Vitex trifolia. V. rotundifolia   蔓 荊 子 Màn jīng zǐ   Chaste tree   Family: Verbenaceae
PART USED: Dry ripe fruit- picked in Autumn.
Nature: Cool    FLAVOR: Pungent, bitter, acrid  CHANNEL: Liver, Bladder, Stomach
FUNCTIONS
GROUP: Exterior clearing- Cooling
1. Disperse Wind and Heat.[1,2] Clear the head and eyes.[1]
2. Drains Dampness and expels Wind.[3]
ACTIONS
INDICATIONS
1. Wind Heat headache affecting eyes.[3] Also for headache caused by high blood pressure.[2] Dizziness, swelling and pain in eyes.[1] Neuralgic pain above eye socket.[1] Liver channel Wind Heat manifesting as excessive tearing, red, painful, or swollen eyes, or spots in front of the eyes.[3]
2. Numbness due to Dampness for External Wind Damp causing pain. Expecially for elderly people with Deficient weak bodies with loss of motor function eg spastic hand.[2] Muscular neuralgia.[1] Wind Dampness in the limbs causing stiffness, numbness, cramping, or heaviness.[3]
CONTRAINDICATIONS: Use with caution for headaches or eye problems due to Yin or Blood deficiency, and in cases of Stomach Qi deficiency.[3] According to some sources, this herb antagonizes Aconitum- Wu tou and Gypsum- Shi gao.[3]
COMBINATIONS
PREPARATIONS: Dry ripe fruits 4-9 g.[1,2] 6-12 g.[3] Good quality is large, solid, and fragrant.
Tinctures- especially for headache and eye pain.[3]
   
References
Inner Path can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Constituents
Research

Characterisation of the anti-inflammatory potential of Vitex trifolia L. (Labiatae), a multipurpose plant of the Pacific traditional medicine.
Matsui M, Kumar-Roine S, Darius HT, Chinain M, Laurent D, Pauillac S.
Abstract
AIM OF THE STUDY:
Vitex trifolia L. (Labiatae) is a plant commonly employed against Ciguatera Fish Poisoning (CFP) in the Pacific region. Here, the anti-inflammatory potential of an aqueous extract of Vitex trifolia leaves was evaluated by monitoring its effects on the modulation of cytokines, the mediators of inflammation, as well as on the expression profiles of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) which produces the free radical nitric oxide (NO).
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
We prepared an aqueous extract from Vitex trifolia leaves and evaluated its anti-inflammatory potency by monitoring its effect on the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cytokines and iNOS mRNA over-production in RAW 264.7 macrophages using quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) methods.
RESULTS:
Aqueous extract of Vitex trifolia leaves showed significant dose- and time-dependent inhibitory activity on interleukin (IL)-1 beta, IL-6 and iNOS mRNA synthesis, but slight effect on tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, all of which are involved in the inflammatory response. Moreover, the plant extract seemed to induce the LPS-dependent IL-10 anti-inflammatory cytokine. These results were further confirmed by ELISA using specific antibodies to mouse IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-alpha.
CONCLUSION:
The anti-inflammatory effects of Vitex trifolia could validate its utilization as a traditional remedy against CFP and emphasises its potential therapeutic value against other inflammatory diseases. Therefore, this plant is a promising candidate for further screening of its active compounds through activity-guided fractionation.
PMID: 19778597 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2009.09.020  J Ethnopharmacol. 2009 Dec 10;126(3):427-33. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2009.09.020. Epub 2009 Sep 22. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Flavonoids from Vitex trifolia L. inhibit cell cycle progression at G2/M phase and induce apoptosis in mammalian cancer cells.
Li WX, Cui CB, Cai B, Wang HY, Yao XS.
Abstract
Six flavonoids, persicogenin (1), artemetin (2), luteolin (3), penduletin (4), vitexicarpin (5) and chrysosplenol-D (6), have been isolated for the first time as new cell cycle inhibitors from Vitex trifolia L., a Chinese folk medicine used to treat cancers, through a bioassay-guided separation procedure. They were identified by spectroscopic methods. The inhibitory effects of 1-6 on the proliferation of mammalian cancer cells have been evaluated by the SRB (sulforhodamine B) method and their effects on cell cycle and apoptosis investigated by flow cytometry with the morphological observation under light microscope and by agarose-gel electrophoresis to detect internucleosomal DNA fragmentation. Compounds 1-6 inhibited the proliferation of mouse tsFT210 cancer cells with the IC50s (microg ml(-1)) > 100 (inhibition rate at 100 microg ml(-1), 47.9%) for 1, >100 (inhibition rate at 100 microg ml(-1), 49.6 %) for 2, 10.7 for 3, 19.8 for 4, 0.3 for 5, and 3.5 for 6. Flow cytometric investigations for 1-6 demonstrated that 1-5 mainly inhibited cell cycle at the G2/M phase in a dose-dependent manner with a weak induction of apoptosis on the tsFT210 cells, while 6 induced mainly apoptosis of the same tsFT210 cells also in a dose-dependent manner together with a weak inhibition of the cell cycle at the G0/G1 and G2/M phases, demonstrating that 1-6 exert their anti-proliferative effect on tsFT210 cells through inhibiting cell cycle and inducing apoptosis. In contrast to the cell cycle G2/M phase inhibitory main effect on tsFT210 cells, 5 induced mainly apoptosis on human myeloid leukemia K562 cells with a weak inhibition of the cell cycle at the G2/M phase. The present result provides flavonoids 1-6 as new cell cycle inhibitors and 1 and 4 as new anticancer flavonoids, which not only provide the first example of cell cycle G2/M phase inhibitory and apoptosis-inducing constituents of V. trifolia L. but also explain the use of Vitex trifolia L. by Chinese people to treat cancers.
PMID: 16087636 DOI: 10.1080/10286020310001625085  J Asian Nat Prod Res. 2005 Aug;7(4):615-26. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Evaluation of potential antiamnesic activities of aqueous extract of Vitex trifolia leaves against scopolamine induced amnesia and in normal rats.
Mohanbabu AV, Kishore MK, Chandrashekar BR, Pradeepa HD, Christopher R, Nandit PB.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
The goal of this study was to evaluate the cerebroprotective and cognition-enhancing activities of the aqueous Vitex trifolia (Vt) L. (Verbenaceae) leaf extract against scopolamine-induced amnesia and in normal rats.
METHODS:
Reference or working memory and long-term memory in rodents were tested by experimental paradigms like passive avoidance (PA) and T-maze (TM), respectively. TM and Morris water maze (MWM) were used to screen putative spatial or localization task and the navigation memory-enhancing activities of Vt extract, respectively. In both the PA and TM models, scopolamine (0.5 mg/kg, intraperitoneal, 30 min prior to the trial) was used to induce amnesia, and donepezil (3 mg/kg/day for 15 days) was used as a standard antiamnesic drug. In MWM, two doses of Vt extract were tested against normal control rats. The aqueous Vt extract was prepared as a suspension in 0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose and administered orally at two doses (10 and 20 mg/kg/day) for 15 days to the respective group of rats.
RESULTS:
The higher dose (20 mg/kg) of plant extract exhibited significant (p<0.01) antiamnesic activity in the PA and TM models vs. the control. In the MWM test, at probe trial, Vt extract 20 mg/kg showed the least escape latency time, which was statistically significant (p<0.01) and exhibited maximum percentage of time spent in the probe quadrant by 60.75%.
CONCLUSIONS:
These results partly substantiate the traditional use of Vt leaves for improvement of cognition, indicating that daily administration of Vt leaves differentially could modulate short- and long-term learning and memory in rats probably through its battery of anticholinesterase, procholinergic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective activities.
PMID: 25153588 DOI: 10.1515/jbcpp-2014-0002 J Basic Clin Physiol Pharmacol. 2015 Mar;26(2):201-9. doi: 10.1515/jbcpp-2014-0002. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov