So, you are looking for remedies to alleviate your PMS symptoms. Where to start? The first step is to get a basic understanding of your PMS symptoms and answer a few questions, such as what symptoms do you have? How often do they occur? When do they occur? And how severe are they? You can get an instant evaluation by taking the simple PMS/PMDD quiz by registering as a free member.

The second step is to develop your own PMS management plan incorporating a balanced diet, regular exercise, and rest and relaxation routines.

If you’re open to it, you may also include natural healing techniques such as Qigong, yoga, meditation, massage, acupuncture, or herbal remedies. And of course, if your symptoms are severe, or if you have PMDD, you should certainly seek medical help.

In this article, I want to share with you a powerful herb that’s widely recommended for treating PMS symptoms. This herb is Chaste Tree Berry, also known as Vitex Agnus-castus, Abraham’s Balm or Monk’s Pepper.

The Benefits

Chaste Tree Berry is known for its property in normalizing hormone imbalance by stimulating the pituitary gland. It helps regulate the menstrual cycle and slightly increase the production of progesterone in women who otherwise have irregular cycles.

Several researchers using this herb have found a significant reduction of PMS symptoms among women participants, especially irritability, depression, headaches, cramps, swelling, and breast tenderness.

Chaste Tree Berry is also commonly recommended for menopausal irregularities, such as frequent or heavy bleeding, and it is often combined with hormonal herbs such as Black Cohosh or soy.

Ways to Use

Chaste Tree Berry is a slow-acting herb and can take months to produce meaningful effects. When treating PMS, daily usage for three to six months is often recommended. When treating menopause, therapy of six months to one year is usually recommended.

You can find Chaste Tree Berry in pretty much any form: capsule, tablet, tincture, or liquid exact. Unlike many other herbs, it doesn’t make a popular tea, however. I tried to make tea using raw Chaste Tree Berry once. It had a very bitter taste and only became bearable after a lot of sweetening.

Precautions

Chaste Tree Berry is considered a pretty safe herb with only mild side effects. More common side effects include mild digestive upset or skin rash. Other side effects may include rapid heartbeat, hair loss, headache, dry mouth, nausea, rash, itching and bleeding between periods.

Chaste Tree Berry is not recommended for pregnant or nursing women. If you have other health issues or are taking hormonal supplements, you should consult your doctor before taking Chaste Tree Berry. And you know the usual drill, if you notice any side effects while taking it you should back off either by reducing the dosage or stopping immediately.

And one last thing you should know about Chaste Tree Berry: It was used as an herbal remedy by monks in the Middle Ages to diminish their sex drive, and so its common names stem from its use by monks to maintain celibacy. Be aware that Chaste Tree Berry may occasionally reduce the sex drive in women, even though the effects are far less pronounced than the name of this plant suggests.

If you're thinking about using Chase Tree Berry to help balance your hormones and reduce/eliminate PMS, peri-menopausal or menopausal symtoms, check out Nature's Way Vitex Agnus-Castus. It has received many great reviews!

If you’ve tried Chaste Tree Berry, please leave a comment (both negative and positive), so we all can learn from your experience.