Chaste Tree (Vitex)

Detailed overview

Chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus) is a standardized extract from the ripe fruit of a Mediterranean shrub traditionally classified in the Verbenaceae, now the Lamiaceae, family, used for millennia for complaints of the female cycle. Its main action is dopaminergic: the diterpenoids it contains (clerodadiene diterpenes) bind to dopamine D2 receptors in the anterior pituitary, mimicking dopamine's inhibitory effect on prolactin secretion, thereby lowering mildly elevated prolactin and restoring hormonal balance across the cycle. Human randomized trials and meta-analyses show it is more effective than placebo for relieving premenstrual syndrome (PMS), cyclical breast tenderness and mood symptoms. The effect develops slowly, typically over about three menstrual cycles. It is available as a dietary supplement and, in several European countries, as a registered herbal medicine, but it is not an FDA-approved drug.