuch, Lonitzer, 1578

Vitex agnus castus
Duhamel du Monceau, H.L., Traité des arbres et arbustes, Nouvelle édition, 1815

Vitex agnus castus
(Photo by Sten Porse) (Wikimedia)

Members CLICK HERE for the PRO VERSION

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Botanical name:

Vitex agnus castus
Vitex negundo is used in TCM and Ayurveda

Parts used:

Seeds; leaves have similar effect, but are weaker

Temperature & Taste:

Warm, dry; Bitter, pungent

Classifications:

2A APERIENT MEDICINES.   2C INCIDERS.   2K. RESOLVENT
3G. EMMENAGOGUE.   3H. LACTAGOGUE
4f. SPLENETIC.   4i. UTERINE

Uses:

1. Moves Qi, Regulates Menstruation:
-Menstrual disorders; PMS; Menopausal disorders

2. Moves Qi, Opens Obstructions:
-Spleen obstruction or hardness

3. Guides Qi Down, Calms the Mind:
-‘it affects the head inducing deep sleep’ (Dioscorides)

4. Warms and Strengthen the Kidneys:
-Edema, Lumbago

5. Promotes Milk
-Promotes Breast Milk (Pliny)

6. Resists Poison:
-Sudorific and Febrifuge (Pliny)
-classically for Venomous Bites including Snake Bite (Dioscorides)

7. Externally:
-Classically for Trauma, Inflammations (since Hippocrates)

Dose:

INFUSION or DECOCTION of the SEED: 1–3 grams as a low dose, 3–6 grams as a large dose;
Of the TINCTURE (1:5 in 45% alcohol): 1–3, or 4 mls;
Of the TINCTURE (90 grams per liter, 60% alcohol): 20–40 drops
Of the SEED in powder: 200mg–2 grams, 3 times daily, often taken with wine. Salmon said the dose is ½–1 dram.
One dram (3 gram) doses of the Seed were used for Snake bite, or 2 drams of the young leaves.

Comment:

Agnus Castus and the Vitex species used in Ayurveda and TCM have quite different uses. However, it is quite likely that they are therapeutically similar. However, due to their radically different uses, we have chosen to separate them as 2 different herbs. See Vitex nirgundi

Main Combinations:

Gynecology:
1. To promote Menstruation, combine Agnus Castus  … available in PRO version
2. Excess Menstruation, Leukorrhea: combine Agnus Castus with  … available in PRO version
3. Premenstrual Syndrome, Hysteria:
i. Agnus Castus,  … available in PRO version
ii. Agnus Castus,  … available in PRO version
iii. Agnus Castus with  … available in PRO version
4. Menopause:
i. Agnus Castus,  … available in PRO version
ii. Agnus Castus,  … available in PRO version
5. Uterine Diseases from Cold and Moist, Agnus Castus with  … available in PRO version
6. Uterine Fibroids, Agnus Castus,  … available in PRO version
7. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome:
i. Agnus Castus,  … available in PRO version
ii. Agnus Castus,  … available in PRO version
8. Leukorrhea, Agnus Castus with  … available in PRO version
9. Infertility:
i. Agnus Castus with  … available in PRO version
ii. Agnus Castus,  … available in PRO version
iii. Agnus Castus,  … available in PRO version
10. Female tonic, and to regulate hormones:
i. Agnus Castus with  … available in PRO version
ii. Agnus Castus with  … available in PRO version Gui

Male disorders:
11. Spermatorrhea:
i. and to Quell Lust, Agnus Castus with  … available in PRO version
ii. Agnus Castus with  … available in PRO version
iii. Agnus Castus with  … available in PRO version
12. To restrain Lust, Agnus Castus with  … available in PRO version

Urinary:
13. Edema:
i. Agnus Castus decocted in wine (Herbarium Horstianum, 1630)
ii. Agnus Castus with  … available in PRO version
iii. Agnus Castus with … available in PRO version

Obstructions & Tumors
14. Hardness of the Liver or Spleen (Cirrhosis):
i. take a dram of Agnus Castus seed with  … available in PRO version
ii. Agnus Castus with  … available in PRO version
iii. Agnus Castus with  … available in PRO version
iv. Agnus Castus with  … available in PRO version
15. Obstruction of the Liver and Spleen, decoct Agnus Castus with  … available in PRO version
16. Hardness of the Stomach or Spleen, Agnus Castus with  … available in PRO version
17. Tumor or Hardness of the Testicles:
1. from Cold, Agnus Castus with  … available in PRO version
ii. apply Agnus Castus with  … available in PRO version

