--- title: Does Vitex agnus castus help women with PMS? | Niyora description: Yes, Vitex significantly improved PMS symptoms compared to placebo in both mild and moderate cases. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/therapeutic-effect-of-vitex-agnus-castus-in-patients-with-premenstrual-syndrome-2012/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does Vitex agnus castus help women with PMS? Randomised trial, 2012 # Does Vitex agnus castus help women with PMS? Yes, Vitex significantly improved PMS symptoms compared to placebo in both mild and moderate cases. Moderate study design 128 women with PMS, mean age 30.77 years ## What they did Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 128 women with PMS (62 took Vitex, 66 took placebo). Women took 40 drops of Vitex extract or placebo for the 6 days before their period for 6 consecutive menstrual cycles. They rated symptoms before and after using visual scales. ## What they found Vitex group showed significantly greater improvement than placebo (P<0.0001). Symptoms improved included headache, anger, irritability, depression, breast fullness, and bloating. Treatment was well tolerated. ## What it means for you Vitex appears to work for mild to moderate PMS. The study was well-designed but moderate in size and conducted in one location. 128 women studied 6 consecutive menstrual cycles P<0.0001 statistical significance of improvement ## About the study Original title Therapeutic effect of Vitex agnus castus in patients with premenstrual syndrome Authors Zamani M, Neghab N, Torabian S Journal Acta medica Iranica Year 2012 Study design Randomised trial Participants 134 What was tested 40 drops of Vitex agnus extract for 6 days before menses Open access Yes Read the paper [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22359078/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22359078/) Original abstract Medical therapies have been widely used for premenstrual syndrome (PMS), but in all of them side effects are predominant. Herbal remedies rarely have side effects and people have more tendencies toward them than chemical therapies. In this study the therapeutic effect of Vitex agnus castus on women who had the PMS, in comparison with placebo, were investigated. In this randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study, from 134 selected patients 128 women suffered from PMS were evaluated (active 62, placebo 66). All patients answered to a self assessment questionnaire about their headache, anger, irritability, depression, breast fullness and bloating and tympani during the premenstrual period before the study. Forty drops of Vitex agnus extract or matching placebo, administrated for 6 days before menses for 6 consecutive cycles. Patients answered the self-assessment questionnaires after 6 menstrual cycles, again. Each item rated using a visual analogue scale (VAS). The mean age was 30.77 (SD=4.37) years in the active group and 30.89 (SD=4.02) years in the placebo group.Rank of variables had significantly difference in active and placebo group before and after the study (P<0.0001) also we noticed significant differences on the use of Vitex agnus in comparison with placebo (P<0.0001). Vitex agnus can be considered as an effective and well tolerated treatment for the relief of symptoms of mild and moderate PMS. Reproduced under CC-BY-SA. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Irritability and anger](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-irritability-anger/)[Vitex agnus-castus (chasteberry)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-vitex/)[Other herbal medicine](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-herbal-other/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Randomised trial, 2012 Does Vitex agnus castus work for PMS, and what dose is best? Randomised trial, 2001 Does agnus castus (Vitex) fruit extract reduce premenstrual syndrome symptoms? Survey study, 2025 Can a chatbot help monitor PMS symptoms over time? Survey study, 2025 Can a plant-based supplement reduce PMS symptoms? Survey study, 2024 What do pharmacy students know about using herbs for PMS? Non-randomised trial, 2014 Does Vitex help PMS symptoms? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