Witnessed by: TCM · Ayurveda · Unani

Five-leaved chaste tree (Vitex negundo), of the Lamiaceae (formerly Verbenaceae) family. Aromatic large shrub or small tree with palmately compound (3–5) leaflets; native range: tropical and subtropical Asia; common along wastelands and riverbanks of India and China. Globally recognized as nirgundi / sinduvara in Sanskrit, sambhalu / nisinda in Hindi, huang jing (黄荆) in Chinese, fanjankusht in Arabic, and Chinese chaste tree, horseshoe vitex in English. The part used is leaf chiefly; also root, seed and flower. Grey-downy twigs bearing lance-shaped leaflets of a sharp, camphoraceous, bitter-pungent scent when bruised; small lilac flowers in terminal spikes.

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.

FIVE-LEAVED CHASTE TREE

IDENTITY

Name

Common: Five-leaved chaste tree
Scientific name: Vitex negundo L.
Family: Lamiaceae (formerly Verbenaceae)

Form

Part used: leaf chiefly; also root, seed and flower

PROPERTIES

Nature

Taste

how the plant declares itself on the tongue

TCM: pungent · bitter
Ayurveda: dominant: pungent (katu) · bitter (tikta) · secondary: astringent (kashaya)
Unani: pungent · bitter

Temperature

TCM: warm

Ayurveda: heating (ushna)

Unani: hot & dry (2nd degree)

convergence: all {witness_count} witnesses call it warming — a dispeller of cold, wind and damp from the joints

Affinity

where in the body it travels

Organs / channels

TCM: Lung · Liver
Unani: nerves · joints · brain

PRACTICE

Virtue

Actions

TCM: dispels wind-damp, transforms phlegm and stops cough, disperses cold and relieves pain
Ayurveda: vata-kapha-hara, shothahara (anti-inflammatory), vedanasthapana (analgesic), krimighna (anthelmintic), and kesya (favouring the hair)
Unani: muhallil (resolvent), musakkin-e-alam (analgesic), mufatteh-e-sudad (deobstruent), and daf-e-tashannuj (antispasmodic)

Cautions

Contraindications: high pitta and heat states; medicinal doses in pregnancy
Toxicity: large doses may cause a heavy, dulling sensation; otherwise well tolerated

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