Witnessed by: Western · Unani
Chaste Tree (Vitex agnus-castus), of the Lamiaceae (formerly Verbenaceae) family. Aromatic deciduous shrub with palmate five-to-seven-fingered leaves and slender spikes of lilac flowers; native range: the Mediterranean and Central Asia, on riverbanks and damp thickets. Globally recognized as panjangusht (five-finger) in Persian, and chasteberry, monk's pepper, agnus castus in English. The part used is the ripe berries (fruit). Small dark peppercorn-like berries with a warm, aromatic, pungent taste recalling pepper and sage.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
CHASTE TREE
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Chaste Tree
- Scientific name
- Vitex agnus-castus L.
- Family
- Lamiaceae (formerly Verbenaceae)
Form
- Part used
- the ripe berries (fruit)
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Western
- pungent · aromatic (peppery, bitter)
- Unani
- pungent · aromatic
Temperature
- Western
- warm (hot and dry — Dioscorides)
- Unani
- hot (& dry, 2nd degree)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Western
- uterus · nerves · nervous system
- Unani
- uterus · brain · stomach
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Western
- hormonal regulator, emmenagogue, galactagogue, anaphrodisiac; acts on the pituitary to favour progesterone
- Unani
- kaasir-e-riyah (carminative), muhallil (resolvent), mudir-e-haiz (emmenagogue), and a noted suppressant of lust
Cautions
Contraindications: pregnancy; caution in hormone-sensitive conditions
Toxicity: generally well tolerated; occasional nausea, headache or itching
Interactions
- Western
- hormonal therapy: alters pituitary hormone balance and may oppose oral contraceptives and HRT
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