Since the publication of "Application Guideline for Western Traditional Herbal Medicines as OTC Drugs" in 2007, only two European ethnopharmaceuticals, Vitis vinifera L., folium extract (Antistax) and Vitex agnus-castus L., fructus extract (Prefemin), have been approved as OTC drugs in Japan. In this review, we describe the current regulation of Western ethnopharmaceuticals in Japan, summarize ...

Three new labdane-type diterpenoids, viteagnusins F, G, and H, were isolated from the hexane extract of fruit (chasteberry) of Vitex agnus-castus L. (Verbenaceae) along with seven known compounds including four labdane-type diterpenoids, one norlabdane-type diterpenoid, one aromadendrane-type sesquiterpenoid, and one flavonoid. The chemical structures of the three new labdane-type diterpenoids ...

Introduction: The gradual menopausal decline in oestrogens impairs function of the hypothalamic and limbic systems and, therefore, thermoregulation, vasomotor stability, mood regulation and psychological wellbeing. The significantly reduced dopaminergic activity and melatonin secretion increased in hot flushes, psychological symptoms and poor sleep quality. When hormone replacement therapy (HRT...

Many women with PMS use alternative therapies, although there has been little research to demonstrate their efficacy. This systematic review provides a comprehensive discussion of dietary supplements and herbal remedies commonly used for premenstrual syndrome (PMS), including calcium, magnesium, vitamin B6, evening primrose oil, Vitex agnus castus, ginkgo biloba and St John’s Wort. Randomized c...

Objective: Vitex agnus-castus (VAC) and its essential oil have been traditionally used to treat many conditions and symptoms such as premenstrual problems, mastalgia, inflammation, sexual dysfunction, and pain. In this study, the effects of essential oil extracted from Vitex agnus-castus (EOVAC) leaves were investigated in three behavioral models of nociception in adult male Wistar rats. Materi...

aims: leishmaniasis is the most prevalent vector- borne parasitic disease in iran. drug treatment is the best way to treat leishmaniasis, while the common drugs are not efficient enough and inevitable side effects limit using these drugs. the aim of this study was to analyze in vitro and in vivo activity of the methanolic extract of artemisia absinthium, vitex agnus-castus and phytolaca america...

vitex agnus castus (chasteberry) is a popular treatment for the management of female reproductive disorders including corpus luteum insufficiency, premenstrual syndrome (pms), menopausal symptoms, and insufficient milk production. according to developing situation of complementary medicine, and frequent use of this herb, it is important to examine its effects during pregnancy. in this research ...

Clinical trials have demonstrated that serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) and the extract of Vitex agnus castus are effective for the treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). However, to the best of our knowledge, there has been no study comparing the efficacy of the SRIs with Vitex agnus castus (AC) extract. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy of f...

background: the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the combination of vitex agnus castus extract, as a source of phytoestrogens, plus magnesium supplementation on osteogenic and angiogenic factors and callus formation in women with long bone fracture. material and methods: in a double-blind randomized placebo controlled trial, 64 women with long bone fracture,20-45 years ol...

An extract from ripe fruit of Vitex agnus-castus (Vitex) has been used to treat patients with various obstetric and gynecological disorders in Europe. We have demonstrated that Vitex showed cytocidal effects on various types of cancer cell lines including a human colon carcinoma cell line, COLO 201. In this study, we extended our previous study to investigate the detailed mechanisms underlying ...