Brain, Mind, Spirit:
18. Lethargy, Agnus Castus,  … available in PRO version
19. Hypochondriac Melancholy,  … available in PRO version

Other:
20. As a laxative, Agnus Castus seed with  … available in PRO version

Major Formulas

Syrup of Agnus Castus Compound
Troches of Agnus Castus
Powder for Hysteria with Agnus Castus
Powder to Quell Excess Lust (Nicholas)

Cautions:

1. Avoid overdose.
2. Best not used in children.
3. Should not be used during pregnancy (but is safe during lactation).
4. In clinical trials using Agnus Castus, Nausea and abdominal pain were the main reported adverse effects. Some women (1-2%) have noted itchiness, rash, heavier menstruation, headaches or breast tenderness after its use.
5. Vitex agnus castus: a systematic review of adverse events.

Drug Interactions:

1. Use carefully or not at all in women on the Pill, or who are taking HRT as it may counteract them.
2. Because of its dopaminergic effect, it may interact or antagonise drugs attaching to dopamine receptors.
3. Should not be used with Antipsychotics.

Main Preparations used:

Troches of Agnus Castus, Tincture

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Pliny on Vitex:

‘Not much unlike the willow, for the use that is made of it in wicker-work, is the vitex, which also resembles it in the leaves and general appearance, though the smell of it is more agreeable. The Greeks call it “lygos,” or “agnos,” from the fact that the matrons of Athens, during the Thesmophoria, a period when the strictest chastity is observed, are in the habit of strewing their beds with the leaves of this tree.   ‘There are two species of vitex: the larger one, like the willow, attains the full proportions of a tree; while the other, which is smaller, is branchy, with a paler, downy leaf. The first kind, generally known as the ” white ” vitex, bears a white blossom mixed with purple, whereas the black one has a flower that is entirely purple. Both of these trees grow on level spots of a marshy nature.   ‘The seed of these trees, taken in drink, has a sort of vinous flavour, and has the reputation of being a febrifuge. It is said also to act as a sudorific, if the body is rubbed with it mixed with oil, and to have the effect of dispelling extreme lassitude: it acts too as a diuretic and emmenagogue. The produce of both trees is trying to the head, like wine, and indeed the odour of them is very similar. They have the effect also of removing flatulence in the lower regions of the body, act astringently upon the bowels, and are remarkably useful for dropsy and affections of the spleen. They promote the secretion of the milk, and neutralize the venom of serpents, when of a cold nature more particularly. The smaller kind, however, is the more efficacious of the two for injuries inflicted by serpents, the seed being taken in doses of one drachma, in wine or oxycrate, or else the more tender leaves in doses of two drachma.

‘From both trees also a liniment is prepared for the bites of spiders, but it is quite sufficient to rub the wounds with the leaves; and if a fumigation is made from them, or if they are spread beneath the bed, they will repel the attacks of all venomous creatures. They act also as an antaphrodisiac, and it is by this tendency in particular that they neutralize the venom of the phalangium, the bite of which has an exciting effect upon the generative organs. The blossoms and young shoots, mixed with oil of roses, allay headaches arising from inebriation. A decoction of the seed used as a fomentation cures headache, however intense it may be; and employed as a fumigation or as a pessary, the seeds acts as a detergent upon the uterus. Taken in drink with honey and pennyroyal, it has a laxative effect; pounded and used with barley-meal, it quickly brings abscesses and hard tumours to a head, and has an emollient effect.   ‘The seed, in combination with saltpetre and vinegar, removes lichens and freckles; mixed with honey, it heals ulcers and eruptions of the mouth; applied with butter and vine-leaves, it reduces swellings of the testes; used with water, as a liniment, it cures chaps of the rectum; and employed with salt, nitre, and wax, it is good for sprains. The seed and leaves are used as ingredients also in emollient plasters for diseases of the sinews, and for gout; and a decoction of the seed in oil is employed as a fomentation for the head in cases of phrenitis and lethargy. Persons who carry a sprig of this plant in the hand, or stuck in the girdle, will be proof, it is said, against chafing between the thighs.’ (The Natural History of Pliny, trans. by Bostock and Riley, Vol. 5, 1856)

