Vitex - does it raise LH?

[Jillian Bar-av]

Hello everyone,

After reading Lara's blog The Dos and Don’ts of Vitex for Period Problems, and continuing to see information from other herbalists about how Vitex can be the wrong choice for PCOS due to the fact that it can raise LH, I was trying to find the research to support that it does in fact raise LH.

I looked and looked, but all I could find were studies that suggest that it lowers LH. I finally reached out to Lara to see if she could just tell me where this information originated. I was soooooooo thrilled to have her respond with her sources.

Interestingly, when I looked at the direct information, I found that there really is little to no evidence that Vitex does raise LH. This does not mean it is necessarily the right herb choice for all cases of PCOS, but I do feel a huge mystery has been solved for me.

I am very interested to hear from other practitioners about when they have found Vitex useful in PCOS, and when they have found it to either not work, or to make the situation worse. And if anyone wants more detail about the references and studies regarding Vitex and LH, just let me know.

Thanks all,
Jillian

[StayStill]

Hi Jillian,

I'm very interested in this topic as I have elevated prolactin which I'd like to treat with vitex, but also a 2:1 LH/FSH level (and some features of PCOS). Previously I have taken vitex which (after one 70 day cycle) made my irregular cycles much more regular (30 - 31 days), however I found I got a lot of cramps, tender breasts and increased premenstrual symptoms.

I wondered if you could pass on the sources / research Lara sent you?

Many thanks!

[Lara]

Here's the response that I wrote to Jillian:

It’s the traditional mechanistic understanding of reducing prolactin leads to increased LH. But in truth, it seems to be very much dependent on the dose and day of the cycle.

See this quote: “This hormonal effect appears to be dose-dependent: low doses of extract have resulted in decreased estrogen levels and increased progesterone and prolactin levels, possibly caused by an inhibition of the release of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and stimulation of luteinizing hormone (LH) levels.” From this citation: https://www.aafp.org/afp/2005/0901/p821.html And the references in that paper including the Australian herbal textbook I have relied on: Mills S, Bone K. Principles and practice of phytotherapy: modern herbal medicine. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone, 2000.