Sources: Vitex needs a warm (subtropical) climate in which to grow well and is therefore not found in Britain. It is a well researched and very popular herb, so you will find it widely available. Vitex is usually bought in dried berry, tincture or tablet form. This herb has several common names but is almost always referred to as either ‘Vitex’ or ‘agnus castus’.

Anecdotes: A fellow herbalist was staying in a village in North Africa where spotted some Vitex plants growing a few hundred metres away. She collected plenty of berries to use in her practice but was teased by the locals when she returned to the village. They had spotted her picking the Vitex, which is used locally, by the women, to calm their partners libido.

Uses: Vitex is mainly used to balance female hormones. It is often the first herb of choice for pre-menstrual tension, menopausal symptoms or irregular periods. It will increase milk production, where there are problems of insufficient lactation. Vitex is also used where hormonal irregularities are preventing conception.

Actions: Female hormonal normaliser, aphrodisiac (for women, anaphrodisiac for men), increases lactation, regulates periods.

Preparations & dosage: Vitex is most effective when taken in the morning (following the bodies natural hormonal rhythms). 20 drops per day, of the tincture, will normally be sufficient. An infusion can be made using one teaspoon of dried berries and half a cup of boiling water. This to be taken just once per day, also in the morning.

Safety: Generally safe, but modify dose if changes to menstrual cycle are too radical. Vitex occasionally produces mental stimulation in people who are very sensitive to it. Again the dose should be reduced.

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