GENERAL / REVIEW –Chasteberry. –Botanicals and Their Bioactive Phytochemicals for Women’s Health. –The genus Vitex: A review. –Phytoconstituents from Vitex agnus-castus fruits. –Chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus)–pharmacology and clinical indications. –Pharmacological activities of Vitex agnus-castus extracts in vitro. ANTIBACTERIAL –Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oil of Fruits from Vitex agnus-castus L., Growing in Two Regions in Bulgaria. –Chemical Composition and Antibacterial Activity of the Essential Oil of Vitex agnus-castus L. (Lamiaceae). –Antibacterial activity of crude methanolic extract and various fractions of Vitex agnus castus and Myrsine africana against clinical isolates of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. –Report on the Medicinal Use of Eleven Lamiaceae Species in Lebanon and Rationalization of Their Antimicrobial Potential by Examination of the Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of Their Essential Oils. –Antibacterial activity and composition of essential oils from Pelargonium graveolens L’Her and Vitex agnus-castus L. ANTI-INFLAMMATORY –Protective effects of Vitex agnus-castus in ovariectomy mice following permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion. –Anti-inflammatory and enzyme inhibitory activities of a crude extract and a pterocarpan isolated from the aerial parts of Vitex agnus-castus. –Antiinflammatory and lipoxygenase inhibitory compounds from Vitex agnus-castus. ANTIOXIDANT –Antioxidant activity of Vitex agnus-castus L. extracts. –Diterpenoids and flavonoids from the fruits of Vitex agnus-castus and antioxidant activity of the fruit extracts and their constituents. ANALGESIC –Antinociceptive effects, acute toxicity and chemical composition of Vitex agnus-castus essential oil. OPIATE RECEPTOR AGONIST –Activation of the mu-opiate receptor by Vitex agnus-castus methanol extracts: implication for its use in PMS. IMMUNOMODULATORY –Isolation and immunomodulatory properties of a flavonoid, casticin from Vitex agnus-castus. VASORELAXANT –Vasorelaxant Effects of the Vitex Agnus-Castus Extract ENDOCRINE EFFECTS –Functional morphology of pituitary -thyroid and -adrenocortical axes in middle-aged male rats treated with Vitex agnus castus essential oil. –Effects of Vitex agnus-castus fruit on sex hormones and antioxidant indices in a d-galactose-induced aging female mouse model. –The effects of Vitex agnus castus extract and its interaction with dopaminergic system on LH and testosterone in male mice. –Isolation of linoleic acid as an estrogenic compound from the fruits of Vitex agnus-castus L. (chaste-berry). –Evidence for estrogen receptor beta-selective activity of Vitex agnus-castus and isolated flavones. –Phytoestrogens: a viable option? –Evaluation of estrogenic activity of plant extracts for the potential treatment of menopausal symptoms. –[Vitex agnus castus extract in the treatment of luteal phase defects due to latent hyperprolactinemia. Results of a randomized placebo-controlled double-blind study]. –Agnus castus extracts inhibit prolactin secretion of rat pituitary cells. MENSTRUAL DISORDERS –Narrative review of Vitex agnus-castus in symptoms in Gynecology –Efficacy of a Herbal Formulation Based on Foeniculum Vulgare in Oligo/Amenorrhea: