Home > Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine > Chasteberry Tree

Description

The chasteberry tree, whose botanical name is Vitex agnus castus, belongs to the Verbenaceae family. The fruit is also called chasteberry, vitex, or monk's pepper. The terms "chasteberry" and "vitex" are used interchangeably below.

The chasteberry tree can grow to a height of 22 ft (6.71 m) and can be found on wet banks of rivers in southern Europe and the Mediterranean area. It is also grown as an ornamental plant in the United States. Although the red-black berry is the most used part, according to Joe and Terry Graedon, the leaves contain the highest amount of flavonoids—up to 2.7%, with the blue-violet flowers a close second at 1.5%. The berries contain nearly 1% flavonoids, including casticin, kaempferol, isovitexin, orientin and quercatagetin.

The Graedons also list the other components of chasteberry. Surprisingly, in spite of chasteberry's use for hormonal problems, it does not contain...