8 Evidence-Based Benefits of Vitex (Chasteberry)

Vitex agnus-castus, otherwise known as chasteberry, has long been used to treat female hormonal issues and conditions related to pregnancy.

As medical researchers are learning more about the many health benefits of this herb and how it can improve your health.

Keep reading to learn more about the medicinal uses for vitex agnus-castus and how it can improve your reproductive and overall health and wellness.

Understanding Chasteberry

Chasteberry is also known as vitex agnus-castus and monk’s pepper. The fruit of the chaste tree is also commonly referred to as chasteberry.

Vitex is the name of a large genus of plants that includes over 250 species grown throughout the subtropics and tropics around the world.

Only a few plants in this genus grow in more temperate climates (1).

Vitex agnus-castus is the most commonly found member of this genus.

The chaste tree has long been prized for its fruit, which naturally contains flavonoids, terpenoids, steroids, iridoids, lignans, essential oils and anti-inflammatory compounds (2, 3).

These compounds help the body in several ways, including reducing the release of prolactin and thereby regulating hormone production, stimulating opioid receptors and enhancing the release of melatonin.

The combination of these substances can have a significant influence on the body and health.

The chasteberry is a tiny brown berry, that is usually about the size of a peppercorn.

Many people refer to the plant simply as vitex, even though it is just one of the many species that include that name.

For the purposes of this article, we will refer to this plant by its common name, chasteberry, in order to avoid confusion.

It is believed that the chasteberry got its name because it was used in the Middle Ages to reduce men’s libido, thereby protecting women’s chastity (4).

This type of herb, known as an anaphrodisiac and considered to produce results opposite to an aphrodisiac, decreases sexual desire.

One reason chasteberry is sometimes referred to as monk’s pepper is that it was used by monks in the Middle Ages for this very purpose.

Across the Middle East, the fruit and leaves of the chaste tree have traditionally been used to treat menstrual pain and disorders, improve milk production during lactation, to relieve headaches, colds, asthma, and other breathing disorders and many types of digestive issues (5).

It was also commonly used in traditional Asian medical traditions for its anti-inflammatory properties to treat arthritis and other types of joint pain.

An extract of this plant was first standardized in the 1950s.

This lead to modern-day medicinal uses for this herbal treatment.

It is now available in many different forms from national retailers.

You can purchase tablets or capsules made from dried chasteberries or liquid extracts made from distilled fruit.

You can enjoy chasteberry as a tea, or you can purchase dried berries that you can then use to create your own tinctures and remedies.

The recommended dosage of chasteberry varies, depending on your condition and need.

For example, the most tested and studied dosage for female hormone-related problems is 400 milligrams once a day.

This dose works well for treating PMS, uterine fibroids and endometriosis.

If you are trying to improve fertility or treat the symptoms of menopause, a lower dose of 240 milligrams is all you need.

For helping to reduce acne, you can even take just 160 milligrams per day (6).

Chasteberry’s Benefits for Your Health

Improves PMS Symptoms

Pre-menstrual syndrome or PMS can include a wide range of symptoms that disrupt women’s lives during and before their menstrual cycle.

Severe PMS can even interfere with normal, daily activities and lead to missed work or reduced enjoyment of life.

Chasteberry’s most common traditional use among herbalists was to use it to treat PMS.

Researchers are now learning more about how this plant can reduce the headaches, mood swings, pain and irritability associated with this disorder.

PMS can be caused by several factors, including excess prolactin, which is released by the pituitary gland.

Some women with PMS have an imbalance between progesterone and estrogen, creating their symptoms.

It is believed that chasteberry can reduce the production of prolactin, which restores the balance of estrogen and progesterone.

This plant also naturally reduces progesterone levels, thereby also restoring hormonal balance.

When hormones are more balanced, fewer PMS symptoms occur (7).

In a 2012 study involving women with PMS, treatment using chasteberry over the course of six menstrual cycles showed a significant reduction in constipation, irritability, depression, migraine headaches and breast tenderness (8).

This confirmed earlier research that showed that women taking chasteberry experienced less irritability and mood swings, fewer headaches, less breast tenderness and decreases in bloating (9).

Helps Treat Endometriosis

One of the disorders that affect reproductive health is endometriosis.

It occurs when the endometrial lining of the uterus develops outside of the uterus.

This disorder can be caused by genetic factors and imbalances in hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone.

When a woman has endometriosis, this excess tissue can create inflammation in and around the uterus, leading to pain and heavy bleeding during and between menstrual cycles, and other unpleasant symptoms (10).

Chasteberry has natural anti-inflammatory properties, which can reduce the cause of these painful symptoms.

By also restoring balance to hormone levels, chasteberry helps to mitigate the effects of endometriosis on the sufferer.

Chasteberry also can help alleviate pain by activated opioid receptors in the brain (11).

Improves Female Fertility by Regulating Hormones

Sustained hormonal fluctuations, particularly those that occur in the second half of the menstrual cycle, are very common in women who are having difficulty conceiving.

Known as luteal phase disorders, this type of hormone deficiency, usually of progesterone, is caused by many conditions, including thyroid dysfunction or problems with the pituitary gland.

Having a regular period with the proper hormone levels is essential for conceiving, and chasteberry can help with these issues.

In a 1998 study, German researchers discovered that chasteberry can help to treat luteal phase disorders, including amenorrhea, increasing pregnancy rates over the placebo (12).

