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Does Chasteberry Work for Fertility?

Chasteberry DOES work for fertility. 

More Info: Chasteberry is considered to be an effective remedy for fertility and reproductive health problems, although the studies that prove this as a fact are quite few in number.

What Is Chasteberry?

The scientific name of chasteberry is vitex agnus castus, from the verbenaceae family, and is mostly found in the Mediterranean parts of Europe, Asia and North America.

Chasteberry is a small shrub or tree that has thin violet-blue spikes. The flowers of the chasteberry are eight to ten centimeters in length and the fruits are the size of peppercorns. It was called chasteberry because of its ancient usage, as a way to diminish sexual desire. It has other names as well, among them are chaste tree fruit, safe tree, hemp tree, vitex or monk's pepper due to its peppery taste.

Chasteberry is composed of idriod glycosides; flavonoids; progestins such as progesterone, hydroxyprogesterone, testosterone, epitestosterone and androstenedione, alkaloids and volatile oils. It also contains essential fatty acids.

Chasteberry and Fertility

Hormonal imbalance is one of the major causes of infertility. Four studies show that chasteberry had a positive effect in correcting the said hormonal imbalance syndromes. Studies further show that females who took chasteberry preparations were able to achieve spontaneous menstruations along with subsequent pregnancies.

According to another study, female patients who experienced fertility disorders and took chasteberry preparations two times a day during the three-month clinical trial achieved pregnancy more readily than the females who did not. According to this study, chasteberry was especially helpful for females who were suffering from amenorrhea or luteal insufficiency.

However, despite these studies, the use of chasteberry as a fertility treatment is still not widely recognized in the medical industry as the results of these studies are considered insignificant.