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Chaste tree

Early evidence for: PMS; Cyclical breast pain; Irregular periods.

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What is Chaste tree? Chaste tree is a shrub from the Mediterranean. Its small dried berries are sold as a herbal supplement. In French it is called gattilier. Most people take it for monthly cycle complaints. The usual targets are PMS (premenstrual syndrome) and sore breasts before a period. Here is the honest verdict. Several human trials suggest modest help with PMS and cyclical breast pain. The trials are mostly small and mixed in quality, and long folk use is not proof that a herb works or that it is safe. How does Chaste tree work? The leading idea is that chaste tree nudges the hormone prolactin down. Prolactin is the hormone that drives milk making. High levels can disturb the second half of the cycle. In laboratory studies, extracts bind to dopamine D2 receptors in pituitary cells. Dopamine is the body's own brake on prolactin. In small human studies, extracts lowered mildly raised prolactin. Whether that fully explains any relief from PMS is not settled. Plant compounds also bind to opioid and oestrogen receptors in cell tests. That work has not been confirmed in people. What forms does Chaste tree come in? The dried ripe berry is the part used. You will mostly see it as a daily pill. Common forms: - Capsules and tablets of dried fruit extract. - Standardised extracts used in trials, such as Ze 440 and BNO 1095. Other forms: - Liquid tinctures and drops in alcohol. - Loose dried berries for tea, which is less common today. Strength varies a lot between brands. An extract pill and a spoon of berries are not the same dose. Where it comes from: Chaste tree has a long record in European folk use. Greek and Roman writers, including Dioscorides, linked it to chastity and to calming sexual desire. Medieval monks were said to use the peppery berries, which gave the name monk's pepper. Herbalists also gave it for stalled or heavy periods and to bring on milk. From the 1950s, German makers sold standardised extracts for cycle complaints. That is where most modern research comes from.

Helps

What does Chaste tree help with? Premenstrual syndrome (PMS): This is the best supported use. Several placebo-controlled trials report fewer and milder PMS symptoms over about three cycles. Effects were modest, and some trials were funded by makers. It is a possible help, not a fix. Cyclical breast pain before a period: Folk use treated swollen, tender breasts before a period. Small human trials report less pain than with placebo. The research base is thin but points the same way. Irregular or widely spaced periods: Herbalists used it to bring back missed or late periods. Human evidence is weak and mostly from small or uncontrolled studies. Missed periods need a cause found first, not a supplement. Premenstrual mood symptoms: Some trials of PMS tracked irritability and low mood and saw improvement. One study compared it with fluoxetine for severe premenstrual mood problems, with mixed results. It is not a treatment for depression. Menopause symptoms: Some products mix it with other herbs for hot flushes. Evidence for chaste tree alone is very limited. There is no good reason to expect much here. Acne linked to the cycle: Tradition tied the herb to skin flare-ups before a period. Human evidence is old and poor. Some users report acne getting worse instead.

Chaste tree

Quick Facts

  • What it is: The dried berry of a Mediterranean shrub, taken as a supplement for monthly cycle complaints.
  • Main uses: PMS, Cyclical breast pain, Irregular periods
  • Active ingredients: Rotundifuran and other diterpenes, Casticin, Vitexin, Agnuside, Aucubin
  • Forms: Capsules, Tablets, Standardised extracts, Tincture or drops, Dried berry tea
  • Time to effect: One to three monthly cycles, if it works at all
  • Side effects: Usually mild: nausea, headache, rash, spotting or cycle changes.
  • Pregnancy & breastfeeding: Avoid unless your clinician advises otherwise.

Educational information, not medical advice — ask your doctor or midwife.

What is Chaste tree?

Chaste tree is a shrub from the Mediterranean. Its small dried berries are sold as a herbal supplement. In French it is called gattilier.

Most people take it for monthly cycle complaints. The usual targets are PMS (premenstrual syndrome) and sore breasts before a period.

Here is the honest verdict. Several human trials suggest modest help with PMS and cyclical breast pain. The trials are mostly small and mixed in quality, and long folk use is not proof that a herb works or that it is safe.

How does Chaste tree work?

The leading idea is that chaste tree nudges the hormone prolactin down. Prolactin is the hormone that drives milk making. High levels can disturb the second half of the cycle.

In laboratory studies, extracts bind to dopamine D2 receptors in pituitary cells. Dopamine is the body's own brake on prolactin. In small human studies, extracts lowered mildly raised prolactin.

Whether that fully explains any relief from PMS is not settled. Plant compounds also bind to opioid and oestrogen receptors in cell tests. That work has not been confirmed in people.

What forms does Chaste tree come in?

The dried ripe berry is the part used. You will mostly see it as a daily pill.

Common forms: - Capsules and tablets of dried fruit extract. - Standardised extracts used in trials, such as Ze 440 and BNO 1095.

Other forms: - Liquid tinctures and drops in alcohol. - Loose dried berries for tea, which is less common today.

Strength varies a lot between brands. An extract pill and a spoon of berries are not the same dose.

Where it comes from:

Chaste tree has a long record in European folk use. Greek and Roman writers, including Dioscorides, linked it to chastity and to calming sexual desire.

Medieval monks were said to use the peppery berries, which gave the name monk's pepper. Herbalists also gave it for stalled or heavy periods and to bring on milk.

From the 1950s, German makers sold standardised extracts for cycle complaints. That is where most modern research comes from.

Who should avoid Chaste tree?

  • Do not use if you are pregnant, or if you may be pregnant.
  • Do not use if you are breastfeeding, unless a doctor who knows your case says otherwise.
  • Do not use if you have or have had a hormone-sensitive cancer, such as breast, womb or ovarian cancer.
  • Do not use if you take a dopamine agonist such as bromocriptine or cabergoline.
  • Do not use if you take an antipsychotic drug or another drug that blocks dopamine.
  • Do not use if you are having IVF or taking fertility drugs, unless your clinic agrees.
  • Do not use if you have a pituitary tumour that raises prolactin (a prolactinoma).
  • Avoid if you are under 18, since it acts on sex hormones and has not been studied in children.
  • Avoid if you have a hormone coil or implant and have not checked with the prescriber.

When should you see a doctor?

Stop and see a doctor if you get heavy or long bleeding, bleeding between periods that keeps happening, or a period that stops for no clear reason.

Get urgent help for a spreading rash, swelling of the face, lips or throat, or trouble breathing. These can be signs of a serious allergic reaction.

Also see a doctor if PMS or breast pain is severe, if you find a breast lump, or if symptoms have not improved after three cycles.

Is Chaste tree legal where you live?

In the UK, EU and Australia it is sold as a traditional herbal medicine or supplement, and some products carry a registered herbal licence. In the United States it is sold as a dietary supplement and is not approved by the FDA to treat any condition.

Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.

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