Family Viscaceae; Loranthaceae.
Habitat Bihar, West Bengal and Kerala. (The plant parasitizing Strychnos nux-vomica tree are used in Indian medicine.)
Folk Baandaa.
Action Used as a substitute for nux-vomica. Poultice of leaves is used for neuralgia; ashes of the plant for the treatment of skin diseases.
Vitex agnus-castus Linn.
Family Verbenaceae.
Habitat Mediterranean region;
South-West Asian countries, up to
Pakistan. (Seeds are imported from
Iran.)
English Monk’s Pepper-tree, Hemp tree.
Ayurvedic Renukaa (seed). Renukaa and Harenukaa are synonyms in Indian medicine.
Unani Sambhaalu.
Action Dried ripe fruit—acts on the anterior pituitary gland, reducing FSH and increasing LSH;
stimulates production of progesterone by reducing oestrogen;
used as a substitution therapy in primary and secondary corpus luteum deficiency. Used for premenstrual syndrome, for regulating hormones in amenorrhoea and for bleeding between periods; also as a galactagogue and to assist bust development.
The herb is also used in the treatment ofpremature old age due to sexual excess, nervous debility and impotence (as a homoeopathic drug). Vitex agnus extract is found to lower prolactin levels in men (the decrease in prolactin levels results in improved sexual performance. Males with hyperprolactinaemia frequently face impotence).
Key application In irregularities of menstrual cycle, premenstrual complaints, mastodynia. (German Commission E.) As a hormonal
modulator. (The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia.)
The methanolic extract of the flowering stems of Vitex agnus castus yield ed iridoids, angnucastoside-A, B and C, in addition to aucubin, agnuside, mussaenosidic acid and 6’-O-p-hy- droxybenzoylmussaenosidic acid, and phenylbutenone glucoside, myzodendrone.
Dopaminergic compounds, present in the herb, are clinically important compounds which improve premenstrual mastodynia and other symptoms of premenstrual syndrome.
