What is the Sacred Vitex plant? You can find the answer to this question in the materials of this article. In addition, we will talk about what this grass is used for, how it is harvested and used.
General information
Grass vitex sacred has many different names. Often it is called vitex or common prutnyak, as well as the Abraham tree. This plant belongs to the tree-like shrubs of the Lamiaceae family.
Botanical description
Sacred Vitex is a tree-like shrub that often reaches a height of 4-8 meters. Its branches are brown, tetrahedral, with a sharp aroma, and the root is well-branched, taprooted and with a large number of adventitious roots.
The leaves of this plant are green, large, palmately complex and opposite. They are located on long petioles (up to 5 cm) and consist of 5-6 sharp, narrow-lanceolate, sparsely toothed leaves, which are dull on top and grayish below.
Among other things, Vitex Sacred has numerous flowers. They are two-lipped, lavender, and clustered at the tops of the branches in the formdense, intermittent and paniculate spike-shaped inflorescences. The calyx of these flowers is tubular and has 4 stamens that protrude above the corolla.
The fruits of vitex sacred are black, dry, four-celled and spherical drupes with a diameter of 3-4 mm. This plant blooms from the beginning of June until the very end of October, and bears fruit in October or November.
Distribution
Sacred Vitex, reviews of which we will present below, grows in North Africa, Southern Europe, subtropics of Asia, Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan, India, China, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. This culture is undemanding to soils, and therefore it can grow even on rocky, loamy and sandy soil. As you know, the presented shrub grows along the banks of ditches and rivers, on the coasts and forms small thickets.
Chemical composition
Sacred Vitex, reviews of which are mostly positive, is a medicinal plant. The healing properties of this herb are due to the presence of iridoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, vitamins, trace elements and essential oils in it.
The leaves of this plant contain ascorbic acid, as well as glycoside and agnuzide. Flavonoid kasticin and fatty oil were found in the seeds. The fruits include organic acids, coumarins, etc.
Sacred Vitex: medicinal properties of the plant
According to experts, the vitex plant hashormone-like activity. In this regard, it is able to influence the function of the corpus luteum (that is, the gland that regulates the menstrual cycle). In addition, it reduces the level of a hormone that stimulates the formation of milk, and thereby suppresses its separation. It should also be noted that such a plant has antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, sedative and antifungal properties.
Collection and storage
The medicinal raw materials of such a plant are flowers, leaves, fruits, as well as bark and branches. At the same time, the fruits are harvested after full ripening (in September-October), shoots, flowers and leaves - during budding and flowering (in June), and the bark - in autumn or spring. Harvested plant material should be air dried at a temperature not exceeding 40°C.
Medical applications
The sacred vitex, whose properties were described above, is used to treat malaria, women's diseases, as well as chronic ailments of the spleen and liver. An alcohol tincture made from ripe fruits is quite often used for deviations that are accompanied by depressed mood, impotence and spermatorrhea. In addition, the dry extract of vitex sacred is prescribed to the fairer sex during the cessation of breastfeeding.
In folk medicine, a decoction made from the branches and fruits of this plant is drunk for gonorrhea, and an infusion of flowers is used to prepare baths for serious skin diseases.
Due to its hormone-like activity, preparations based on thisplants in traditional medicine are prescribed to patients with various gynecological problems, namely: with premenstrual syndrome, which is accompanied by swelling, scarcity of menstruation or their complete absence, as well as with anovulatory cycles, chest pain, infertility and various disorders after the use of contraceptives.
Medication forms
Based on this medicinal plant, various pharmaceutical products are produced:
- pills;
- liquid extract or tincture;
- dried plant or tea;
- capsules.
Thus, in pharmacy chains you can purchase the following drugs that were produced using the leaves, fruits and flowers of the sacred vitex: "Mastodinon", "Agnukaston", "Cyclodinone" and so on.
Vitex sacred: application and dosage
Before using drugs and a medicinal plant for the treatment and prevention of certain diseases, you should definitely consult a doctor or at least read the instructions:
- For premenstrual syndrome, this drug in tablets is recommended to be taken in an amount of 20-40 mg per day.
- For cyclic mastalgia (or pain in the mammary glands), doctors prescribe 60 drops of the extract or 1 tablet per day.
For other deviations, you should also consult a doctor for dosage adjustment.
Application features
For maximum benefit and increaseAbsorption experts advise taking such a drug in the morning on an empty stomach. After using Vitex for 10 days, every third woman with painful premenstrual syndrome notices a significant improvement during the next cycle. Although the full effect of this plant is manifested only after 90 days. By the way, for the treatment of amenorrhea or infertility, it is advisable to take preparations based on this herb for 6 months.
Other uses
The fruits, seeds and leaves of this plant are often added to soups, meat dishes, semi-smoked and boiled sausages, and canned fish. They pair quite well with other spices.
Elastic and flexible branches of this shrub are used for the production of garden furniture and baskets. In male bodybuilding, such a plant is used to control testosterone levels.
Side effects
For most people, the use of such a plant and medicines based on it rarely causes side effects. However, some patients still complain of headaches, increased menstruation, stomach irritation and the appearance of an itchy rash. That is why, with such side effects, you should definitely stop taking the drug.
Warning
As mentioned above, vitex can interfere with hormone production and is therefore not recommended for use by women who are taking hormonal drugs, including estrogens and birth control pills. Also a medicinal plantcontraindicated during pregnancy and during the course of in vitro fertilization.
Not to be overlooked is the fact that Sacred Vitex should be used with extreme caution when taking medications for mental illness, including Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia, together.
