Vitex agnus castus, vitex, chaste tree, chastetree, chasteberry, Abraham's balm, lilac chastetree

Vitex agnus-castus, also called vitex, chaste tree (or chastetree), chasteberry, Abraham's balm, lilac chastetree, monk's pepper, Five-Leaf Chaste Tree • Hindi: निर्गुंडी Nirgundi, सिंदवार sindvar • Manipuri: ꯎꯔꯤꯛꯁꯤꯕꯤ Urik shibi • Tamil: Nocchi • Malayalam: Vennocchi • Telugu: Vavili • Kannada: Nochi • Bengali: Nishinda • Sanskrit: Sinduvara, Indrani, Nilanirgundi • Urdu: Sambhalu, Tukhm sambhalu • Mizo: Palchawi
Botanical name: Vitex negundo Family: Verbenaceae (Verbena family)

Chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus) is a deciduous shrub that bears clusters of purple flowers in the summer. Also known simply as vitex, the leaves of this plant are reminiscent of the marijuana plant (Cannabis sativa), with five leaflets in a palm-shaped arrangement. The leaves have a fragrance similar to that of the herb sage. The purple flower clusters (panicles) that bloom in mid-summer look like those of the butterfly bush (Buddleja spp.) The black fruit contains four seeds that look like peppercorns and are sometimes used to flavor food.
Like most shrubs, chaste tree is best planted in the spring to give it plenty of time to establish roots before winter dormancy. It is a fast-growing shrub that can shoot up as much as 7 feet in a single season, but most gardeners opt to keep this potentially invasive plant to 10 feet or less in height.

Types of Chaste Tree
Several cultivars of chaste tree are widely sold:

‘Abbeville Blue’ grows 6 feet tall with a similar spread. It has deep blue flowers on 12- to 18-inch spikes.
'Alba' has white flowers. It is a large plant, growing to 15 feet with a 20-foot spread.
'Shoal Creek' is a 15-foot-tall plant with purple-blue flowers and leaves that have good resistance to fungal spots.
'Blue Puffball' is a great small shrub, growing only 3 feet tall with delicate blue flowers.
'Rosa Ann' is a 15-foot plant with heavily scented pink flowers.
'Rosea' is another pink-flowered cultivar, growing to 15 feet.
Chemical compounds
Flavonoids (vitexin, casticin), iridoid glycoside (agnuside, aucubin), p-hydroxybenzoic acid, alkaloids, essential oils, fatty oils, diterpenoids and steroids have been identified in the chemical analysis of Vitex agnus-castus. They occur in the fruits and in the leaves.
Essential oils
Essential oils have been found in the fruits and in the leaves. The oil of leaves, unripe and ripe fruits differ in compounds. 50 compounds were identified in the oil of unripe fruits, 51 compounds in the oil of ripe fruits and 46 compounds in the oil of the leaves. 1,8-cineole and sabinene are the main monoterpene components and beta-caryophyllene is the major sesquiterpene compound found in the fruits of Vitex agnus-castus. There are some slight differences between fruits from white flowering plants and such from violet flowering ones. The oil of fruits of white flowering plants have a higher amount of monoterpene constituents. The leaves mainly contain 1,8-cineole, trans-beta-farnesene, alpha-pinene, trans-beta-caryophyllene, and terpinen-4-ol. The oil, particularly from white flowering plants, is under preliminary research for its potential antibacterial effects.
chaste tree was once used in cases of injuries, abdominal complaints, dropsy, hypochondria, and hepatic dropsy, and as an emmenagogue, carminative, and galactagogue.
Therapeutic actions
Anaphrodisiac: reduces sexual desire
Analgesic: diminishes pain
Anti-androgenic: suppresses the production of testosterone and blocks its ability on androgen receptors.
Galactogogue: increases milk production
Emmenagogue: stimulates, regulates, and normalizes menstruation.
Uses
Reproductive System
For women:
PMS and Premenstrual dysphoric disorder
Menorrhagia (heavy menstruation with severe cramping)
Amenorrhea (absence of menstruation)
Dysmenorrhea (painful periods and cramps)
Decreases breast pain caused my menstruation
Female infertility, vitex induces ovulation.
Normalizes ovulation and menstrual cycle after quitting oral contraceptives.
Used to treat cysts and fibroids of the breasts, ovaries, and uterus.
Has been used to aid in the birthing process, under the guidance of a trained physician or midwife.
Galactagogue properties increases the production of milk after childbirth.
For men:
Used to decrease sexual desire.
Prevents and treats prostate cancer and benign prostate enlargement.
Endocrine System
Vitex regulates the hormones and is beneficial for preventing hormonal acne.
Treats unwanted symptoms of menopause
Antiandrogenic properties in the vitex berries may help prevent and treat male pattern baldness.
May decrease the effectiveness of birth control.
May decrease the effectiveness of estrogen medications.
Interacts with: Anti-psychotic drugs, Dopamine agonists (used for Parkinson's) and Reglan.
May interfere with an in vitro fertilization.
Discontinue or lower dose if extract causes nausea, diarrhea or abnormal changes in menstrual cycle. Consult a physician before using during pregnancy.