Chaste Tree Berry Helps Relieve Health Problems
In ancient times, it was called Monk’s pepper. This is because chaste tree berry (also known as Vitex and by the trade name Femaprin) was said to have an anaphrodisiac quality, that is, its ability to decrease sexual drives. Other sources indicate it was used as an aphrodisiac, in other words, for the opposite effect. How can both be true?
Chaste tree is a large shrub (up to twenty-two feet tall) native to the Mediterranean and southern Europe. Although it flourishes on moist riverbanks, it is easily grown as an ornamental plant in American gardens, where its pretty blue-violet flowers blossom in midsummer. Today it is almost exclusively used for female problems.
The above seeming contradiction isn′t the only one related to this herb. In history it has been used to inhibit excessive milk flow after birth, and to encourage it. It is used to treat post menopausal symptoms by some, and others say it exacerbates them. Some have used it to encourage conception, but others say that it does nothing for infertility.
The reason for contradictory results from chaste tree berry is that it is an adaptogen. This means it works through the adrenal glands, in this case the pituitary, to produce adjustments in the body that normalize hormone imbalance. In other words, it constrains hormonal excesses and encourages deficiencies. Other herbal examples of adaptogens are garlic, ginseng, echinacea, ginkgo, goldenseal, and taheebo.
In order to balance the body hormones, chaste tree berry decreases the production of some hormones and increases the production of others. Some claim its success in treating infertility because it tends to shift the balance in favor of the gestagens which are hormones that condition the body for pregnancy.
Chaste tree berry encourages production of progesterone. This is why the herb is especially effective in balancing the female reproductive system. It is taken to help restore menstruation, to regulate heavy periods, and, as mentioned above, to restore fertility caused by hormonal imbalance. Some using it have found relief from PMS tension, and eased the changes during menopause. Premenstrual breast tenderness, linked to excess prolactin, is helped with chaste tree berry.
A tincture of the berries has also been used externally for the relief of paralysis, pains in the limbs, and neuropathic muscular weakness. Chaste berries are used to treat acne in both men and women. The berries can be used as a mild substitute for black pepper, and may even be ground in a pepper mill. The leaves and flowers are used for flavoring and have a spicy aroma.
Dose: Take 20 to 40 mg of the herb, or its equivalent daily. If using a tincture, 20 drops one or two times a day is normal. Capsules or tea (one cup) may also be used. Taking chaste berry shortly before bedtime may improve sleep. Chaste tree berry is slow acting and it may take two or three months to know if it is helping.
Warnings will vary but some say pregnant women and nursing mothers should not take chaste tree berry. Also women with hormone-sensitive cancers (e.g. breast, uterus, pituitary, etc.) should avoid it. Chaste tree berry should not be taken with exogenous hormones such as oral contraceptives or menopausal hormone replacement therapies. Some experience an itchy allergic rash, mild nausea, or headaches from taking it. A few women have complained that the length of their cycle changed.
