This large shrub with beautiful blue-violet flowers that bloom during the summer months can grow up to twenty-two feet in height, and is considered to be native to the Southern Europe and to the Mediterranean.
This tree grows mostly on riverbanks, although today it can be grown in a simple garden, which is what most Americans do.
The chaste tree was believed to keep its owner chaste, with his sexual passions under check, according to ancient Romans and Greeks, and it was also assumed that the chaste tree was capable of warding off evil.
It must be remembered that in earlier times, especially after the fall of Rome, Western medicine went into a state of stagnation, and throughout the Middle Ages, the medical writers or other scientists in Europe resorted to simply copying down the original Roman and Greek sources of medical terms and history.
However, some scholars like Hippocrates are known to have recommended using the chaste tree for treating conditions like injuries and inflammation, and several centuries later Dioscorides is known to have recommended the herb exclusively for treating inflammation of the womb and for encouraging milk flow shortly after birth.
In Persia, however, unlike as in Europe and the Western parts of the world, this was not the case; original medical thought did flourish at these times, and this era was even known as the 'Golden Age' of Arabic science.
Fortunately this heritage has been preserved in documents of those times, and the two important works of the time, available in English editions are 'The Medical Formulary of AI-Samarqu.andi', from about 1200 A.D., and 'The Medical Formulary of AI-Kindi', in which agnus castus has been mentioned several times.
This goes on to prove that the chaste tree (vitex) was known to man as early as the Middle Ages, and that the herb had been used to cure conditions such as madness, insanity, and epilepsy.
Even today, the fruits of vitex are sold in Egyptian bazaars as a calming agent useful in hysteria. The 'chasteberry' is often recommended today for the treatment of disorders of the female reproductive system, and other similar ailments affecting women of the reproductive age group.
However, it may be a little strange to know that although the chaste tree is generally used for treating disorders and conditions of the female reproductive system, like for pre-menstrual syndrome or PMS and for peri - or postmenopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, they are associated with completely different hormonal imbalances.
In fact, the results of a survey by medical herbalists concluded that the chaste tree may be considered an 'adaptogen' which affects the pituitary gland in a human being.
The parts of the chaste tree most often used in medical treatments are the dried berries, although in some Mediterranean countries, leaves of flowering chaste tree tops are also harvested and dried for medicinal use.
It was Gerard, one of the best known Renaissance herbalists, who was responsible for collecting and gathering valuable information on the use of herbs from Roman and Greek sources, and also from folk remedies and professional herbalists of the time.
However, although Gerard's information has been considered being much too fanciful, it has also been praised for being quite practical too.
Take this statement for example; Gerard felt that vitex could be taken as a powder, tea, or worn on the body, and it would have the same impact, and he also stressed on the fact that vitex would make sure that an individual was able to maintain his chastity without any problem.
These statements were much too fanciful. However, Gerard also stated that vitex would cure flatulence, and according to him, an infusion of the fruits of the chastity tree would literally "cureth the stoppings of the liver and spleen".
This great man was also known to have extolled the virtues of using this plant as a "female herb", in that it could be put to a great many practical uses such as using the seeds and the leaves of this herb for treating pain and inflammations of the uterus, while the seed drunk with pennyroyal herb would most definitely bring on the menstruations.
The scientific name for vitex, Vitex agnus-castus, comes from the Greek agnos castus, and it means "chaste," and the great Pliny, the famous Greek natural historian (23-79 A.D.), wrote that the herb "checks violent sexual desire".
It is a well documented fact that medieval monks used the berries of the chaste tree in most of their meals so that it would keep them safe from their own sexual desires and appetites. Perhaps this is the reason why the chaste tree is also known as "monk's pepper".
However, the chaste tree has several kinds of medicinal properties as well. For instance, it can help bring relief from fevers and headaches if it is taken in the form of a drink made from the seeds of vitex, and it can also help stimulate perspiration, promote menstruation, and prove effective in "purging the uterus."
Vitex is also known to promote the flow of breast milk in new mothers. Vitex seeds can also be taken to dispel "wind" or flatulence from the bowels, perhaps because of their hot nature, and this would be useful in promoting urination, checking and arresting diarrhea, and improving dropsy and spleen diseases.
Both the seeds and the leaves were also considered effective against the bites of snakes and spiders. In case of snake bites, vitex can be taken in the form of two tender leaves of vitex mixed in wine or in a mixture of water and vinegar.
