Monk’s pepper during menopause: what’s the point?

Monk’s pepper during menopause
Does the women’s medicinal plant also help in this phase?

Agnus castus is a proven natural remedy for menstrual problems and PMS. You can find out here whether monk’s pepper also works for the typical symptoms of menopause.

Monk’s pepper (botanical: Vitex agnus castus) bears the title “Medicinal Plant of the Year 2022”. For good reason: In medicine, the shrub, which grows up to five meters high with its mostly purple flower candles – a so-called mint family – is already pretty old hat. The medicinal plant, also known as chaste mud or chaste tree, was already used in ancient Greece. for women’s ailments and as a means of chastity (!) for use. It is still very popular today.

The name Monk pepper is quickly explained: The ripe, dried, brownish-black berries, which differ in appearance and aroma, were grown in the monastery kitchens Peppercorns Remember, it was actually used as a pepper substitute – but also to alleviate the sexual drive and thus make celibacy easier for monks (castus is the Latin word for chaste). Agnus castus can even have the opposite effect under certain circumstances. More on that later.

How does chasteberry work during menopause?

Leaves and flowers are no longer used medicinally today. Instead, it’s all about them Chasteberry fruits. These grain-like berries contain hormone-like substances (phytoestrogens) that bind to dopamine-responsive receptors in the pituitary gland. This area of ​​the brain serves as Control center of the hormonal balance.

If you take high doses of monk’s pepper preparations, prolactin production decreases. The Stress hormone prolactin Among other things, it causes the mammary glands to grow during pregnancy and is responsible for milk production during breastfeeding. A high prolactin level or even an excess of prolactin also slows down the release of progesterone. Conversely, this means: Low prolactin in the blood leads to higher progesterone levels.

What does progesterone have to do with menopause? Very easy: Progesterone is the antagonist of estrogen, the most important female sex hormone. At the beginning of menopause, when the function of the ovaries slowly weakens and the menstrual cycle becomes more irregular, progesterone production initially decreases, but estrogen levels remain constant for a while or even increase briefly. This creates a Estrogen excess (the so-called estrogen dominance), which is behind cycle-related problems such as PMS (premenstrual syndrome), but also triggers certain menopausal symptoms that are related to estrogen dominance. These include in particular:

In this situation, progesterone levels increase (for example, the phyotestrogens in chasteberry inhibit prolactin production), counteracts this and can therefore provide relief from these symptoms. That’s why monk’s pepper is particularly useful in the premenopause and perimenopause – but less so in the later stages, the postmenopause.

How is a monk’s pepper preparation taken?

Experts recommend that it is better not to prepare the chasteberry berries yourself. Agnus castus is available in various dosage forms: Capsulestablets, powder, drops, spray or even as tea. Because the key ingredients are not water-soluble, a tea preparation made from monk’s pepper cannot be expected to have the desired effect: A tea cannot provide the required dosage.

Danger: When it comes to over-the-counter preparations, it is always important to discuss taking them with your gynecologist beforehand. This definitely also applies to herbal remedies!

What dosage is recommended for chasteberry during menopause?

The usual daily dose is 20 to 40 milligrams – The dosage in the available scientific studies on the use of chasteberry during menopause was 30 milligrams per day. During menopause, up to 80 mg is sometimes recommended.
Important to know: The effect only becomes noticeable after around three months of continuous use. So you have to show a little perseverance and patience.

Interestingly In low doses, monk’s pepper works in the opposite way as just described. Prolactin production is then not inhibited, but rather more prolactin is released. Only then is the medicinal plant suitable as a chastity agent. Because an excess of prolactin slows down libido – in women as well as men. In high doses, Agnus castus can stimulate libido and arouse feelings of pleasure.

Are there any side effects to worry about?

In general, monk’s pepper preparations are well tolerated. In rare cases, itchy rashes can occur, and headaches, nausea or abdominal pain have also been observed in isolated cases – even by healers in ancient Greece.

Under what circumstances is chasteberry unsuitable during menopause?

In the pregnancy and breast feeding period Women are not allowed to take monk’s pepper products. Even if you birth control pills the medicinal plant is less suitable. It is not recommended to take it during menopause if you are already taking hormone replacement therapy or if the woman has or has had cancer in which the tumor grows dependent on hormones (so-called estrogen-sensitive tumors). Even if there is a disease of the pituitary gland, Agnus castus is out of the question.

Interactions are possible with medications against Parkinson’s or neuroleptics that are prescribed for psychotic illnesses, for example schizophrenia. In general, you should only take it after consulting your gynecologist.

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What does science say?

Many gynecologists and their patients have had good experiences with chasteberry for menstrual and menopausal problems. As far as the study situation is concerned, it is currently difficult to make clear statements about its effectiveness. Although numerous studies show that chasteberry therapy significantly reduces symptoms such as PMS, there is one Meta-analysis from 2017 considers the effect to be insufficiently proven and criticizes the quality of the available studies.

A Korean one has specific effectiveness for menopausal symptoms study The treatment with Agnus castus extract gave a good rating – at least they were Anxiety and vasomotor dysfunction (e.g. hot flashes) decreased significantly in the test group of women who were treated with chasteberry for eight weeks compared to the women who only received a placebo. But in the case of other complications, depressive moods or sexual disorders, there were no significant differences.

More research is certainly needed before chasteberry is included in the treatment guidelines for menopausal symptoms. From a medical perspective there is nothing wrong with trying Agnus castus, but it is definitely worth a try.

Sources:

Bridget