Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2013 Jul;7(14):188-98.
doi: 10.4103/0973-7847.120522.

The genus Vitex: A review

Anita Rani  1 , Anupam Sharma  2
Affiliations
Review

The genus Vitex: A review

Anita Rani et al. Pharmacogn Rev. 2013 Jul.

Abstract

The review includes 161 references on the genus Vitex, and comprises ethnopharmacology, morphology and microscopy, phytoconstituents, pharmacological reports, clinical studies, and toxicology of the prominent species of Vitex. Essential oils, flavonoids, iridoid glycosides, diterpenoides and ligans constitute major classes of phytoconstituents of the genus. A few species of this genus have medicinal value, among these, leaves and fruits of V. agnus-castus Linn. (Verbenaceae) has been traditionally used in treatment of women complaints. V. agnus-castus has also been included in herbal remedies, which are in clinical use to regulate the menstrual cycle, reduce premenstrual symptom tension and anxiety, treat some menopausal symptoms as well as to treat hormonally induced acne. Despite a long tradition of use of some species, the genus has not been explored properly. In the concluding part, the future scope of Vitex species has been emphasized with a view to establish their multifarious biological activities and mode of action.

Keywords: Diterpenoides; essential oils; flavonoids; iridoid glycosides; vitex agnus-castus.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Structures of various phytoconstituents of Vitex species
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ganapaty S, Vidyadhar KN. Phytoconstituents and biological activities of Vitex: A review. J Nat Rem. 2005;5:75–95.
    1. Ono M, Yamasaki T, Konoshita M, Ikeda T, Okawa M, Kinjo J, et al. Five new diterpenoids, viteagnusins A-E, from the fruit of Vitex agnus-castus. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo) 2008;56:1621–4. - PubMed
    1. Azhar-Ul-Haq, Malik A, Anis I, Khan SB, Ahmed E, Ahmed Z, et al. Enzyme inhibiting lignans from Vitex negundo. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo) 2004;52:1269–72. - PubMed
    1. Hu Y, Hou TT, Xin HL, Zhang QY, Zheng HC, Rahman K, et al. Estrogen-like activity of volatile components from Vitex rotundifolia L. Indian J Med Res. 2007;126:68–72. - PubMed
    1. Kiuchi F, Matsuo K, Ito M, Qui TK, Honda G. New norditerpenoids with trypanocidal activity from Vitex trifolia. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo) 2004;52:1492–4. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources