INTRODUCTION Vitex agnus-castus, also called vitex is aboriginal to the Mediterranean region, with long leaves, tender stem, flowers and ripening seeds. The aim of this study was to overview premenstrual, postmenstrual and infertility disorder of Vitex agnus-castus. METHODS This review article was carried out by searching studies in PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, and IranMedex databases. Th...

Pituitary pars intermedia hyperplasia, which causes Equine Cushing’s Syndrome, has been treated with dopaminergic agonists such as pergolide. Vitex agnus castus (Chaste Berry) extract has been used medicinally for centuries for various human female cycle disorders, and a lay article claimed its therapeutic efficacy in horses with pituitary hyperplasia and other hormonal dysfunction. Ethanol ext...

Vitex agnus-castus L., (Verbenaceae) traditional Chinese medicinal plant recommended for various inflammatory ailments, but its mechanism of anti-inflammatory action is still unclear. The present study reports the anti-inflammatory activities of various extracts and elucidate possible mechanism(s) with the quantification of flavonoids by RP-HPLC. The petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, methanol and...

Resume of 'previous work.?Vaughan (1921) found that an aqueous infusion of the leaves of Vitex peduncularis, Wall, var. roxburghiana, was being used by the aboriginal tribe of Ranchi in malaria and blackwater fever. Though the medicinal properties of the members of the Vitex family (e.g. Vitex trifolia, negundo, etc.) have been elaborately described in the Ayurvedic system of medicine, the Vite...

BACKGROUND The origin of the current practice of administering Vitex agnus-castus in menopause-related complaints is uncertain, but appears to be relatively recent. Here we review the evidence for this application of Vitex based on evidence from pharmacological studies and clinical research. METHODS The mechanisms of potential relevance in the context of menopause are explored with reference ...

OBJECTIVES To compare the efficacy and tolerability of agnus castus fruit (Vitex agnus castus L extract Ze 440) with placebo for women with the premenstrual syndrome. DESIGN Randomised, double blind, placebo controlled, parallel group comparison over three menstrual cycles. SETTING General medicine community clinics. PARTICIPANTS 178 women were screened and 170 were evaluated (active 86; ...

Vitex agnus-castus L. (Lamiaceae) is a medicinal plant historically used throughout the Mediterranean region to treat menstrual cycle disorders, and is still used today as a clinically effective treatment for premenstrual syndrome. The pharmaceutical activity of the plant extract is linked to its ability to lower prolactin levels. This feature has been attributed to the presence of dopaminergic...

Since the publication of "Application Guideline for Western Traditional Herbal Medicines as OTC Drugs" in 2007, only two European ethnopharmaceuticals, Vitis vinifera L., folium extract (Antistax) and Vitex agnus-castus L., fructus extract (Prefemin), have been approved as OTC drugs in Japan. In this review, we describe the current regulation of Western ethnopharmaceuticals in Japan, summarize ...