I have to thank Dr. Dean Raffelock for turning me onto Vitex… a friend of mine has to rather abruptly stop breastfeeding and she is naturally concerned about a hormonal crash. Enter Vitex….

To summarize, Vitex agnus-castus, or chaste-tree is the small pepper-like fruits of a mediterranean shrub, and can be used as a powder, powdered extract, tea, or especially as a tincture, for many ailments resulting from hormonal imbalances. The two most important areas of application may be as a galactagogue, to stimulate mother’s milk, and as a remedy in PMS, other menstrual disorders and fibroid cysts of the uterus. For milk stimulation, and for speeding the healing of the uterus after childbirth, take Vitex, starting on the first day of confinement, and continue for up to two months, if necessary. The dose of the liquid is 40 drops a day, to twice a day.

 So why may you ask might my friend who wants to stop breast feeding take something that is in fact a galactagogue (I love that name!). Well it appears that by going for a moderate amount of a powdered extract you may be able to create some balalnce between hormonal crashes and overstimulating your milk flow.

 According to the many pharmacological tests that have been done–mostly with animals, but also with humans, Vitex works mainly through the pituitary gland. This is the master gland, regulating all the other glands of the body, including the sexual hormones. This may be why Vitex is able to help with so many different ailments due to hormonal imbalance–it starts at the top, and perhaps helps all the different glands to work more efficiently together.

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September 12th, 2007 | Permalink