Randomised trial, 2013
Does Vitex agnus-castus reduce migraines in women with PMS?
In this open-label study of women with both PMS and migraines, over 40% experienced major reduction in migraine frequency and duration. Without a control group, we cannot be certain the improvement was due to Vitex.
What they did
107 women with both PMS and migraines took Vitex agnus-castus 40mg daily for 3 months. Effects on both PMS symptoms and migraine attacks were assessed. 100 women completed the study.
What they found
For PMS: 66 women reported dramatic symptom reduction, 26 reported mild reduction, and 8 reported no effect. For migraines, 42% experienced a reduction of more than 50% in monthly migraine attack frequency, and 57% experienced a reduction of more than 50% in monthly days with headache. No patients reported notable side effects.
What it means for you
Vitex agnus-castus was well-tolerated and associated with improvement in both PMS symptoms and migraine frequency in this group. However, this was an open-label study with no control group, so a placebo-controlled trial is needed to determine if benefits are truly due to the treatment.
100
women completed study
42%
had more than 50% reduction in migraine frequency
57%
had more than 50% reduction in migraine days
About the study
- Original title
- Use of Vitex agnus-castus in migrainous women with premenstrual syndrome: an open-label clinical observation
- Authors
- Ambrosini A, Di Lorenzo C, Coppola G et al.
- Journal
- Acta neurologica Belgica
- Year
- 2013
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- Participants
- 107
- What was tested
- Vitex agnus-castus 40mg daily for 3 months
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1007/s13760-012-0111-4
Topics
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