A Randomized Clinical Trial. –Herbal Medicine for Oligomenorrhea and Amenorrhea: A Systematic Review of Ancient and Conventional Medicine. PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME (PMS, PMT) –Narrative review of Vitex agnus-castus in symptoms in Gynecology –Herbal Products Used in Menopause and for Gynecological Disorders. –Systematic Review of Premenstrual, Postmenstrual and Infertility Disorders of Vitex Agnus Castus. –Vitex agnus-castus in premenstrual syndrome: A meta-analysis of double-blind randomised controlled trials. –Vitex agnus castus for premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder: a systematic review. –The treatment of premenstrual syndrome with preparations of Vitex agnus castus: a systematic review and meta-analysis. –Efficacy and safety of Vitex agnus-castus extract for treatment of premenstrual syndrome in Japanese patients: a prospective, open-label study. –Vitex agnus-castus extracts for female reproductive disorders: a systematic review of clinical trials. –Dose-dependent efficacy of the Vitex agnus castus extract Ze 440 in patients suffering from premenstrual syndrome. –Therapeutic effect of Vitex agnus castus in patients with premenstrual syndrome. –Herbal treatments for alleviating premenstrual symptoms: a systematic review. –Evaluating therapeutic effect in symptoms of moderate-to-severe premenstrual syndrome with Vitex agnus castus (BNO 1095) in Chinese women. –Treatment of moderate to severe premenstrual syndrome with Vitex agnus castus (BNO 1095) in Chinese women. –Treatment for premenstrual syndrome with Vitex agnus castus: A prospective, randomized, multi-center placebo controlled study in China. –[The premenstrual syndrome: effectiveness of Vitex agnus castus]. –Fluoxetine versus Vitex agnus castus extract in the treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder. –Treatment for the premenstrual syndrome with agnus castus fruit extract: prospective, randomised, placebo controlled study. MIGRAINE ASSOCIATED WITH PMS –Use of Vitex agnus-castus in migrainous women with premenstrual syndrome: an open-label clinical observation. CYCLIC BREAST PAIN –Effective Medicinal Plants in the Treatment of the Cyclic Mastalgia (Breast Pain): A Review. –Vitex Agnus-Castus for the Treatment of Cyclic Mastalgia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. –Effects of Vitex agnus and Flaxseed on cyclic mastalgia: A randomized controlled trial. –Comparison of fructus agni casti and flurbiprofen in the treatment of cyclic mastalgia in premenopausal women. –Can Vitex Agnus Castus be Used for the Treatment of Mastalgia? What is the Current Evidence? MENOPAUSE –Comparison of Vitex agnus-castus Extracts with Placebo in Reducing Menopausal Symptoms: A Randomized Double-Blind Study. –Effects of a combination of Nigella sativa and Vitex agnus-castus with citalopram on healthy menopausal women with hot flashes: results from a subpopulation analysis. –Herbal Medicine for Oligomenorrhea and Amenorrhea: A Systematic Review of Ancient and Conventional Medicine. –Effects of flaxseed and Hypericum perforatum on hot flash, vaginal atrophy and estrogen-dependent cancers in menopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis. –Herbal preparations for the menopause: beyond isoflavones and black cohosh.

