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Go back to: Essential Oils page Oils index page Kamala's Own™ home page | A-B | C-Ch | Ci-E | F-G | H-K | L-M | N-O | P-R | S | T-Z Vitex Essential Oil. WARNING: DO NOT USE ON BIRTH CONTROL PILLS AS THIS OIL MAY NEGATE THEIR EFFICACY. AVOID IN PREGNANCY AND SCHIZOPHRENIA. WOMEN ON HRT MAY NEED TO ADJUST MEDICATION LEVELS WITH USE OF THIS OIL. PRODUCT DATAFurther Information: We were introduced to this oil because a customer claimed knowledge of treatement for Parkinson's disease. That piqued our interest, so we purchased it for this customer and did some research. Vitex essential oil comes from chaste tree berries, which are a very well known feminine hormone balancer. We found one scientific paper on vitex oil and menopause, and Germany's Commission E approved vitex oil for normalizing irregular menstrual periods and relieving PMS symptoms such as bloating, breast tenderness, and moodiness. An anecdotal case study reported the following: "The vast majority of women using either the leaf or the berry oil found that their menopausal symptoms were greatly lessened. and planned to continue using the oil after the three month study period ended. Of the women who were still menstruating, almost all reported regulation of cycles and less cramping and PMS. However several women who had stopped bleeding, some for extended periods, found their menses returning. Many users of the Berry oil found a great improvement in hot flashes/night sweats, and found themselves experiencing much less insomnia. One woman reports sharing the berry oil with her 11 year old daughter, and that hormonally induced headaches have been cleared away. Good results were experienced in the areas of vaginal thinning and dryness.". The Parkinson's connection seems to be related to Vitex oil being a natural levodopa. Levodopa is converted to dopamine in the brain, and death of dopamine transmitters in the midbrarin is considered to be a cause of Parkinson's. However, a study of chaste tree berries, not the oil, shows that they attach to dopamine receptors causing an increase in dopamine in the blood, making it a dopamine agonist. The berries also balance hormone production of the hypothalamus, ovaries, and pituitary glands. The hypothalamus is one of the dopamine-producing organs. Lastly, the hair removal claim seems to come from a hair loss side effect of using chaste tree berries. In review, Vitex oil seems to have anecdotal evidence for balancing female hormones without adding phytoestrogens. The rest seems to be speculation at this time. |
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