Along with maca root and DIM, vitex chaste is perhaps the most famous herbal supplement for female hormones.
Vitex chaste is specifically excellent for women suffering from PMS, and if your skin problems are caused by PMS, it could be miraculous for acne.
How does it work? The chaste berry (Agnus castus) contains numerous natural compounds, like peduncularisides and agnusides. One study found that 93% of women taking vitex chaste enjoyed an improvement in PMS symptoms.
Vitex chaste can specifically tackle estrogen-related problems like mood swings by increasing the hormone progesterone, which naturally keeps estrogen in line. Low progesterone also causes acne, by allowing increases in DHT, the deadliest hormone for oily skin. Many modern women have an imbalance between estrogen and progesterone; perhaps you are one of them.
If you’re a woman whose acne is largely hormonal, correlating closely with your monthly cycle, vitex chaste could be highly effective.
That’s why today, we will discuss the ultimate vitex chaste products. Remember that if you experience any of the rare side effects, like nausea, headaches, a dry mouth, or insomnia, cease supplementation immediately. Additionally, never take vitex chaste during pregnancy.
Let’s get started:
One – Oregon’s Wild Harvest
Perhaps the greatest vitex chaste brand available today. Oregon’s Wild Harvest fulfills every requirement for this PMS remedy.
Firstly, the dosage is strong. Each tablet contains 440mg of vitex chaste berry, with 90 capsules per bottle. The vitex chaste itself is organic, free from pesticides and rich in the phytonutrients which work the magic.
Oregon’s Wild Harvest has no fillers, no artificial colours, no artificial flavours, and no preservatives. This product is extremely pure, as the only other ingredient is the plant-sourced pullulan capsule, made from naturally fermented tapioca starch. It’s also vegan, as some pills use animal gelatin. This vitex chaste is certified organic by Oregon Tilth, and made in the company’s own facility in Redmond, Oregon. It’s free from the controversial magnesium stearate, an anti-adhesive designed to prevent powders from sticking to factory machinery, which may have a side effect of decreasing nutrient absorption in the gut.
But sealing Oregon’s Wild Harvest’s place as the ultimate vitex chaste brand is its trustworthy reputation. The company is fully transparent about their production methods, and also sell some of my top recommended dandelion root and ginger products. Their Oregon Tilth organic certification was secured way back in 1994.
Buy Oregon’s Wild Harvest vitex chaste and your hormonal problems may soon be history.
Amazon link: Oregon’s Wild Harvest Chaste Tree Capsules.
Two – Gaia Herbs
A well-trusted vitex brand, containing 60 liquid phyto-capsules. This brand is full potency, expertly harvested and “cultivated in accordance with Nature’s intent“.
The hundreds of amazon reviews give this vitex chaste brand an excellent report. Gaia Herbs has three ingredients: vitex chaste berry, the vegan hypromellose capsule, and vegetable glycerin, another harmless ingredient.
The official serving of Gaia Herbs is 2 tablets, officially giving you a 30 day supply. However, the dosage is a massive 1000mg. There’s 500mg in each tablet, so if you take only one per day, you’ll slightly surpass Oregon’s Wild Harvest and save a bunch of money in the process.
Another advantage for some is being 100% vegan, with the customary lack of additives: no magnesium stearate, fillers like corn flour (avoid!), or preservatives. As a natural product with antioxidants and phytonutrients, vitex chaste likely has its own natural preservatives anyway. Gaia Herbs also has a standard 0.3% concentration of one of the key compounds, agnuside, equating to 1.5mg per capsule. Standardisation isn’t strictly necessary with vitex chaste, as Oregon’s Wild Harvest lacks it. But it’s an interesting feature nevertheless, so choose Gaia to experiment with it.
Gaia Herbs is a vitex chaste brand with no major downsides.
Amazon link: Gaia Herbs Vitex Berry Capsules.
Three – Vitanica
A vitex chaste supplement formulated by a women’s health specialist called Dr Tori Hudson.
In total, there’s 240mg of vitex chaste per tablet. Interestingly though, 25mg is whole vitex chaste berry extract, whereas the other 215mg is a specifically formulated vitex chaste extract. This contains a standardised 0.6% of one of the active components, aucubin, a phytonutrient which is known to decrease inflammation.