In several Mediterranean countries where chaste tree grows in nature, the herb has been popularly and widely used for a wide variety of ailments, including gas, colic, and other digestive problems, and in fact, some of the earliest recorded instances of the use of vitex are during the year 1880, when fruits of the chaste tree were used to remove "visceral obstructions" and promote good digestion.
According to Cazin, the author of a French herbal article from the late 1800's, vitex could be used for 'cooling one's passions' and he also mentions the soothing drink that could be made of the seeds of vitex, which proved to be "an infallible remedy for maintaining chastity and repressing the ardors of Venus."
Cazin contradicted himself however, when he said that this syrup which could even cool the ardors of Venus, when distributed to convents so that unwarranted passions could be subdued, could well prove to be completely ineffective, and in fact could even prove to stimulate passions!
Research has shown that extracts of the chaste tree berry have the effect of decreasing prolactin secretion in laboratory rats, with a direct impact on their pituitary glands.
This would dramatically reduce milk secretion in these animals, which is in direct contradiction to what has been mentioned in ancient texts, wherein vitex is recommended for mothers to increase lactation.
This is the reason why the chaste tree is often recommended for cases where there is an excessive secretion of prolactin. For example, in clinical studies of the uses of the chaste berry for treating cases of menstrual disorders related to excessive prolactin, the herb was able to normalize both the cycle and the levels of prolactin and progesterone hormones.
Vitex is also believed to reduce the symptoms of swelling and PMS breast tenderness, a condition linked to excess prolactin, and also in reducing symptoms of PMS, although the latter studies are uncontrolled ones, conducted in Germany. In one of these studies, it was reported by the investigators that the patient demonstrated higher blood levels of progesterone as a result of the treatment.
It goes without saying that if the chaste tree can be used for normalizing and regularizing hormone levels, then it could also be used for perimenopausal women with heavy bleeding or unusually short cycles.
Although there have not been any proper studies conducted on the efficacy of using chaste berry for menopausal symptoms, it is widely used within the UK by medical herbalists to treat hot flashes, a symptom of menopause.
The same practitioners recommend using chaste berry for female infertility, but it is a fact that there has been no proof of its effectiveness in such cases.
Very often, the chaste berry is used to treat acne in both men and women, and it is believed that it is the antiandrogenic effect of the herb, although there is a lack of research on the subject, that is responsible for the fact. Chaste berry is also recommended to decrease an unusually active libido.
Berries.
The regulation of female hormones can be one of the most useful purposes of the chaste berry.
The chaste tree can help to balance estrogen and progesterone production by the ovaries throughout the menstrual cycle by increasing progesterogenic activity, and this is the reason why many Western herbalists prefer the chaste tree for treating menstrual problems, like for example premenstrual syndrome and the symptoms that accompany it, irregular or absent periods, and other related disorders.
Among the several symptoms of PMS are bloating, tenderness and breast swelling, irritability, and depression, and these symptoms can be contained and the discomfort related to them reduced considerably with the help of the chaste berry.
However, the herb must be taken for several months if one were to start to experience the benefits. Irregular periods can be regulated with the herb: while a longer cycle can be shortened, a shorter one can be lengthened.
Migraine and acne, disorders related to the menstrual cycle can also be handled with the chaste berry.
In cases where the woman is infertile because of decreased levels of progesterone, chaste tree can help alleviate the symptoms and increase production.
The chaste tree is native to the western Asia and Mediterranean region, and today it is cultivated in several different subtropical areas all around the world, and this useful tree has become naturalized in many regions of the world. The ripe berries of the chaste tree can be collected during autumn.
Horticultural literature describes two varieties of Vitex agnus-castus, one variety is alba (white lilac chaste tree) and the second one is latifolia (hardy lilac chaste tree).
Vitex thrives in wet conditions, with plenty of water, but at the same time, it grows well in drier environments and conditions too. Known as tough and hardy plants, vitex sheds all its leaves during the winter months.
During the spring months, however, the chaste tree can be very tender and vulnerable and susceptible to a late frost, and this means that it would have to be protected with a covering of straw or mulch in very cold areas, especially when it is a young tree.
To propagate the chaste tree, one must put the cuttings in light, well-drained soil early in the spring before the buds of the tree begin to swell. Water them regularly and they will take root. The technique of layering can also be used with vitex.
One has to be extremely careful when bending the young branches to the ground, as they have the tendency to split. Cover them with a very thin layer of soil and water them in dry weather, and they usually take root in about one year.
One must set out the cuttings in March, but also be on the alert for frost. This herb has the tendency to sucker, so it would be an excellent idea to trim them to shape the shrub and concentrate the tree's energy on the fruiting shoots and top flowering.
The flowers of the chaste tree are often commended for being gloriously beautiful. They range in colors from white to lilac to blue, and they arrive during the summer or early autumn.
Perhaps it is for this reason that vitex is preferred by several people: it blooms at a time when not many other flowers bloom, and it makes a lovely ornamental shrub as well.
Experts say that the vitex will not give fruit in cool coastal climates, because of the simple fact that fruiting will need the heat of the summer to develop.
One must remember that the trees must be given very little water during flowering and fruiting so that fruit production is maximized greatly. Over watering the chaste tree can significantly reduce the fruit set.
According to researchers who have been investigating the chaste tree and its various properties over several years, it can be proved that the chaste tree most definitely has a certain amount of hormonal properties, which would have a distinctive effect on the body.
However, researchers have not been able to isolate the exact constituents responsible for this effect.
Some consider the chaste tree as having antiandrogenic properties, that is, in other words, that the chaste tree possesses properties that would inhibit the action of male androgens or sex hormones on the body, while some others, like the researchers in Germany who conducted a research in 1988 believe that the chaste tree possesses a progesterogenic effect.
This means that they believed that the chaste tree would act on the pituitary glands of the body, thus regulating the menstrual cycle in a woman.
The chaste tree is capable of providing relief to women suffering from PMS or premenstrual syndrome, and also in helping in improving fertility.
Researchers have been able to isolate those constituents in the chaste tree that are considered responsible for its medicinal effects. However, it has been ascertained that the berries contain iridoids as glycosides, like for example agnuside and aucubin .
They also contain almost 1 % of flavonoids such as orientin, casticin, isovitexin, kaempferol, and quercetagetin. The flavonoid content is highest in the leaves (up to 2.7 %) and in the flowers (nearly 1.5 %).
The chaste tree does not contain plant estrogens; instead, it has been found to contain progesterone, testosterone, epitestosterone, hydroxyprogesterone and androstenedione in its flowers and leaves.
It is a well known fact that the chaste berry has a distinctive spicy aroma, and it is assumed that it is its essential oils that lend it this scent.
The chaste berry oil also contains ingredients like monoterpenes cineol or what is known as volatile oil, and pinene, along with limonene, myrcene, eucalptol, linalool, citronellol, castine, and others, plus quite a few sesquiterpenes. Vitricine, an alkaloid, is also an important ingredient of the oil of chaste berry.
Taking 40 drops of the concentrated liquid chaste tree herbal extract mixed in a glass of water in the morning is advisable. Chaste tree can also be taken in the form of powders and capsules.
These too must be taken first thing in the morning. However, it must be remembered that the chaste tree is not a fast acting herb, especially given its long term use for regulating the female hormonal systems.
A woman suffering from premenstrual syndrome, or from heavy bleeding during her periods, chaste tree is a valuable option, and it can be taken continuously for almost four to six months.
Those women who suffer from amenorrhea and infertility are often advised to continue treatment with chaste tree for 12 to 18 months, without stopping in between, unless pregnancy was to occur.
There have been no real reported side effects for those taking chaste tree. However, there have been some reports of minor gastrointestinal upsets and mild skin rashes with itching in less than 2 percent of the women monitored while they were on chaste tree treatment. As is the rule, chaste tree is not recommended for women during pregnancy or during lactation.
The chaste berry has specific, separate and distinct actions on men and women. Most often, the chaste berry is given to women, so that the actions of the pituitary gland may be regulated.
The chemical messages sent to the pituitary gland are responsible for the regulation of the hormones in a woman's body, and the two main hormones that the chaste tree controls are estrogen and progesterone.
Most disorders in the reproductive system are in effect caused by the imbalance of these two important hormones, like for example, the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome are caused by an imbalance in the hormones, and this imbalance can be effectively treated by the chaste berry. Irregular periods, menopause, and infertility can also be treated by the chaste tree.
During the onset of puberty, or during the time of menopause, acne becomes a major problem, and this problem can be handled best with the help of the chaste tree.
In the case of men, the chaste tree is given to depress the male androgen hormones, which are responsible for the male sex drive. However, this may not be the best option for a man, and this may be the reason why the chaste tree is rarely, if ever, given to a male.
Synergistic herbs can either enhance the activity of the main herbs, or effectively reduce certain unwanted and undesirable side effects of the main herb. The following are some of the synergistic herbs for the chaste tree.
It is a fact that most herbalists advice using a combination or a formula of different herbs for complete relief, especially for certain long term and chronic symptoms.
This formula may even contain as many as twelve herbs, and it is the combination that would prove to be more effective than an individual herb.
In treating premenstrual syndrome, for example, the best option would be to use a combination of several different herbs in their right proportions, as in vitex with uterine tonic herbs, such as saw palmetto, black cohosh or false unicorn root or star grass.
If the disorder for which treatment is being sought is cramps, then the best option would be to add cramp bark and wild yam to the combination already detailed.
It must be noted that most of these herbs can be found in herb shops, and as single as well as dry herbs and liquid tinctures. They may also be available as components of numerous formulas for women's health.
Chaste tree in powdered form is available in tablet or capsule forms. Simply pulverized herbs are referred to as powders, and as far as the chaste tree is concerned, the powdered seeds are called powders. The seeds of the chaste tree are powdered, and they are not processed in any other way.
This is the method in which herb powders are generally prepared, and this means that such powders can be extremely cost effective.
However, it must be noted that powders reduce the shelf life of the product, because of the basic fact that all powdered herbs must be utilized within a year of their manufacture.
In addition, the quantity of the powders to be taken has to be more, as compared to other forms. Take for instance liquid extract. One dropperful of liquid extract generally equals about three capsules of powder, depending on the quality of the herb being referred to.
In Europe, liquid and powdered extracts are the two most common products containing chaste tree. Most scientific research on the properties and qualities of the chaste tree has been performed on the Agnolyt, a liquid extract. Liquid extract is also referred to as 'tincture'.
Tincture of the chaste tree is generally made from the seeds of the chaste tree, by grinding them into a powder, and thereafter, soaking the powder in a solvent of grain alcohol and water, and leaving it undisturbed for several weeks.
The solvent acts as an absorbent, and concentrates all the active constituents of the herb, and later, the remaining solids from the powder are pressed and filtered out.
Tincture or the liquid extract has been proven to be an excellent medicine, because of the fact that the alcohol used as a solvent in its manufacture acts as a carrier, and this can stimulate digestion somewhat, facilitate assimilation, and also act as an excellent preservative.
In general, liquid extracts must be able to hold all their active properties for a period extending up to three years, if they are kept stored in a cool place, away from direct sunlight.
One must note that the amount of alcohol that is used in one average dosage of the liquid extracts of herbs is quite insignificant; there is about forty drops in one dropperful of tincture, and this is to be further diluted in a glassful of water or juice before consumption, and this can mean that the alcohol content in the extract can be stated to be negligible, that is, it is less than 0.1 % per dosage.
Herbs are also available in another form of extract, a glycerite. This extract is made from made from glycerin derived from either animal or vegetable sources, but one must be careful and give the product due consideration before purchasing them.
One problem lies in the fact that the source of the glycerin used may be either animal or vegetable, and one must ascertain this fact with the manufacturer before making the purchase.
Secondly, one must be aware of the fact that glycerin can be irritating and drying to the throat, just like alcohol may be. It may at times even irritate the digestive system, and it is for this reason that it is always advisable to take glycerites in water.
Another problem may be that glycerites are not in general as concentrated in nature as tinctures maybe. In the manufacture of a glycerite, the herbs must first be extracted in alcohol; after which the alcohol has to be removed by heating. As a final step, the glycerin is added.
It must be remembered that in such a case, not all the active constituents that were dissolved in the alcohol may eventually be present in the glycerin solution, because of the simple fact that glycerin's properties as a solvent differ from those of alcohol.
Therefore, a one-ounce bottle of a glycerite might be weaker than a bottle of alcohol-based tincture of similar quantity.
As far as the chaste tree is concerned, the herb's active constituents are not entirely known, but it is generally assumed that they are flavonoids or resinoid compounds, both of which are more soluble in the alcohol than in glycerin.
The making of a powdered extract is basically much the same as the manufacture of tincture, but this is taken one step further.
The liquid is "spray-dried" under a flash of hot air into a vacuum, and this process will dry up the liquid extract very quickly, into a powder, which has been stripped of certain constituents that are not considered medicinally important, like for example, fatty oil, fiber, and starch.
