{"ok":true,"entry":{"slug":"vitex","kind":"supplement","name":"vitex","aliases":["chasteberry","Vitex agnus-castus","chaste tree"],"brands_sg":["Nature's Way","Swanson","Solaray","Gaia Herbs","Nature's Answer"],"class":"botanical","tags":["womens-health"],"use_for":"pms symptoms — low-to-moderate quality evidence only","use_after":"daily","use_duration":"studies ran up to about 3 months","take_with":null,"pros":["nccih: generally well tolerated in the short term","one trial: 20 mg a day did as well as 30 mg","side effects reported are generally mild"],"cons":["nccih: higher-quality evidence is still needed","a meta-analysis flags high risk of bias in trials","nausea, stomach pain, headache and itching occur"],"dose_note":"nccih gives no amount and reports safe use in studies of up to 3 months; in the schellenberg trial described by modzelewski and colleagues the best effect came from 20 mg of the ze 440 extract once daily, with no further benefit at 30 mg","dosage":{"ul":null,"unit":"mg","fda_dv":null,"rda_ai":null,"ul_status":"none_established","population":"general adult","hsa_max_daily":null},"ul_status":"none_established","sg_class":null,"cautions":["hormone-sensitive conditions — nccih says it may not be safe","pregnancy or breastfeeding — nccih says use may be unsafe","on any medicine — nccih: check with your health care provider","not listed in hsa's annex a/b — hsa says that list is not exhaustive"],"clashes":[{"src":["nccih_vitex_meds"],"note":"nccih: some herbs and medicines interact in harmful ways; no vitex-specific interaction is named","with":"medicines generally"}],"sources":[{"id":"nccih_vitex_howmuch","url":"https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/chasteberry","label":"NCCIH — Chasteberry (How Much Do We Know?), last updated April 2025","quote":"Several studies of low-to-moderate quality in people have evaluated chasteberry for alleviating PMS symptoms such as breast pain or tenderness. There isn't a lot of strong research on the effectiveness of chasteberry for other conditions.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"nccih_vitex_pms","url":"https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/chasteberry","label":"NCCIH — Chasteberry (What Have We Learned: PMS)","quote":"Some research has suggested that chasteberry might reduce PMS symptoms such as breast pain or tenderness, but higher-quality evidence is needed to reach any definitive conclusions.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"nccih_vitex_safety","url":"https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/chasteberry","label":"NCCIH — Chasteberry (What Do We Know About Safety)","quote":"Chasteberry is generally well tolerated in the short term. Chasteberry fruit extract has been used safely in research studies for up to 3 months. Side effects are generally mild and may include nausea, stomach pain, diarrhea, headache, or itching.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"nccih_vitex_hormone","url":"https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/chasteberry","label":"NCCIH — Chasteberry (Safety: hormone-sensitive conditions)","quote":"Chasteberry supplementation may not be safe for women with hormone-sensitive conditions, such as breast, uterine, or ovarian cancer.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"nccih_vitex_pregnancy","url":"https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/chasteberry","label":"NCCIH — Chasteberry (Safety: pregnancy and breastfeeding)","quote":"The use of chasteberry during pregnancy or while breastfeeding may be unsafe.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"nccih_vitex_meds","url":"https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/chasteberry","label":"NCCIH — Chasteberry (Keep in Mind: medicines)","quote":"If you take any type of medicine, talk with your health care provider before using any herbal product; some herbs and medicines interact in harmful ways.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"modzelewski2024_dose","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC11075635","label":"Premenstrual syndrome: new insights into etiology and review of treatment methods (Modzelewski et al., Front Psychiatry 2024) — section 5.1 on Vitex agnus-castus","quote":"Another study by Schellenberg et al. revealed that the most optimal therapeutic effects were achieved with a 20 mg dose taken once daily, with no additional benefits observed when increasing the dose to 30 mg","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"modzelewski2024_bias","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC11075635","label":"Modzelewski et al. 2024 — section 5.1, on the Verkaik et al. meta-analysis of vitex in PMS","quote":"In their meta-analysis on VAC studies in PMS, they highlighted the high risk of bias, heterogeneity, subjective methods, and underpowered inclusion criteria, collectively diminishing the quality of evidence regarding the effectiveness of VAC","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"hsa_pr_notlisted","url":"https://file.go.gov.sg/hsa-chp-prohibited-restricted-ing-guidelines.pdf","label":"HSA — Guidelines on Prohibited and Restricted Ingredients in HS and TM, Version 1 (Oct 2025), Annex A and Annex B — searched, no row for this ingredient","quote":"A list of such ingredients and recommended risk mitigation measures can be found in Annex B. This list is not exhaustive. Dealers are responsible to ensure that their products are safe","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"iherb_sg","url":"https://sg.iherb.com/c/chaste-berry-vitex","label":"iHerb Singapore — Vitex (Chaste Berry) category (default order, 1 - 27 of 27 results)","quote":"Nature's Way, Vitex Fruit, 400 mg … Swanson Vitamins, Full Spectrum® Chasteberry Fruit, 400 mg … Solaray, True Herbs, Vitex, 400 mg … Gaia Herbs, Women, Vitex Berry … Nature's Answer, Chasteberry Vitex Agnus Castus, Fluid Extract","accessed":"2026-08-27"}],"brand_certs":null,"updated_at":"2026-08-29T16:16:34.039038+08:00"},"disclaimer":"kozen-x is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. it lists what published sources have written down. absence of a record is not the same as safe."}