Chaste tree
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Chaste tree ( Vitex agnus-castus ) |
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The monk's pepper ( Vitex agnus-castus ) is a species of the genus Vitex in the mint family (Lamiaceae).
In colloquial language it is also called Keuschbaum , Keuschlamm or Liebfrauenbettstroh , because it allegedly weakens the sex drive. Other names are Abrahamstrauch , Athenbaum , pepper salt and Tanis . This is also reflected in the scientific name: Latin agnus or ancient Greek ἁγνός 'lamb', and Latin castus 'chaste'. Monk's pepper is used today in naturopathy, especially for premenstrual syndrome , for menstrual disorders and the unfulfilled desire to have children.
features
The shrub can reach a height of four meters or more and has light brown, square and finely hairy branches. The aromatic leaves are crosswise opposite and are finger-shaped, and five to seven-fold. The lanceolate to lanceolate and pointed, mostly whole-margined finger leaflets are short-stalked and lighter on the underside and have short tomentose hair. The fragrant flowers are small, consist of dense, terminal inflorescences and are purple, blue, pink or white in color. Visually it is very similar to hemp because of the leaves and to butterfly lilac ( Buddleja davidii ) when in flower , which is why it can easily be confused. The round, blackish fruit is a four-seeded and smooth stone fruit about 2-3 mm in size with a durable light brownish calyx. The cup-shaped calyx covers the fruit up to about half to two thirds.
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 32.
Flowering time is July to August. The driving time varies depending on the local conditions, mostly from April to June. The preferred locations are damp places and river banks.
Occurrence
The original range of the monk's pepper stretches from the Mediterranean region through southwest Asia to Crimea and Pakistan.
history
The Greek goddess Hera was born on Samos under a chaste tree (Lygos). Once a year on Samos she met her husband Zeus under a chaste tree. A bath in the Imbrasos then renewed her virginity. The celebration of the Tonaia , τωναία in which the cult image of the goddess was wrapped with chaste tree branches, commemorated this event. This tree, formerly also called "Athens Tree", stood at the altar in Heraion on Samos and was described by Pausanias , among others . The Greeks regarded chasteberry as a symbol of chaste marriage. Dioscurides describes the chaste tree as an anaphrodisiac .
"Agnos, chaste shrub, [...] known to the Romans as wild pepper, is a tree-like shrub that grows on rivers and rocky coasts [...] It is called Agnos because in the thesmophoria the women, who keep their chastity, use it as a camp used [...] or because, when drunk, it moderates the urge to have sex. "
The fleshy, red-black fruits were used as a spice and an anaphrodisiac . In the monastery gardens of the Middle Ages , not only aromatic and medicinal plants but also plant species grew that served to “turn away from worldly love”. The monks could use the spicy-tasting seeds as a spice for their dishes and had a welcome side effect. In the Middle Ages, monk's pepper became a symbol of the celibate monk life.
Francis de Sales (1567–1622) mentions the use of Agnus Castus (monk's pepper) in his little book Philothea in the 13th chapter (advice on the preservation of chastity):
“Those who bed themselves on the herb Agnus castus become chaste and shameful themselves. In this way your heart will also be cleansed of every blemish and evil desire when it rests in the Savior, the truly pure and flawless Lamb. "
The herbalist Pietro Andrea Mattioli wrote in his Kreuterbuch in the 1626 edition:
"He takes the desire to trade Venus and this is not only done by the seeds, but also by the leaves and flowers, not only when you eat them, but also when you scatter them in bed."
use
Mechanism of action
It is believed that some substances found in the plant have an impact on the pituitary gland . That could explain the effect on the hormonal balance. A study has shown that ingredients in monk's pepper bind to the opioid receptor . This fact could be responsible for the fact that chasteberry alleviates symptoms of premenstrual syndrome . The mechanism of action is not yet fully understood. In lower doses, such as those used in past centuries to suppress sexual desire, chasteberry inhibits the activation of dopamine-2 receptors via competitive binding, which leads to a slight increase in prolactin release . At higher concentrations, the binding activity is sufficient to reduce the release of prolactin. One study found that treating 20 healthy men with higher doses of monk's pepper was associated with a slight decrease in prolactin levels, but lower doses induced a slight increase compared to placebos . The active substances are presumably diterpenes with dopamine- analogous effects with an inhibitory effect on the hormone prolactin. A decrease in prolactin affects the FSH ( follicle-stimulating hormone ) and estrogen levels in the female body. As a result of the effect on the prolactin level, a lowering of the testosterone level in men is plausible as an effect that can affect libido and sperm production. The anaphrodisiac effect, which has been reported since antiquity, can be explained via this path of action.
Medical use
Monk's pepper is a medicinal plant , the fruit of which ( Agni casti fructus ) can be used to treat premenstrual syndrome. Ingredients that determine its effectiveness are bicyclic diterpenes , iridoid glycosides, lipophilic flavonoids , triglycerides, oleic and linoleic acids and essential oils.
