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eCAM Advance Access published online on November 17, 2007
eCAM, doi:10.1093/ecam/nem074
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© 2007 The Author(s).
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/uk/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Review

Can Vitex Agnus Castus be Used for the Treatment of Mastalgia? What is the Current Evidence?

A.R. Carmichael

Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley DY1 2HQ, West Midlands, UK

There have been many treatments suggested for the management of mastalgia; one of these is the fruit extract of Vitex Agnus castus L. commonly known as Agnus castus, an extract of a deciduous shrub native to Mediterranean Europe and Central Asia. It is postulated that A. castus suppresses the stress-induced latent hyperprolactinemia which is a release of supra-physiological levels of prolactin in some patients in response to stressful stimuli. It is postulated that A. castus could be effective in the treatment of cyclical mastalgia by inhibiting the release of excess prolactin by blocking Dopamine-2 receptor type on pituitary. The adverse events following A. castus treatment are mild and reversible. The aim of this review is assess the efficacy of A. castus in the treatment of mastalgia. Data from randomized and non-randomized studies regarding the efficacy and safety of A. castus is reviewed in a systematic fashion. It is concluded that A. castus can be considered as an efficient alternative phytotherapeutic agent in the treatment of mastalgia.

Keywords: mastalgia – premenstrual syndrome – drug therapy – vitex

For reprints and all correspondence: A. R. Carmichael, Consultant Surgeon, Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley, DY1 2HQ, UK. E-mail: homepac{at}doctors.org.uk

Received April 27, 2006; accepted May 18, 2007


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