Berry
This section is a list of chemical entities identified in this dietary supplement to possess pharmacological activity. This list does not imply that other, yet unidentified, constituents do not influence the pharmacological activity of this dietary supplement nor does it imply that any one constituent possesses greater influence on the overall pharmacological effect of this dietary supplement.
Iridoid glycosides (agnuside, aucubin and eurostosid) and flavonoids, including casticin and vitexin; diterpenes.(
1)
The chasteberry tree finds its origins in the Mediterranean. Its fruit is harvested and dried for medicinal purposes. It has a long folk history of use in women’s health. Chasteberry (commonly know as vitex) has been recommended for use in mild to moderate complaints, especially in endometriosis, menopause, and PMS symptoms.
Interactions and Depletions
200-400mg (standardized extract) daily.
400mg (standardized extract) daily.
*Standardization represents the complete body of information and controls that serve to enhance the batch to batch consistency of a botanical product, including but not limited to the presence of a marker compound at a defined level or within a defined range.
The most current available medical and scientific literature indicates that this dietary supplement should be standardized to 0.5% agnuside and 0.6% aucubin per dose.
Frequently Reported Uses- Endometriosis
- PMS
- Menstrual Irregularities
- Menopausal And Postmenopausal Complaints And Imbalances
Other Reported Uses- Acne Vulgaris
- Hyperprolactinemia
- Infertility Associated With Corpus Luteum Deficiency
- Insufficient Lactation
Chasteberry has been reported safe in recommended dosages.
May cause minor side effects such as stomach upset or rash in rare instances.(
2)
Based on pharmacology, do not use in women of child-bearing age, women trying to conceive or in pregnant women.(
3), (
4) Iridoid glycosides are found in chasteberry. Strucutral modifications to them have demonstrated in vitro implantation preventing activity in animal cell lines.(
5)
To date, the medical literature has not reported any adverse effects specifically related to the use of this dietary supplement in children. Use with caution.
The actual activity of the constituents of chasteberry is not fully established at this time. Studies have reported chasteberry to have a significant effect on the pituitary.(
6),(
7) Studies point to a progesterone-like component and effect as well.(
8),(
9) Studies report that vitex stimulates luteinizing hormone (LH) and inhibits follicle stimulating hormone (FSH).(
10),(
11) Chasteberry may also possess estrogenic activity as evidenced by in vitro up-regulation of the estrogen-inducible gene, pS2 (presenelin-2) in S30 breast cancer cells.(
12) Because of this activity, vitex has been recommended for a variety of female complaints, such as PMS, amenorrhea, menopausal symptoms, endometriosis and hyperprolactinemia.(
13),(
14),(
15),(
16),(
17) Studies have reported beneficial effects of vitex on female-related disorders,(
18),(
19) with several clinical studies reporting beneficial results when using chasteberry in treating women with infertility associated with corpus luteum deficiency.(
20) Chasteberry may also be of benefit in acne, as human data reports increasing healing while using a chasteberry preparation.(
21)
A multicentric noninterventional trial (open study without control) was conducted to study the efficacy and tolerance of chasteberry extract in 1,634 patients suffering PMS. Four major symptoms of PMS were monitored including depression, anxiety, craving, and hyperhydration. After a treatment period of three menstrual cycles, 93% of patients reported a decrease in the number of symptoms or even cessation of PMS complaints. Mastodynia was still present after 3 months of therapy but was generally less severe than before treatment.(22) However, a recent double-blind, placebo controlled study in two parallel groups (each 50 patients) reported that use of vitex was useful in the treatment of cyclical breast pain in women.(23)
In a prospective, multi-center trial, the efficacy of a vitex extract was studied in 50 patients with PMS.(24) At the conclusion of the study, PMS-related symptoms were reduced by treatment. Although the symptoms gradually returned after treatment cessation, a 20% difference from baseline remained up to 3 cycles thereafter. At baseline, the VAS score (visual analogue scale; self evaluated) was elevated in the late luteal phase and low at the follicular phase, as expected by the authors. During treatment, the VAS score decreased in the late luteal phase (47.2%) and remained 21.7% below baseline after 3 cycles post-cessation of treatment, with the low VAS score within the follicular phase remaining unchanged over the whole observation period. In the patient's assessment, 38 judged the global efficacy moderate to excellent with 5 patients indicating no global efficacy. The number of days patients sustained PMS symptoms was reduced slightly from 7.5 to 6, with the resting levels of blood prolactin remaining within the physiological range throughout the study. No differences were seen between patients on or off oral contraceptives. Twenty patients reported 37 transient adverse events with no serious adverse reactions reported. One patient withdrew after four days of treatment due to fatigue and headache. The authors concluded that patients with PMS can be treated successfully with vitex preparations as indicated by a clear improvement in the main effect parameter during treatment and the gradual return after cessation of treatment. The main response to treatment seems related to symptomatic relief rather than to the duration of the syndrome.
A recently published randomized, double blind, placebo controlled, parallel group comparison study of 178 women taking a standardized vitex product (1 tablet daily) reported improvement in PMS symptoms (over three menstrual cycles) when compared to placebo.(25) Improved symptoms included mood alteration, anger, headache, breast fullness and bloating, where improvement rates were 52% and 24% for vitex and placebo, respectively.
The pharmacological effects of an ethanolic extract of vitex was studied regarding its effects on dopamine-D2 and opioid (mu and kappa subtype) receptors.(26) A relative potent binding inhibition was observed for dopamine-D2 and the opioid receptors. Binding to the histamine-H1, benzodiazepine, OFQ receptor, and the binding-site of the serotonin (5-HT) transporter, was significantly inhibited. The lipophilic fractions of the vitex extract contained the diterpenes which exhibited inhibitory actions on dopamine-D2 receptor binding. While binding inhibition to mu and kappa opioid receptors was most pronounced in lipophilic fractions, binding to delta opioid receptors was inhibited mainly by an aqueous fraction. The authors concluded that the data indicates a dopaminergic effect of vitex extracts and suggests additional pharmacological actions via opioid receptors. Due to this dopaminergic activity, it has been postulated that chasteberry may be used in the management of Parkinson’s disease, although no clinical research has been performed to support that theory.(27)