Chaste tree berry (Vitex agnus-castus) Ameliorates the Menopausal Symptoms with No Side Effects

By Kyle J. Norton

Herbal Chaste tree berry (Vitex agnus-castus) may have a potential effect in alleviating the symptoms of menopause some scientists suggested.

Menopause is a natural biological process. characterized by the end of menstrual cycles. Women who have gone 12 months with no menstrual period are considered menopause.

Menopausal symptoms are the set of conditions caused by reducing the expression of the hormone estrogen and progesterone due to the changing levels of hormones produced by the ovaries.

The hormone estrogen and progesterone are reduced gradually in an irregular fashion, leading to symptoms of vaginal dryness, hot flashes chill night, sweats, sleep problems and mood changes, weight gain and slowed metabolism, thining and loss of hair, particularly the loss of breast fullness.

 Most women likely also experience irregular period such as menstrual periods will skip a month and return, or skip several months and then start monthly cycles again for a few months before menopause.

Women with premature ovarian failure may have periods cessation before the age of 40 years or earlier.

Vasomotor symptoms affect up to 75% of peri-menopausal women that lasts for 1–2 years after menopause in most women, however, some women may continue for up to 10 years or longer.

In the evaluation of a school of thought and belief that menopausal symptoms are a peculiarly 'Western' phenomenon, not experienced by women from other regions and particularly not from Asia, researchers at The University of Sydney conducted an experiment to examine the perspectives on the menopause in Asia and The West.

By assessment of the studies conducted in multi-ethnic communities living in Western countries as well as in Asian communities, researchers found that the menopause and its consequences are similar worldwide.

However, ethnic differences within Asia account for small differences in endogenous hormone levels and age at menopause between Asian and Western women, and the type of menopause symptoms and their prevalence also differ between those two communities,

These results suggested, there must be something found in the East that the West does not have.

In other words, women immigrated to the West from the East also acquire similar symptoms in the West, probably due to bringing in the Western diet pattern. 

Compared to the diet in the West and East, researchers at the Tehran University of Medical Sciences found that the Eastern diet consisting of high fruits and vegetables, less meat and fewer processed foods processed a high amount of antioxidants which has been associated with lower menopausal symptoms, according to the total antioxidant capacity assay.

At the final report researchers said, "Postmenopausal women who consumed a diet higher in total antioxidant capacity had a lower occurrence of hot flashes and sweating, sleep problems, anxiety, exhaustion, and difficulty concentrating." and "Recommendation of diets high in antioxidant capacity may be effective to ensure experience of fewer menopausal problems in postmenopausal women".

Chaste tree berry is a species of Vitex agnus-castus, genus Vitex, belonging to the family Lamiaceae, native to the Mediterranean region, used in herbal medicine for thousands of year as an anaphrodisiac herb.

The herb is considered a Queen herb in treating menstrual problems and discomforts by taking it in a prolonged period of time.

There was a report that chaste tree berry stems and leaves used by women as bedding "to cool the heat of lust" during the time of the Thesmophoria,

On finding a natural ingredient or whole food for the treatment of menopause symptoms with no side effect Dr evaluate the effectiveness of a phytotherapeutic intervention comprising a co. Lucks BC and colleagues evaluate the use of herbal Vitex agnus-castus (Chaste tree/berry) in traditional medicine for the management of menopausal symptoms.

By examing the medicinal action of essential oils from both the berry and the leaf in a questionnaire-based survey returned from the participants, researchers showed, both oils were effective in treating the menopause symptoms in a great extends.

Application of the leaf essential oil demonstrated a broader range of actions as it also addresses psychological aspects.

This result contradicted to the general belief that berry is thought to be the active part of the plant.

The finding reconfirmed the first trial of two essential oils (derived separately from leaf and fruit) of Vitex agnus castus for menopausal balance conducted in the summer of 2000 by Dr. Chopin Lucks B.

In a total of 23 participants who were selected to the survey study, all indicated that application of Vitex agnus castus essential oil exerts a strong symptomatic relief of common menopausal symptoms.

Moreover, on the second trial to reaffirm the first trial results, researcher laughed the similar study to examine the effect of Vitex agnus castus essential oil in the summer of 2002.

In order to make the study more precisely, objectively and professionally, the researcher included 12 diverse health practitioners who perform the duty of the supervision of 52 additional subjects during the course of the trial.

After taking the results from the participant compared to those of health practitioners, researchers wrote on the final report, "The second trial appears to support the finding of the first trial, as well as identifying some important contraindications to use of the essential oil".

Taken altogether, there is no doubt that chaste tree berry (Vitex agnus-castus) essential oil may be used for the treatment and management of the menopause symptoms.

However, the volume of the oil intake can only be prescribed by the medial specialists in the prevention of acute toxicity,

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Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma ISSN 0975-6299.

References
(1) Vitex Agnus-castus essential oil and menopausal balance: a self-care survey by Lucks BC, Sørensen J, Veal L.(PubMed)
(2) Vitex agnus castus essential oil and menopausal balance: a research update [Complementary Therapies in Nursing and Midwifery 8 (2003) 148-154] by Chopin Lucks B. (PubMed)
(3) Dietary total antioxidant capacity is inversely related to menopausal symptoms: a cross-sectional study among Iranian postmenopausal women (Science Direct)