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Chasteberry is an herb
that blooms and sheds at a particular time
of year in the Mediterranean region. With
it’s fragrant flowers, lance-like leaves, and
gray or purple berries that look like
peppercorns, it has a long reputation for
treating menstrual disorders.
Medicinal
Properties:
The Chasteberry herb works primarily on the
pituitary gland to balance and stabilize the
hormonal fluctuations women experience every
month with their menstrual cycle.
Chasteberry increases the body’s secretion
of luteinizing hormone which helps to reduce
prolactin and increase both progesterone and
follicle-stimulating hormones. Higher levels
of prolactin contribute to irregular or the
absence of the menstruation cycle, thus,
using chasteberry helps to normalize the
menstrual cycle, including symptoms of PMS.
Evidence suggests that the chasteberry
flowers contain the plant world’s equivalent
of human testosterone, which would help to
stimulate libido.
Therapeutic Uses:
The Chasteberry herb has been beneficial in
the following uses:
Acne, breast milk deficiency, breast pain,
menstrual irregularities, either the absence
or excess of menstrual flow, due to its
hormone stabilizing properties. Chasteberry
helps with premenstrual tension aka PMS,
due to its hormone balancing influence on
the body resulting in less fluid retention,
irritability, mood swings and headaches.
A reputable amount of
studies have been performed testing the
claims for using chasteberry. In a
well-controlled study of 52 women with
hyperprolactinemia (too much prolactin),
taking 20 mg/day of chasteberry, for 3
months normalized most menstrual hormone
levels. Furthermore, of these women studied,
out of those who were experiencing PMS,
chasteberry caused a significant reduction
in symptoms.
In another
well-controlled study to evaluate the effect
of chasteberry on premenstrual tension
syndrome (PMTS), 105 women were given either
4mg of chasteberry or 100mg of pyridoxine
(Vitamin B-6). After 3 months of treatment,
using a standard rating scale, chasteberry
was considered to be 77.1% effective, while
pyridoxine was considered to be 60.6%
effective. Investigators that performed this
study considered chasteberry to be twice as
effective as pyridoxine and women in the
study also rated chasteberry higher than
pyridoxine in effectiveness at alleviating
PMTS symptoms. In an open study (no
controls), 18 infertile women with abnormal
progesterone levels (a key menstrual
hormone) were given (a chasteberry product)
for 3 months. Progesterone levels were
restored to normal in 7 women, and were more
than 2 units above initial levels in 4
women. Moreover, 2 women became pregnant by
the end of the study. Because of results
like this, chasteberry is often used as an
initial fertility treatment if other causes
of sterility have been ruled out.
Chasteberry has been used as an effective
treatment for acne as well. Test subjects
have been shown to heal quicker than
conventional acne therapies.
Chasteberry helps
alleviate cramps, depression, endometriosis,
fibrocystic breast disease, headache, used
in the treatment of herpes, infertility,
menopause, mouth problems, neuroses,
prostate enlargement(benign), stomach
problems, uterine fibroids, yeast
infections, and vaginal problems.
Precautions in
using Chasteberry:
The majority of people will have no side
effects from using chasteberry. Some people
may notice a skin reaction or a little
gastric upset. Because chasteberry
influences the body’s hormonal balance, it
could interfere with sex-related
medications, including oral contraceptives
and hormone replacement therapy. If
depression is a prominent part of your
monthly premenstrual tension, chasteberry
may need to be avoided, due to its increase
in progesterone. Progesterone has been shown
in studies to be a culprit in the mood dip
during this time. |
