agnus castus: prescribing and clinical use
Focused clinical detail for use alongside current product information, local policy and patient-specific assessment.
agnus castus: clinical details
Prescribing considerations
- Confirm the exact product and formulation rather than treating all agnus castus preparations as equivalent.
- Screen for pregnancy, attempts to conceive, breastfeeding, pituitary disease, oestrogen-sensitive cancer and relevant interacting medicines.
- Persistent, worsening or functionally disruptive symptoms require clinical assessment rather than continued self-treatment.
- Traditional herbal registration supports quality and traditional use but does not establish clinical effectiveness.
Contraindications and cautions
- Hypersensitivity to agnus castus or hypromellose
- Current pituitary disorder
- Pregnancy
- Breastfeeding
Monitoring
- No routine laboratory-monitoring schedule is established.
- Review symptom pattern, adverse effects, menstrual changes and possible interactions.
- Investigate persistent or worsening symptoms; agnus castus may mask symptoms of a prolactin-secreting pituitary tumour.
Clinical pharmacology
The active pharmacology and pharmacokinetics are not fully characterised. Effects on the hypothalamic–pituitary axis are proposed, with possible dopaminergic and oestrogenic activity.
Formulation and product differences
- The selected product is a clear hard capsule containing brown powdered agnus castus fruit.
- The capsule shell contains hypromellose.
agnus castus interactions
Possible dopamine-related and oestrogen-related effects mean clinically relevant interactions cannot be excluded.
Dopamine agonists
Agnus castus could alter their effects; seek medical or pharmacist advice before combining them.
Dopamine antagonists
Their effects could be altered; this includes medicines acting by blocking dopamine receptors.
Oestrogen-containing medicines
Possible oestrogen-like activity may affect treatment, so discuss concurrent use with a clinician.
Sources
These sources were used to prepare and review this medicine page.
Prepared and reviewed by the iatroX editorial team.