Monk's pepper promotes hormone regulation when the cycle is irregular. Was tested u. a. the effect on mastodynia . Treatment with Agnus-Castus preparations showed an improvement in premenstrual mastodynia, which is probably due to the rise in the progesterone level. Since chasteberry promotes the formation of the corpus luteum hormone , the corresponding drugs are used, with partially proven success, also in the case of infertility due to corpus luteum weakness or increased corpuscular levels. Industrially produced and standardized extract is used, which is taken continuously during the entire menstrual cycle . Itching may occur as a side effect. Due to the gestagen-like effect, the follicular phase is often extended , so that the benefit of longer cycles is questionable.
In addition, a repellent effect (as a repellent ) against ticks and other blood-sucking arthropods has been proven.
Contraindications
Monk's pepper should not be consumed during pregnancy due to possible complications. Young girls and breastfeeding women should also not take monk's pepper extract. Women with diseases that can be influenced by sex hormones, such as breast cancer and pituitary gland tumors , are not allowed to take monk's pepper extract.
literature
- Paul Wagler : Agnos . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume I, 1, Stuttgart 1893, Col. 832-834.
- Norbert M. Borengässer: Agnus castus - a herb for all cases . In: FS Chartulae, W. Speyer (Ed.): JbAC . Result band 28 . Münster 1998, p. 4-13 (with Ref.).
- Norbert M. Borengässer: Keuschlamm . In: RAC . tape XX , 2004, p. 800-803 (with ref.).
- Bettina Rahfeld: Microscopic color atlas of plant drugs . tape 3 , 2017, p. 250 .
Web links
- Herbal Medicines Committee : Agni casti fructus European Medicines Agency , May 7, 2020.
- Cooperation phytopharmaceuticals : monk's pepper.
- Cultural-historical portrait of the research group for monastery medicine .
- Monk's pepper in the medicinal plant lexicon, awl.ch, accessed on June 3, 2018.
Individual evidence
- ^ Vitex pseudo-negundo at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
- ↑ Rafaël Govaerts (Ed.): Vitex - World Checklist of Selected Plant Families of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Last accessed on January 21, 2018.
- ^ Marielouise Cremer: Hieros gamos in the Orient and in Greece . In: Journal of Papyrology and Epigraphy . tape 48 , 1982, pp. 283-290 .
- ↑ Petrus Hotton : Thesaurus Phytologicus. That is: Newly opened and abundantly provided herbal treasure: In which all plants used in Artzney art, which come from all 4th parts of the world, but especially in Europe [...]. Johann Leonhard Buggel and Johann Andreas Seitz, 1738, p. 541.
- ↑ Heinrich Marzell : Dictionary of German plant names. 5 volumes, Leipzig, from volume 3 Stuttgart / Wiesbaden, volume 4, p. 1207.
- ^ Pausanias VII, 4.4
- ^ DE Webster, J. Lu, S.-N. Chen, NR Farnsworth, Z. Jim Wang: Activation of the μ-opiate receptor by Vitex agnus-castus methanol extracts: Implication for its use in PMS . In: Journal of Ethnopharmacology . tape 106 , no. 2 , 2006, p. 216-221 , doi : 10.1016 / j.jep.2005.12.025 , PMID 16439081 .
- ^ DE Webster, Y. He, SN Chen, GF Pauli, NR Farnsworth, ZJ Wang: Opioidergic mechanisms underlying the actions of Vitex agnus-castus L. In: Biochemical Pharmacology . tape 81 , no. 1 , January 1, 2011, p. 170-177 .
- ↑ Zsuzsanna Hajdú, Judit Hohmann u. a .: Diterpenoids and flavonoids from the fruits of Vitex agnus-castus and antioxidant activity of the fruit extracts and their constituents . In: Phytotherapy Research . tape 21 , 2007, p. 391 , doi : 10.1002 / ptr.2021 .
- ^ W. Wuttke, H. Jarry, V. Christoffel, B. Spengler, D. Seidlová-Wuttke: Chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus) - Pharmacology and clinical indications . In: Phytomedicine . tape 10 , 2003, p. 348-357 .
- ↑ Paul Grant, Shamin Ramasamy: An Update on Plant Derived Anti-Androgens . In: International Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism . tape 10 , no. 2 , 2012, p. 497-502 , doi : 10.5812 / ijem.3644 .
- ↑ Heinz Schilcher : Guide to Phytotherapy. Urban & Fischer, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-437-55348-6 , pp. 147f.
- ↑ Heinz Mehlhorn, Günter Schmahl, Jürgen Schmidt: Extract of the seeds of the plant Vitex agnus castus proven to be highly efficacious as a repellent against ticks, fleas, mosquitoes and biting flies . In: Parasitology Research . Volume 95, No. 5 , 2005, p. 363-365 .
- ^ C. Daniele, J. Thompson Coon, MH Pittler, E. Ernst: Vitex agnus castus: a systematic review of adverse events . In: Drug Safety . tape 28 , no. 4 , 2005, p. 319-332 , doi : 10.2165 / 00002018-200528040-00004 , PMID 15783241 .
- ↑ Chaste Tree. Drugs.com, accessed April 22, 2015 .
