Vitex agnus-castus, Chaste tree
A very ornamental, slender Mediterranean shrub with fragrant foliage and flowers, historically used for women’s complaints from painful periods to menopause.
scientific name Vitex agnus-castus L.
family Lamiaceae
alternate names Agnus castus, monks pepper, chasteberry
parts used Berries and leaves
Description
Chaste tree forms a medium-sized shrub, multibranched, and grows to 3m tall by 3m wide. Chaste tree flowers in later summer bearing fragrant purplish flowers in racemes followed by dark reddish-black berries. The palmate opposite leaves are strongly aromatic.
Habitat
Chaste tree is native to southern Europe and central Asia. It has become naturalised in southern parts of the US.
Related plants
Chinese chaste tree or cut-leaf chaste tree (V. negundo) is hardy to USDA zones 6-9 (UK zone 8) and has similar constituents and effects.1 It is used extensively in Asian and Chinese traditional medicine for coughs and colds and as an inhalation for sinus problems.
Chaste tree after flowering in a polytunnel in Scotland
Cultivation and harvest
Cultivation
Chaste tree needs full sun, good drainage and protection from cold winds. It is hardy to USDA zone 8a (UK zone 7) and cannot grow in shade. Chaste tree succeeds in dry soils and is intolerant of waterlogging. It may grow in milder locations but flowers may be produced so late in the season that seeds are not viable. If cut down by frost it may still regrow from the base. If it does flower then the old flowering shoots can be pruned in late February-March. In warmer areas chaste tree may reproduce from seed prolifically, and can be regarded as invasive.
Pests and diseases
Resistant to deer.
Propagation
Stored seeds should be scarified and soaked for 24 hours, then cold stratified for three months. Sow the seed in March indoors. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer of the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5-8cm with a heel, can be taken in July/August. Cuttings of mature wood can be taken in November and placed in a cold frame.
Harvesting
Chaste tree leaves can be harvested before flowering gets under way and used fresh or dried for later use. Berries are harvested when ripe and can be used fresh or dried.
Chaste tree flowering on the coast of Turkey
Therapeutic use
Traditional
Chaste tree has been used for thousands of years for its beneficial effect on women’s complaints including menstrual irregularities and lack of milk production. It has also been used by men to suppress libido and treat acne. Traditionally, both the leaves and fruits were used.
Medicinal actions and uses
Chaste tree leaf is anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, expectorant, digestive, tonic and antifungal. Chaste tree fruit has an ability to normalise a hormonal imbalance of oestrogen and progesterone. Thus it has been used in restoring absent menstruation, regulating heavy periods, restoring fertility after the pill, relieving premenstrual tension and easing the change of the menopause.2 Other uses include: reduction of flatulence, suppression of appetite and induction of sleep. Sometimes the effects of chaste tree appear slowly, taking 2-3 months to develop, and are contradictory, for example, it is variously claimed to increase or reduce breastmilk, and it is likely that the level of dosage is important in determining the effects. Low doses increase prolactin levels and high doses decrease prolactin levels, increasing and decreasing breastmilk respectively.
Clinical applications and research
Extracts of chasteberry leaf were found to be antifungal in a study based on Candida albicans.3 However, most modern research has focused on the fruits and women’s conditions. Systematic reviews have been carried out of randomised, controlled trials investigating use of chaste tree seeds.4 Despite some methodological limitations, the results from randomised, controlled trials to date suggest benefits for chaste tree seed extracts in the treatment of premenstrual problems and hyperprolactinaemia. Further research has been recommended.5
Sample preparations and dosage
Tincture of chaste tree berries, typically 0.5-1ml, is usually taken once a day in the morning. Tincture of chaste tree leaves can be taken 2-3ml three times daily. An infusion of leaves can be drunk as a tea or used as an inhalation or as a mouthwash for toothache.
Constituents and commerce
Key constituents
Chaste tree contains flavonoids (casticin, orientin, apigenin and penduletin), iridoids, alkaloids (viticin) and diterpenes.6 The leaves contain lesser quantities of significant constituents than the berries.
Commerce
Commercial products of chaste tree are standardised to the content of the flavonoid casticin and contain a minimum of 0.08% in dried ripe fruit and powdered extracts.
Safety
Side effects reported are mild such as digestive upset, headache and itching and these effects cease on stopping intake of chaste tree. Chaste tree is not recommended during pregnancy and could inhibit milk production. Medical advice should be sought if taken alongside medications such as bromocriptine, apomorphine, some antipsychotics and some antiemetics.
Other uses
Attracts butterflies. Ornamental flowers can be dried. The bendy canes can be used as basket weaving material. Insect and mosquito repellent.
1 Gill B, Mehra R, Navgeet, et al. (2018) Vitex negundo and its medicinal value. Mol Biol Rep 45: 2925-2934.
2 Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC). (2018) European Union Herbal Monograph on Vitex Agnus-Castus L., Fructus: Final, London, UK: European Medicines Agency.
3 Keikha N, Shafaghat M, Mousavia SM, et al. (2018) Antifungal effects of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Vitex agnus-castus against vaginal isolates of Candida albicans. Curr Med Mycol 4: 1-5.
4 van Die MD, Burger HG, Teede HJ, et al. (2013) Vitex agnus-castus extracts for female reproductive disorders: A systematic review of clinical trials. Planta Med 79: 562-575.
5 Verkaik S, Kamperman AM, van Westrhenen R, et al. (2017) The treatment of premenstrual syndrome with preparations of Vitex agnus castus: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Obstet Gynecol 217: 150-166.
6 Wuttke W, Jarry H, Christoffel V, et al. (2003) Chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus) – pharmacology and clinical indications. Phytomedicine 10: 348-357; Busia (2016) vol 2, p608.