Vitex agnus castus
Traditionally, Vitex agnus castus (a species of the Verbenaceae family) has been used for alleviating the menstrual problems, including spasmodic dysmenorrhea and premenstrual symptoms, certain menopausal conditions, and insufficient lactation, as well as for treating acne (Zamani et al., 2012).
Analysis of Verbenaceae plants’ extracts confirmed the presence of compounds isoflavones and flavonoids that have a high affinity for estrogen receptors (ERs) and are beneficial to improve women’s sexual health (Mari et al., 2015). The flavonoids of this plant increase endometrial blood flow, and its isoflavones reduce the release of the prolactin and FSH hormones by affecting the HPG axis (Amégbor et al., 2012; Goodarzi & Akbari, 2016).
Human studies have shown the effectiveness of the plant species of the Verbenaceae family in the treatment of gynecological diseases and premenstrual symptoms such as depression, sadness, and irritability (Abdnejad & Simbar, 2016), as well as irregular menstrual bleeding, hyperprolactinemia, dysmenorrhea, and menopausal problems (Sadeghi et al., 2019). Verbenaceae extract reduces prolactin secretion, modulates the release of FSH and LH, increases serum levels of estrogen and progesterone, and ultimately improves sexual function (Ibrahim et al., 2008).
The extract of this plant also stimulates the secretion of corpus luteum after ovulation to produce progesterone, which ultimately regulates female sexual cycle (Askari, 2017). In an animal study by Yakubu and Akanji (2011), it was observed that the serum levels of estrogen and progesterone increased in the group receiving Verbenaceae extract compared to the control group while LH and prolactin, as sexual function disruptive hormones, decreased (Yakubu & Akanji, 2011). Also, a study in rats with induced PCOS showed that the extract of this plant reduced the number of preantral and antral follicles and corpus luteum in comparison with the control group after 28 days. Also, the diameter of antral follicles and the thicknesses of follicular theca and ovarian tunica albuginea increased compared to the control group (Jelodar & Karami, 2013).