The rate of increase was twice that of the control group, after participants consumed chasteberry for three months.

Researchers noted that progesterone levels had normalized in the treatment group, which helped to alleviate the deficiencies in this important hormone which contribute to conception problems.

Another study also confirmed the effects of chasteberry on period regularity, which also helps enhance the chances of conception (13).

Participants showed normalized prolactin levels, which also helps to regulate estrogen and progesterone, leading to enhanced fertility rates.

There is some evidence to suggest that chasteberry may also help to treat polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) (14), which also results from hormonal imbalances.

Decreases Symptoms of Menopause

Female hormonal imbalances and decreases result in many different conditions.

However, over time, all women will experience the end of their menstrual cycle due to the natural decline in estrogen and progesterone.

This is known as menopause.

It can come with a wide variety of symptoms, including hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, and many other problems.

Taking chasteberry can help to alleviate or decrease the severity of many of the most common menopause symptoms.

Researchers found that using essential oil from the chasteberry plant helped reduce menopause symptoms in most women (15).

The likely reason is that this herb increases progesterone levels, which can be a cause of the symptoms associated with menopause.

Reduces Symptoms Associated with Uterine Fibroids

Many women who experience fluctuations or imbalances in their hormone levels can develop uterine fibroids.

They are a type of benign tumor that grows in the uterus.

When your progesterone levels are too high, you are more likely to develop these non-cancerous growths.

Therefore, regulating your hormone levels is critical for treating and preventing their growth (16).

When you have a uterine fibroid, you are more likely to have a heavier menstrual flow and to experience cramps and other pain.

Patients who use chasteberry regularly, report less bleeding and fewer symptoms than those who do not (17).

Reduces an Enlarged Prostate

It is not just women who can benefit from taking chasteberry supplements.

One of the benefits for men is that chasteberry can reduce an enlarged prostate.

This decreases their risk for developing prostate cancer, while also improving their quality of life.

The prostate is a gland located just below the bladder.

Its primary function is to produce compounds that are found in semen.

When it becomes enlarged, usually in older age, it presses on the surrounding tissues.

This makes it difficult for a man to urinate.

The enlargement of the prostate is due to the uncontrolled multiplication of prostate cells.

In a 2005 cell study examining the influence of chasteberry on prostate cells, researchers noted that this herb was able to decrease cell growth and also stimulate cell death (18).

With further research and understanding, chasteberry could be used to reduce an enlarged prostate, which could, over time, help to influence prostate cancer risk.

Helps Fight Cancer

In addition to holding promise in treating prostate cancer, chasteberry could also help combat other forms of this disease.

In cell studies, the antioxidants in chasteberry were shown to help destroy lung, cervix, uterine, stomach, ovarian and colon cancer cells (19).

Additional research is needed with both animal and clinical trials to fully understand how chasteberry could be used as a possible cancer treatment.

Treats Acne

Some acne is caused by shifts in hormone levels that result in the production of excess skin oils.

Hormonal fluctuations are common during menstruation and menopause.

Therefore, reducing the severity of these hormonal shifts can help to decrease the incidences of acne.

By decreasing prolactin production and thereby normalizing hormone levels, chasteberry can help to treat acne that is related to menstruation and other shifts in hormone levels (20).

Additional Benefits

Preliminary research has also indicated that chasteberry may have other health benefits.

It includes the following benefits:

• Treatment for headaches, including migraines. Migraines and other headaches that are related to hormonal fluctuations are common. Women who experience these types of headaches may find relief using chasteberry supplements. This herb has been shown to reduce migraine frequency by more than half (21).
• The compounds found in this plant can also help to reduce inflammation (22).
• By combatting Streptococcus mutans bacteria, chasteberry can help to prevent cavities that are caused by this microbe (23).
• Sprays that contain extract from the chasteberry seed have been shown to repel common insects, including ticks, fleas, and mosquitos (24).
• Cell studies indicate that the essential oils in this herbal remedy can help to fight microbes, including salmonella and staph bacteria, as well as certain types of fungi (25).
• The compounds in chasteberry could help to reduce the likelihood of having an epileptic seizure (26).

Precautions and Interactions

Most people who take chasteberry supplements have little or no adverse reactions, especially when doses are kept below 1000 milligrams per day.

Rare but reported side effects include skin rash and stomach discomfort (27).

Women who are pregnant should not take chasteberry since it can interfere with the production of hormones that are necessary for a healthy pregnancy.

There is little research on the interaction of this herb with other medications.

Since it is a known dopamine influencer, however, you should not take it with any drugs that also affect dopamine levels.

These include medications taken for Parkinson’s diseases as well as antipsychotic medicines.

If you are already taking drugs that alter hormone levels, you should not take chasteberry.

This is because it can interrupt the effects of these medications.

Those with conditions that are hormone-sensitive, including breast cancer, should also avoid this herbal treatment (28).

Conclusion

Chasteberry is also known as vitex agnus-castus and comes from the chaste tree.

This herbal supplement has a considerable influence on hormone levels for women, which makes it an excellent treatment for everything from PMS to endometriosis, infertility, menopause, uterine fibroids, and hormone-related acne and headaches.

Men can also benefit from its effects, which reduce the size of an enlarged prostate.

This herb is well-tolerated and produces very few side effects, which makes it an excellent natural option for many people.