Sacred Vitex - Description, Useful Properties And Application Of Sacred Vitex

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

Vitex sacred

Useful properties and recipes for using Vitex

Vitex sacred is a tall tree-like shrub. This plant can be up to four meters in height. The root system of Vitex is highly branched, has many adventitious roots. The brown tetrahedral stem is straight. The leaves of the plant are opposite, they are green. Each leaf consists of 5 leaflets, which are pointed and do not have stipules. Dense spike-shaped panicles appear before us as vitex inflorescences. During the flowering period, the plant is covered with many beautiful flowers - lilac, purple or pink. The fruit of Vitex is a ball-shaped drupe, black in color, the drupe does not exceed 4 mm.

June-August is the period of flowering of sacred vitex. Vitex ripens from early September to late October. The plant has a very strong, but at the same time pleasant aroma. The sacred vitex is mainly propagated by seed or cuttings.

In large quantities, this plant can be seen in southern Europe, Asia, and northern Africa. It grows on the banks of reservoirs and rivers, on mountain slopes. The best soils for vitex to grow are rocky, sandy and loamy.

Healing properties of sacred vitex

For medicinal purposes, the leaves, fruits, flowers and branches of the plant are used, but even the bark of Vitex is sometimes used to prepare medicines. Flowers need to be picked during the flowering stage, the time for harvesting is September-October. The fruits should be dried at a temperature not exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. Vitex branches can be harvested throughout the growing season. Fresh air is best for drying the plant.

The whole plant contains vitamins, tannins, essential oil, trace elements and alkaloids. In addition to these useful substances, vitex leaves contain vitamin C, and coumarins and fatty oil are present in the fruits of the plant (fatty oil contains, in turn, acetic, propionic, nylon, valeric and butyric acids).

Vitex has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects. Vitex preparations have sedative, estrogen-like and antifungal properties.

The use of Vitex normalizes the function of the glands in case of hormonal disorders, affects the work of the corpus luteum - the gland responsible for the menstrual cycle.

Vitex fruits normalize digestion processes, tone and strengthen the body.

The seeds are used to make a special oil that helps with cancer.

Vitex is an analogue of hormones in women, and for this reason it is used by women in the treatment of the endocrine system or hormonal disruption.

Vitex application

Vitex sacred is used for depression, chronic disease of the spleen and liver, malaria, infertility, menstrual irregularities.

In folk medicine, Vitex is very often used for gonorrhea, malaria and heart pain.

Vitex has also proven itself in homeopathy: it is used in the form of freshly prepared juice in the treatment of nervous diseases and depression.

Infusions of Vitex leaves and flowers are used as a lactogenic agent, which also has an antibacterial effect.

Tincture of Vitex fruits will help to increase the function of the gonads. In addition, this tincture is used in the treatment of fibroids, cysts, fibroids, prostatitis, leukemia and polyps.

Neuroses that are accompanied by a bad mood, spermatorrhea and sexual weakness are treated with a tincture of the ripe fruit of the plant, infused with alcohol.

Infusion of Vitex leaves. It is prepared as follows: you need to take 10 grams of vitex leaves, lemon balm herb, hop cones and 10 grams of peppermint leaves. All this mixes well. Now 3 tablespoons of the ready-made collection must be poured with 200 ml of boiling water. Next, you should leave the finished broth for 1 hour to infuse. After straining it is recommended to take a quarter of a glass 4-5 times daily in between meals. This infusion is used for insomnia, neuroses and heart failure.

Vitex fruit tincture. To prepare it, take 20 grams of plant fruits and fill them with 200 ml of 70% alcohol. We insist on the remedy for two weeks. It is necessary to take such a tincture in the amount of 30-40 drops before meals 2 times daily. Over time, the dose should be increased to 60 drops.

Infusion of Vitex leaves. Apply this infusion in the presence of heart pain. We take 1 teaspoon of dried leaves and fill them with a glass of boiled water, set to infuse for 60 minutes. Don't forget to strain the product! This infusion is taken 1 tablespoon half an hour before meals, twice a day. It is necessary to be treated in this way for three, and in some cases, four months. But the course of treatment should be as follows: you take the infusion for 2 weeks, do not take it for a week, etc.

Contraindications to the use of Vitex

People who are hypersensitive to Vitex medications are advised not to use them. After a person has recovered from alcoholism, he should not take drops of Vitex.

Do not be alarmed if, after taking the drug from Vitex, you develop hallucinations, allergies to the skin, or aroused psyche. These are all side effects of Vitex-based drugs.

The author of the article: Sokolova Nina Vladimirovna | Phytotherapist

Education: Diploma in "General Medicine" and "Therapy" received at the Pirogov University (2005 and 2006). Advanced training at the Department of Phytotherapy at the Peoples' Friendship University of Moscow (2008).