Agnus castus M.T.

Commonly known as the chaste tree, Vitex agnus-castus is a deciduous shrub or a tree of about 2 meter height. Leaves opposite, petiolate and digitate, five to seven partite, upper surface dark green and undersurface gray, odour strong aromatic. The fruit drupe, yellowish and hard, with an aromatic odour and taste. Flower in dense sessile cluster, forming terminal often panicle spikes, light purple. It is found in southern Europe,shores of the Mediterranean, south of France and Greece on sandy spots and at the base of rocks. The agnus castus q is also cultivated in garden.It contains viticine, castian, aucubin, agnoside, eurostoside, etc. They regulate hormore, progesterogenic, increases breast milk.A homoeopathic tincture is made from the fresh berries. It is covered by both Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia of India and German Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia. It was proved by Hahnemann himself.

Agnus castus is for low sexual vitality with corresponding mental depression and loss of nervous energy. The agnus castus dosage for erectile dysfunction shows distinctive influence in both sexes, but is more pronounced in men. It is of service in impotency in those who are suffering from indiscretion. The genitals are relaxed,flacid and cold. There is no sexual desire. Beneficial in the management of the consequences of onanism and masturbation. In diseases of women, there is a general relaxed condition of the genital organs with a transparent leucorrhoea, an abhorrence of sexual intercourse and a sad, despondent mental condition. Premature old age from abuse of sexual power. The agnus castus in homeopathy is also a remedy for sprains and strains, tachycardia caused by tobacco in neurotic young men. Several researches have concluded that Agnus castus is effective in premenstrual syndrome and 1,2,3,4 possesses antioxidant property . Recently, many researches have explored it possess prolactin inhibitory activity, which pave the way to use it scientifically for the effects of hyperprolactinaemia like production and spontaneous flow of breast milk and disruptions in the normal menstrual period in women and hypogonadism, infertility and erectile dysfunction 5,6,7,8 in men.

Also Read www.SchwabeIndia.com has been re-launched

Recommended dosage: Q/1x, 10 drops 2-3 times a day, and above. Contraindicated in pregnancy. May counteract the effectiveness of birth control pills.

R Schellenberg, Treatment for the premenstrual syndrome with agnus castus fruit extract: prospective, randomised, placebo controlled study, BMJ 322 : 134 doi: 10.1136/bmj.322.7279.134 (Published 20 January 2001).

1. Murad Atmaca1, Selahattin Kumru, Ertan Tezcan, Fluoxetine versus Vitex agnus castus extract in the treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder, Human

2. Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental, Volume 18, Issue 3, pages 191195, April 2003.

3. D. Berger, W. Schaffner, E. Schrader, B. Meier and A. Brattstrm, Efficacy of Vitex agnus castus L. extract Ze 440 in patients with pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS), Archives Of Gynecology And Obstetrics, Volume 264, Number 3, 150-153.

4. Azizuddin1, Talat Makhmoor, Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, Radical scavenging potential of compounds isolated from Vitex agnus-castus, Turk J Chem, 34 (2010) , 119 126.

5. Milewicz A, Gejdel E, Sworen H, Sienkiewicz K, Jedrzejak J, Teucher T, Schmitz H., Vitex agnus castus extract in the treatment of luteal phase defects due to latent hyperprolactinemia. Results of a randomized placebo-controlled double-blind study, Arzneimittelforschung. 1993 Jul;43(7):752-6.

6. G. Sliutz, P. Speiser, A. M. Schultz, J. Spona, R. Zeillinger, Agnus Castus Extracts Inhibit Prolactin Secretion of Rat Pituitary Cells, Horm Metab Res 1993; 25(5): 253-255

7. H. Jarry, Sabine Leonhardt, C. Gorkow1, W. Wuttke, In vitro prolactin but not LH and FSH release is inhibited by compounds in extracts of Agnus castus: direct evidence for a
dopaminergic principle by the dopamine receptor assay, Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes 1994; 102(6): 448-454

8. P.-G. Merz, C. Gorkow, A. Schrdter, S. Rietbrock, C. Sieder, D. Loew, J. S. E. Dericks-Tan, H. D. Taubert, The effects of a special Agnus castus extract (BP1095E1) on prolactin secretion in healthy male subjects, Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes 1996; 104(6): 447-453