Treating Health Problems With Chaste Tree Berry

Chaste tree berry (also known as Vitex and by the trade name Femaprin) was at one time called Monk’s pepper because of its supposed ability to decrease sexual drives. However, others have taken it to enhance sexual drives. How could it do both at the same time?

Though a shrub, chaste tree will grow up to twenty-two feet tall. It is native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean region. It flourishes on moist riverbanks, but it can also be grown as an ornamental plant in American gardens. The beautiful blue-violet flowers blossom in midsummer. It is only used today for female problems.

That it could bring about opposite responses is not limited to sex drives. Chaste berry has been used to inhibit excessive milk in nursing mothers and to encourage lactation. It magnifies post menopausal problems and solves them. It both hinders conception and helps overcome infertility.

How can this be explained? Chaste tree berry is what is called an adaptogen. This means it works to normalize hormone imbalance through its affect on the adrenal glands, in this case the pituitary. In other words, it restricts hormonal excesses and encourages deficiencies. Other examples of herb that are adaptogens would include ginseng, ginkgo, garlic, echinacea, 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.

Because it encourages production of progesterone, the herb is especially effective in balancing the female reproductive system. This has helped restore menstruation, regulate heavy periods, and restore fertility which is caused by hormonal imbalance. It has also relieved PMS tension and eased the changes of menopause. Some believe it is helpful for premenstrual breast tenderness, a condition linked to excess prolactin.

Chaste tree berry is also used, in tincture form, to relieve pains in the limbs, to relief pain of paralysis, and to treat neuropathic muscular weakness. Some even use them to treat acne. The berries can be ground and used as a substitute for black pepper, the flowers and leaves, with their spicy aroma, used in flavoring.

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.