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Vitex agnus castus L.,—traditional drug and actual indications
Author(s) -
Odenthal Karl Peter
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
phytotherapy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.019
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1573
pISSN - 0951-418X
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1573(1998)12:1+<s160::aid-ptr283>3.0.co;2-y
Subject(s) - traditional medicine , vitex , medicine , drug , pharmacology
There is a long tradition for the use of different preparations of drugs of Vitex agnus castus in complementary medicine in Europe. The indications in disorders of the female sexual cycle have been confirmed by experimental and clinical results. The activity of hitherto unidentified constituents of the ethanol seed extract could be localized within the pituitary–gonadal axis. Research in pituitary cell assays further elucidated a dopaminergic inhibition of prolactin synthesis and/or release. The effective administration of ethanol seed extracts against mastodynia and symptoms related to female cycle disorders with concomitant hyperprolactinaemia has been documented and awaits further establishment. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.