Vitex, also known as chasteberry, is used for premenstrual syndrome and other problems associated with your menstrual cycle, such as breast pain. You will find vitex in tea, capsule, tincture and extract forms. Vitex has numerous constituents that contribute to its effects. However, scientists still are working to determine what all of the active ingredients in vitex are, notes the "Chemical Dictionary of Economic Plants," by Jeffrey B. Harborne and Herbert Baxter. Always consult a health-care provider before trying a new herbal remedy.
Flavonoids
Vitex contains a number of flavonoids. These include casticin, chrysophanol D, penduletin kaempferol, isovitexin, orientin and quercetagetin. Flavonoids may have a variety of antioxidant and biochemical effects in your body, such as anti-inflammatory action.
Iridoid Glycosides
There are iridoid glycosides in vitex, including agnuside and aucubin. Iridoid glycosides, in general, are produced by plants to deter herbivores, but some may have beneficial effects in the body. For example, aucubin has liver-protective qualities, though your body absorbs it poorly, notes a 1991 study published in "Pharmaceutical Research." Some medicinal plants that contain iridoid glycosides also may be used to make poisons, according to "Medicinal Plants of Asia and the Pacific," by Christophe Wiart. Vitex has been used in the past to stimulate breast milk, but doctors now discourage this use of the herb, notes the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Essential Oils
Vitex has numerous essential oils. These include pinene, limonene, sabinene and cineol. Essential oils can have numerous effects on people. For example, some forms of cineol may have anti-inflammatory action that's beneficial if you are an asthma sufferer, according to a 2003 study published in "Respiratory Medicine." More study is needed to determine if this benefit is more than theoretical.
Progestins
There are numerous progestins in vitex. These include progesterone, testosterone, androstenedione, hydroxyprogesterone and epitestosterone. Progestins are hormones that can affect both men and women in various ways, such as helping to regulate the menstrual cycle or to stimulate appetite. Epitestosterone, for example, may help regulate androgen-dependent events like body hair distribution and prostate growth. Overall, vitex may have estrogenic activity, thus you should avoid it or use it with caution and under a doctor's supervision if you have a hormone-sensitive disease, warn the experts at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. It also may interact with hormonal therapy or contraceptive medicines. Theoretically, it also may interfere with dopamine receptor antagonists such as chlorpromazine.
References
- National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Chasteberry
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center: Chasteberry
- American Family Physicians: Chasteberry
- MayoClinic.com: Progestins
- "The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology"; Epitestosterone; L. Stárka; 2003
- "Respiratory Medicine"; Anti-Inflammatory Activity of 1.8-cineol (eucalyptol) in Bronchial Asthma: A Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial; U.R. Juergens, et al.; 2003
