--- title: Does Vitex agnus castus reduce PMS symptoms in Chinese women? description: Yes, Vitex agnus castus significantly reduced PMS symptoms better than placebo. Symptoms improved in both groups, but the herbal medicine group improved more, url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/treatment-for-premenstrual-syndrome-with-vitex-agnus-castus-a-prospective-2009/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does Vitex agnus castus reduce PMS symptoms in Chinese women? Randomised trial, 2009 # Does Vitex agnus castus reduce PMS symptoms in Chinese women? Yes, Vitex agnus castus significantly reduced PMS symptoms better than placebo. Symptoms improved in both groups, but the herbal medicine group improved more, though the large placebo improvement (50%) means some benefit may not be from the herb itself. Strong study design 217 Chinese women with moderate to severe PMS (208 completed the study) ## What they did 217 Chinese women with moderate to severe PMS were randomly assigned to receive either Vitex agnus castus or placebo for three menstrual cycles. Their symptoms were tracked using two different rating scales. ## What they found Symptom scores in the treatment group dropped from 29.23 at baseline to 6.41 after three cycles. In the placebo group, scores dropped from 28.14 to 12.64. The treatment group improved significantly more than placebo. Both groups showed improvement, with a 50% placebo effect noted. ## What it means for you Vitex agnus castus is safe and appears to help women with moderate to severe PMS. The large placebo effect (50%) shows that about half the improvement might have come from women's expectations rather than the herb itself. This was a well-designed, large study, so the results are fairly reliable. 217 women enrolled 40 mg equivalent dose daily 50 percent placebo effect ## About the study Original title Treatment for premenstrual syndrome with Vitex agnus castus: A prospective, randomized, multi-center placebo controlled study in China Authors He Z, Chen R, Zhou Y et al. Journal Maturitas Year 2009 Study design Randomised trial Participants 1,095 What was tested Vitex agnus castus BNO 1095 (equivalent to 40 mg herbal drug) vs placebo for three cycles Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2009.01.006](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2009.01.006) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[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, 2025 Which is more effective for PMS - Vitagnus, soy, or both together? Randomised trial, 2023 Can herbal medicine prevent or treat PMS and menstrual disorders? Systematic review, 2017 Does Vitex agnus castus help treat premenstrual syndrome? Systematic review, 2017 Is Vitex agnus castus safe and effective for treating PMS and PMDD? Review, 2015 What do we know about PMS and PMDD and how are they treated? Systematic review, 2014 Do acupuncture and herbal medicine help PMS or PMDD symptoms? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