The resultant powder is thereafter pressed into capsules or tablets. These can be assimilated rather rapidly into the body, in much the same way as liquid extracts are.
It is a simple matter indeed, to make one's own tea. However, one must make sure that the herbs that one uses for the tea are fresh and are of excellent quality. Chaste tree is freely available, and can be purchased in bulk at an herb or natural food store.
It is fortunate that the shelf life of an entire chaste tree is quite long. The reason is that the fruits of the chaste tree are covered in a hard shell, and as mentioned earlier, the fruits are the main part of the tree that are used in the manufacture of herbal medicine.
However, one must note that as soon as the fruits are ground into powder, the oxygen present in the atmosphere begins to break down the plant's active chemical substances.
Therefore, it is a wiser idea to buy the fruits in bulk, in its whole state, that is, as complete fruits, and then powder small quantities whenever needed to make either tea or capsules.
Since the fruits of the chaste tree do carry a spicy and bitter taste, one can try mixing them with chamomile, a little licorice, and ginger to enhance the flavor a bit. This would not affect the medicinal activity or properties of the chaste tree much.
The form of chaste tree that one chooses to take, be it liquid glycerite, alcohol based extract, powdered herb in capsules, powdered extract in capsules or tablets, or even homemade tea-is actually an individual preference.
Therefore, one of the most important considerations is to use a high-quality herb or herbal product that is fresh and not too old. It is also a wise idea to choose an herb that is certified organically-grown: this information can usually be found printed on the package label.
This is because organic farming in general supports the natural growth-cycle of plants, does not contribute to our planet's environmental pollution, and preserves the wild populations of plants.
Wild plants are today increasingly being over harvested and used in making herbal medicines for the increasing population, and this is something that must be avoided at any cost.
Organically grown fruits of the chaste tree are not yet commercially available, and this means that much of the herb is harvested from the wild forests of southern Europe.
When one is contemplating trying out herbal products as remedies, one must remember that the quality of the herbal product must always be the best, so that the optimum benefits of trying out these remedies would be obtained. In addition, there are three main factors that one must consider before trying out an herbal remedy.
They are: one, the age of the product being tried, two, the potency of the herb as available in the market, and three, the form of the herbal product.
How can one find out the age of the product? One must observe carefully the 'manufacture date' or the 'pull date' of the product as displayed on the bottle or box. This is what is otherwise known as the 'sell by' or 'expiration date'.
A liquid product or tincture must never be over three years old, and capsules cannot be more than one and one-half years old, and ideally, capsules can be just about a year old at the time of purchase.
These facts must be ascertained before purchasing the product. If one finds that there is no date on the bottle or box, then one must call and ask the manufacturer when the herb was bottled.
He would be able to tell the date of manufacture by looking at the lot number of the product, and if he finds that there is no lot number mentioned on the bottle, then one must simply walk away without buying the product.
How does one ascertain the potency of the product one is buying? One must spread the whole herb, or the powder from a capsule in the palm of one's hand. One must then rub the powder back and forth on the palm with the help of the thumb.
This action must release the various volatile oils present in the herb. When the hands are smelt, one must be able to obtain a clearly rich, resinous, aromatic scent. If, on the other hand, one is only able to obtain a moldy and stale smell, then one must reject the bottle immediately, because the potency of the herb has been lost already.
One must always remember not to feel too self conscious about returning the bottle to the shelf and not buying it.
One can explain to the store owner or the manufacturer why the bottle is being rejected, and this may in fact be a blessing in disguise for the owner, because of the simple fact that customer responses are crucial towards maintaining the quality of the herbs that they are selling.
This may mean that the next time, they will be able to pay closer attention to what they are selling, and its quality.
As one knows, there are some very good herbal products available, and also some that aren't so good, and by choosing carefully, one would be making prudent and sensible purchases and also at the same time help in raising the general quality of the herbal products on the marketplace.
This is a very strong and excellent remedial herbal formal. It rinses out as well as reinforces the liver and the endocrine glands, in addition to providing nutriments to and developing the total system.
This formula is indicated for severe hormonal imbalances that are obvious from deplete levels of energy, remarkable mood swings, absence of menses and agonizing and erratic menstrual cycles.
As this herbal formula tastes very bitter, it is suggested that you take it in the form of a capsule or a tincture.
The recommended dose of this formula is taking two '00' capsules every day - one in the morning and another in the evening. Alternatively, you may also take 1/4 teaspoon of the tincture form of this preparation thrice every day.
