PARTS USED:
- Fruit
USES:
PMS
- Use when there is high estrogen and low progesterone (PMS-A)
- Irritability
- Mood swings
- Breast pain
- Water retention
- Anxiety/Nervous tension
- Cravings
- Works well for those whose PMS symptoms disappear as soon as menstruation starts
Female hormone normalizer
- Normalizes pituitary gland function, reducing FSH and increasing LSH, and corpus luteum deficiency
- Restores balance, especially to progesterone and prolactin
- Works to decrease/normalize prolactin levels
Regulates cycle
- Dysmenorrhea
- Bleeding between periods
- May help women to get pregnant due to regulating cycles – usually takes 3-6 cycles to work
May help with fibroid cysts
May help with menopausal symptoms as progesterone levels decline – night sweats and hot flashes (Note: Could result in re-menstruation)
Low doses can help with milk production
Helps prevent miscarriages due to the uterus not holding onto the pregnancy – use about 1 month prior to pregnancy and one month into pregnancy, then stop
Good tonic for women coming off the pill – helps stabilize cycle
Acne
- Great for teenagers in puberty who have hormone-related acne (use short-term, 1 month only, 10-15ml/day)
- Good for men with cystic (deep) acne on any part of the body
Anaphrodisiac in men
Vitex seeds (tincture) can repel mosquitoes, flies, ticks and fleas for up to 6 hours
May kill lice larva and prohibit lice reproduction
Note: For PMS issues, Vitex is not fast acting – you may see results in two cycles but it can take up to 12 cycles to fully correct the problem
PREPARATION:
- Tea
- Tincture
SIDE EFFECTS AND TOXICITY:
- Women with hormone-sensitive cancers, such as breast cancer, should not use chasteberry
- May interfere with Dopamine-enhancing drugs – Parkinson’s, Antidepressants
MISCELLANEOUS:
- Don’t use in women until at least 18 years of age, except for acne in lowered doses
- Best if used in the morning within 30 minutes of waking
- Most effective if used every day
- Mentioned over 2500 years ago in Homer’s “The Iliad” as a symbol of chastity
- Monks would sprinkle it on their food to curb sexual desire; hence the name “Monk Pepper”
- The species name “agnus-castus” is a misinterpretation of the Greek work “ágnos” meaning holy, pure, chaste
