Vitex, anymore feedback?

[ItsHectic]

Does anyone have feedback or better yet, blood work before and/or after its use?

Its called chaste berry because monks took it to decrease libido!

But I have heard its dose sensative in terms of what it does.

I am very skeptical of natural alternatives since comparing ZMA + GSE with Arimidex.



I know jrkarp and Bioman have given some positive feedback, but I am hoping for some longterm use. Or atleast a "I had high prolactin confirmed by a blood test, took vitex and it increased libido".

 

[jasonschaffin]

Chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus) – Pharmacology and clinical indications
Authors: Wuttke W.1; Jarry1 H.1; Christoffel V.2; Spengler B.2; Seidlová-Wuttke D.1

Source: Phytomedicine, Volume 10, Number 4, 1 April 2003 , pp. 348-357(10)

Publisher: Urban & Fischer

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Abstract:

Extracts of the fruits of chaste tree (Vitex agnus castus = AC) are widely used to treat premenstrual symptoms. Double-blind placebo-controlled studies indicate that one of the most common premenstrual symptoms, i.e. premenstrual mastodynia (mastalgia) is beneficially influenced by an AC extract. In addition, numerous less rigidly controlled studies indicate thatAC extracts have also beneficial effects on other psychic and somatic symptoms of the PMS. Premenstrual mastodynia is most likely due to a latent hyperprolactinemia, i.e. patients release more than physiologic amounts of prolactin in response to stressful situations and during deep sleep phases which appear to stimulate the mammary gland. Premenstrually this unphysiological prolactin release is so high that the serum prolactin levels often approach heights which are misinterpreted as prolactinomas. Since AC extracts were shown to have beneficial effects on premenstrual mastodynia serum prolactin levels in such patients were also studied in one double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study. Serum prolactin levels were indeed reduced in the patients treated with the extract. The search for the prolactin-suppressive principle(s) yielded a number of compounds with dopaminergic properties: they bound to recombinant DA2-receptor protein and suppressed prolactin release from cultivated lactotrophs as well as in animal experiments. The search for the chemical identity of the dopaminergic compounds resulted in isolation of a number of diterpenes of which some clerodadienols were most important for the prolactin-suppressive effects. They were almost identical in their prolactin-suppressive properties than dopamine itself. Hence, it is concluded that dopaminergic compounds present in Vitex agnus castus are clinically the important compounds which improve premenstrual mastodynia and possibly also other symptoms of the premenstrual syndrome.
Keywords: CHASTE TREE; PROLACTIN; DOPAMINE; PREMENSTRUAL SYMPTOMS; MASTODYNIA

Document Type: Review article

DOI: 10.1078/094471103322004866

Affiliations: 1: Department of Clinical and Experimental Endocrinology, University of Göttingen, Germany 2: Bionorica AG, Neumarkt, Germany

 

[jasonschaffin]

Horm Metab Res. 1993 May;25(5):253-5. Related Articles, Links


Agnus castus extracts inhibit prolactin secretion of rat pituitary cells.

Sliutz G, Speiser P, Schultz AM, Spona J, Zeillinger R.

Second Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Vienna, Austria.

In our studies on prolactin inhibition by plant extracts we focused on the effects of extracts of Vitex agnus castus and its preparations on rat pituitary cells under basal and stimulated conditions in primary cell culture. Both extracts from Vitex agnus castus as well as synthetic dopamine agonists (Lisuride) significantly inhibit basal as well as TRH-stimulated prolactin secretion of rat pituitary cells in vitro and as a consequence inhibition of prolactin secretion could be blocked by adding a dopamine receptor blocker. Therefore because of its dopaminergic effect Agnus castus could be considered as an efficient alternative phytotherapeutic drug in the treatment of slight hyperprolactinaemia.

 

[jasonschaffin]

Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences

Title: The Effects of Vitex agnus castus Extract and its Interaction with Dopaminergic System on LH and Testosterone in Male Mice
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Author: Sima Nasri, Shahrbano Oryan, Ali Haeri Rohani and Gholam Reza Amin
Source: Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences 10 (14): 2300-2307, 2007
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the probable effects of Vitex agnus castus (Vac.) on the male reproductive physiology. It is a well known fact that LH secretion from the anterior pituitary of mammals is controlled by many neurotransmiters such as dopamine. In this experiment, we have studied the effect of Vac. extract on the LH and testosterone hormones and its interaction with the dopaminergic system on male mice. In order to evaluate these effects, we used the hydroalcoholic Vac. extract (for extraction we used percolation technique) injection with the following doses: 65, 165, 265, 365 and 465 mg kg-1, bromocriptine as a dopamine receptor agonist (5, 10, 20 mg kg-1) and haloperidol as a dopamine receptor antagonist (1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3 mg kg-1). To study the interaction between Vac. extract and dopaminergic system, we injected the optimum doses of Vac. with bromocriptine or haloperidol at the same time. Intraperitoneal injections were applied in all experiments, once a day for 30 days. The control group remained intact and the sham group received vehicle. After the last injection, we collected the animal blood serums for hormonal assays. LH and testosterone were measured by Radio Immuno Assay (RIA). LH and testosterone, showed significant decrease in bromocriptine group and haloperidol increased these hormones. Vac. extract decreased significantly the LH and testosterone levels. The coadministration of Vac. extract and bromocriptine decreased LH and testosterone. Coadministration of Vac. extract and haloperidol decreased LH and testosterone levels. These results suggest: dopamine regulates the gonadotroph-Leydig cells axis. It appears that Vac. exertes effects through dopaminergic system and other pathways. The findings of this study show we can use Vac. extract for pathological cases of increasing LH and testosterone.

 

[jasonschaffin]

Isolation of linoleic acid as an estrogenic compound from the fruits of Vitex agnus-castus L. (chaste-berry)
Authors: Liu J.1; Burdette J.E.2; Sun Y.1; Deng S.1; Schlecht S.M.2; Zheng W.1; Nikolic D.1; Mahady G.1; van Breemen R.B.2; Fong H.H.S.1; Pezzuto J.M.1; Bolton J.L.1; Farnsworth N.R.2

Source: Phytomedicine, Volume 11, Number 1, 1 February 2004 , pp. 18-23(6)

Publisher: Urban & Fischer

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Abstract:

A methanol extract of chaste-tree berry (Vitex agnus-castus L.) was tested for its ability to displace radiolabeled estradiol from the binding site of estrogen receptors alpha (ER) and beta (ER). The extract at 46 ± 3 g/ml displaced 50% of estradiol from ER and 64 ± 4 g/ml from ER. Treatment of the ER+ hormone-dependent T47D:A18 breast cancer cell line with the extract induced up-regulation of ER mRNA. Progesterone receptor (PR) mRNA was upregulated in the Ishikawa endometrial cancer cell line. However,chaste-tree berry extract did not induce estrogendependent alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity in Ishikawa cells. Bioassay-guided isolation, utilizing ER binding as a monitor,resulted in the isolation of linoleic acid as one possible estrogenic component of the extract. The use of pulsed ultrafiltration liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, which is an affinity-based screening technique, also identified linoleic acid as an ER ligand based on its selective affinity, molecular weight, and retention time. Linoleic acid also stimulated mRNA ER expression in T47D:A18 cells, PR expression in Ishikawa cells, but notAPactivity in Ishikawa cells. These data suggest that linoleic acid from the fruits of Vitex agnus-castus can bind to estrogen receptors and induce certain estrogen inducible genes.