MENOPAUSE CONT’D. –The value of complementary and alternative medicine in the treatment of climacteric symptoms: results of a survey among German gynecologists. –Effects of a combination of Hypericum perforatum and Vitex agnus-castus on PMS-like symptoms in late-perimenopausal women: findings from a subpopulation analysis. –Vitex agnus-castus (Chaste-Tree/Berry) in the treatment of menopause-related complaints. –Hypericum perforatum with Vitex agnus-castus in menopausal symptoms: a randomized, controlled trial. –Vitex agnus castus essential oil and menopausal balance: a research update [Complementary Therapies in Nursing and Midwifery 8 (2003) 148-154]. –Vitexagnus-castus essential oil and menopausal balance: a self-care survey. OSTEOPOROSIS –Vitex agnus castus as prophylaxis for osteopenia after orchidectomy in rats compared with estradiol and testosterone supplementation. POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME (PCOS) –Effect of Vitex agnus-castus ethanolic extract on hypothalamic KISS-1 gene expression in a rat model of polycystic ovary syndrome. –A comprehensive review of clinical studies with herbal medicine on polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). –Herbal medicine for the management of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and associated oligo/amenorrhoea and hyperandrogenism; a review of the laboratory evidence for effects with corroborative clinical findings. PROTECTS OVARIAN CELLS –Buckwheat, rooibos, and vitex extracts can mitigate adverse effects of xylene on ovarian cells in vitro. –Effects of benzene on gilts ovarian cell functions alone and in combination with buckwheat, rooibos, and vitex. ENHANCES FEMALE SEXUAL FUNCTION & SEX HORMONES –The 4-month effect of Vitex agnus-castus plant on sexual function of women of reproductive age: A clinical trial. –Effect of Vitex Agnus-Castus Ethanolic Extract on Sex Hormones in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats. INFERTILITY (MALE AND FEMALE) –Systematic Review of Premenstrual, Postmenstrual and Infertility Disorders of Vitex Agnus Castus. –A Patented Blend Consisting of a Combination of Vitex agnus-castus Extract, Lepidium meyenii (Maca) Extract and Active Folate, a Nutritional Supplement for Improving Fertility in Women. CANDIDA –Evaluation of anticandidal activities and phytochemical examination of extracts prepared from Vitex agnus-castus: a possible alternative in treating candidiasis infections. –In vitro anticandidal activity and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) screening of Vitex agnus-castus leaf extracts. –Antifungal effects of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Vitexagnus-castus against vaginal isolates of Candida albicans. –Study on chemical analysis, antioxidant and in vitro antifungal activities of essential oil from wild Vitex agnus-castus L. seeds growing in area of Argan Tree of Morocco against clinical strains of Candida responsible for nosocomial infections. PROMOTES BREAST MILK –Breastfeeding: A Review of Its Physiology and Galactogogue Plants in View of Traditional Persian Medicine. NEUROPROTECTIVE –Protective effects of Vitex agnus-castus in ovariectomy mice following permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion. IMPROVES LEARNING AND MEMORY –Vitex Agnus Castus Extract Improves Learning and Memory and Increases the Transcription of Estrogen Receptor α in Hippocampus of Ovariectomized Rats. ANXIETY –Possible Modulation of the Anexiogenic Effects of Vitex Agnus-castus by the Serotonergic System. EPILEPSY –The antiepileptic activity of Vitex agnus castus extract on amygdala kindled seizures in male rats. LUNG PROTECTIVE –Vitex agnus-castus safeguards the lung against lipopolysaccharide-induced toxicity in mice. PORTECTS FROM CIGARETTE SMOKE LUNG INJURY –Casticin, an active compound isolated from Vitex Fructus, ameliorates the cigarette smoke-induced acute lung inflammatory response in a murine model. PANCREATIC PROTECTIVE –Pancreatic protective and hypoglycemic effects of Vitex agnus-castus L. fruit hydroalcoholic extract in D-galactose-induced aging mouse model. RENOPROTECTIVE –Effects of hydro-alcoholic extract of Vitex agnus-castus fruit on kidney of D-galactose-induced aging model in female mice. DIABETES –Pancreatic protective and hypoglycemic effects of Vitex agnus-castus L. fruit hydroalcoholic extract in D-galactose-induced aging mouse model. ANTI-AGEING –Effects of hydro-alcoholic extract of Vitex agnus-castus fruit on kidney of D-galactose-induced aging model in female mice. FRACTURES –The effects of phytoestrogens on fracture healing: experimental research in New Zealand white rabbits. ANTI-ANGIOGENIC –Anti-angiogenic activity and phytochemical screening of fruit fractions from Vitex agnus castus. CANCER –Chemical composition and biological activities of the essential oils from Vitex-agnus castus, Ocimum campechianum and Ocimum carnosum. –In vitro screening for the tumoricidal properties of international medicinal herbs. –Cytotoxicity and apoptotic inducibility of Vitex agnus-castus fruit extract in cultured human normal and cancer cells and effect on growth. –Cytotoxic flavonoids from Vitex agnus-castus. COLON –Cytotoxic effects of flavonoids against a human colon cancer derived cell line, COLO 201: a potential natural anti-cancer substance. GASTRIC –Human gastric signet ring carcinoma (KATO-III) cell apoptosis induced by Vitex agnus-castus fruit extract through intracellular oxidative stress. LEUKEMIA –Cytotoxicity of Vitex agnus-castus fruit extract and its major component, casticin, correlates with differentiation status in leukemia cell lines LUNG –Essential Oils from Vitex agnus castus L. Leaves Induces Caspase-Dependent Apoptosis of Human Multidrug-Resistant Lung Carcinoma Cells through Intrinsic and Extrinsic Pathways. –Casticin, a flavonoid isolated from fruits of V. rotundifolia exhibited considerable growth inhibitory activity against human lung cancer cells (PC-12) PROSTATE –A Vitex agnus-castus extract inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis in prostate epithelial cell lines. –Casticin inhibits human prostate cancer DU 145 cell migration and invasion via Ras/Akt/NF‐κB signaling pathways REPELS INSECTS –Extract of the seeds of the plant Vitex agnus castus proven to be highly efficacious as a repellent against ticks, fleas, mosquitoes and biting flies.