| Some Products using Chasteberry | ||
| Product | Health Issue | Other Herbal Ingredients |
| Fertile XX from Native Remedies | infertility | black cohosh, siberian ginseng |
| Physicians Formula Chasteberry | menopause | none |
| Learn which herbs are commonly used to treat |
Traditional Uses
Chasteberry has been used in traditional medicine for centuries in Europe for hormonal imbalances in women.
Research
Several studies have been carried out to establish the effect of Vitex agnus-castus (chaste tree berry) preparations on women with a variety of gynaecological problems including infertility, corpus luteum insufficiency, secondary amenorrhea, abnormally low progesterone levels, high prolactin levels, and, interestingly, acne.
The results are quite remarkable, and can be viewed at this web page
Current uses
Currently, chasteberry is being increasingly accepted, even by conventional Western medicine, as an effective treatment to promote hormonal balance and health.
Recent findings confirm that Chasteberry helps restore a normal estrogen-to-progesterone balance. It has been shown to not only ease, but in time, actually cure premenstrual syndrome, which has been linked to abnormally high levels of estrogen, especially if symptoms tend to disappear when menstruation begins. European herbalists also used it historically to treat fibroid tumors and other female complaints.
Chasteberry helps the pituitary gland in the brain to stimulate the ovulation process and has been shown to improve production of progesterone and inhibit the production of prolactin. A deficiency in progesterone and high prolactin levels can both inhibit ovulation and make it difficult to conceive. It may be used to aid the body to regain a natural balance after the use of the birth control pill.
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Precautions and side effects (refer also to statements below)
Since chasteberry has a major effect on hormonal levels and balance, it would be clearly unwise to mix preparatiopns containing chasteberry with other hormonal treatments including hormone replacement therapy, oral contraceptives, and dopamine agonists.
Chasteberry should not be taken during pregnancy or for more than 12 months for infertility. It should not be taken by breast feeding mothers.
The only reported side effects are an itchy rash, on rare occasions, or stomach discomfort.
Chasteberry has potent therapeutic effects and should be taken under the supervision of a licensed naturopath, or a physician with knowledge of herbal medicine.
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