Agnus Castus - Balancing Female Hormones
Agnus castus also known as Vitex, is a popular herb used for balancing female hormones. The fruit of Agnus castus (full name Vitex agnus castus also known as Chaste tree berry) has traditionally been used for the treatment of hormonal imbalances in women linked to premenstrual tension, infertility and the menopause.
Premenstrual Syndrome
Agnus castus is one of the few herbs that have been fully researched with a double blind, placebo controlled, randomised trials including one by R Schellenberg which was published in the BMJ in January 2001.
The study looked at women's self assessment of irritability, mood alteration, anger, headache, breast fullness, and other menstrual symptoms including bloating. It's main conclusions can be summarised as "extract of agnus castus fruit is an effective and well tolerated treatment for the relief of symptoms of the premenstrual syndrome".
The article was published in the British Medical Journal but it appears that few doctors suggest or prescribe Agnus castus for PMS. That could be because they receive most of their information regarding advances in healthcare from drug companies or possibly because, as it is a herbal remedy, it is dismissed as old fashioned quackery.
Other studies have shown that Agnus castus is useful in the treatment of both pre-menstrual and post-menstrual syndromes. A useful 2017 scientific review can be found here. A study published in the Maturitas scientific journal in May 2009 provided information on a randomised double blind, placebo controlled trial of 217 women in China and concluded that “Vitex agnus castus is a safe, well tolerated and effective treatment for Chinese women with the moderate to severe PMS”.
Fertility
A 1993 randomised, placebo controlled, double blind German study by Milewicz et al looked at the benefits of Agnus castus for the treatment of luteal phase defects due to latent hyperprolactinemia. Luteal phase defects occurs when a woman's ovaries don't release enough progesterone, or the uterus lining doesn't respond to progesterone. Hyperprolactinemia is a condition where there is too much prolactin in the blood of women who are not pregnant and it can cause infertility. The study found that the Agnus castus reduced prolactin release after 3 months, shortened luteal phases were normalised and deficits in the luteal progesterone synthesis were eliminated. These changes were significant and occurred only in the group taking Agnus castus. Side effects were not seen, two (of the 20) women treated with the Vitex agnus castus preparation got pregnant. Overall the study found that agnus castus is an efficient medication in the treatment of luteal phase defects due to latent hyperprolactinaemia.
Menopausal Symptoms
A 2017 randomised, double blind study compared Agnus castus with placebo in reducing menopausal symptoms. The study found overall that administration of Vitex agnus-castus extracts as a phytoestrogenic medicine can alleviate many menopausal symptoms in women although some specific symptoms such as depression and sexual dysfunction did not show a difference with placebo.
Disclaimer
Any information we give in this blog is not meant to replace the advice of your health professional. We always recommend that you seek a full consultation with a registered herbalist