There’s also a small amount of l-leucine, an amino acid which is vital for muscle building. The other ingredients are water, silica, the hypromellose capsule and micocrystalline cellulose, which are all safe.
Vitanica’s vitex chaste is free from preservatives, fillers, and magnesium stearate, and traces of allergens like soy, wheat, nuts, and corn. The reviews are normal for a high quality vitex chaste: a couple of disappointed people who probably never needed vitex chaste in the first place, alongside countless satisfied and delighted women.
All in all, Vitanica is yet another excellent vitex chaste for hormonal acne.
Amazon link: Vitanica Chaste Tree Berry.
Four – Pure Encapsulations
Another vitex chaste brand with no flaws and a strong ability to clear acne.
The ingredients of Pure Encapsulations are vitex chaste, vegetable cellulose from pesticide-free southern pine, and water. This brand is extra potent; each ingredient and final product is independently tested for purity and potency.
Dosage wise, you receive a 120 day supply for an affordable price, containing 120 tablets with a dosage of 225mg, lower than Oregon’s Wild Harvest, but sufficient to get fluctuating hormones under control. Take two tablets daily and you have a more powerful 60 day supply.
Allergens like soy and wheat are nowhere to be found. Nor is the classic supplement additive magnesium stearate, nor any preservatives, fillers, binders and flow agents. The directions with Pure Encapsulations are to take the tablet consistently for perhaps several months, and this applies to all vitex chaste. Compared to say, vitamin C, which can clear acne by reducing stress relatively quickly, vitex chaste’s hormonal benefits take longer to materialise. It could take 6 weeks or as long as 3 months, maybe longer, so always be patient and never give up.
Pure Encapsulations is among the best vitex chaste products available today.
Amazon link: Pure Encapsulations Chaste Tree (Vitex).
Five – StarWest Botanicals
This vitex chaste is a powder, and a very affordable and pure one. It’s a condensed form of the chaste berry’s fiber matter, with all moisture evaporated and only the dense, acne-clearing nutrition remaining. The vitex in Starwest Botanicals originates from Croatia or Morocco, and the product has an official USDA organic seal.
Vitex chaste berry is the only ingredient here; there are no chemicals added as preservatives or to suppress moisture. The product has a minimum 12 month shelf life when stored in cool conditions. What would my recommendations be? Similar to the liquid – add it to coffee, tea, or yogurt. The bag contains directions for boiling the powder into its own tea as well.
Regarding the dosage, a smart idea would be to take less than a full teaspoon per day, attempting to aim for 1 gram. Ideally, you would use a scale to make sure. To approximately match (slightly exceed) the dosage of Oregon’s Wild Harvest, take one gram every two days.
Taking one gram, the bag will last for over a year. The advantage is costing next to nothing, the slight downside is the inconvenience.
The choice is yours, but Starwest Botanicals is an excellent vitex chaste for hormones and acne.
Amazon link: Starwest Botanicals Organic Chaste Tree Berry.
Six – Nature’s Answer
A very different vitex chaste product. Nature’s Answer is a liquid, a distillation of the berry’s most valuable sections into a highly concentrated and potent formula.
This bottle is 1oz, with a dropper for dispensation. Officially, their advice is to take 56 drops per serving. This equates to 2000mg of vitex chaste, 2ml of liquid, and gives you 15 servings per bottle. However, 14 drops equating to 500mg is a more sensible amount, and that would give you 60 servings per bottle for an extremely cheap price. You can buy a 2 pack to get better value for money if you wish.
You could drip this liquid into your tea, coffee, or even a bowl of yogurt. The 3 ingredients are vitex berry extract, vegetable glycerin and purified water. The product is confirmed to be cold-extracted, and is free from the most inflammatory contaminants: corn, soy, and wheat. There’s also a dark, glass bottle to keep this distillation intact and pure, defended from UV radiation.
Nature’s Answer is the best liquid-based vitex chaste supplement out there.
Amazon link: Nature’s Answer Vitex Chaste Berry.
Seven – Pure Mountain Botanicals
Another excellent chasteberry product, which will accomplish everything vitex chaste is intended to.
The only extra ingredient is vegetable cellulose, the only other ingredient you need. Specifically, this cellulose is made from pine trees. This vitex chaste brand is preservative free, filler free, and magnesium stearate is explicitly rejected. The vitex chaste within the capsule is organic and in a full spectrum form to guarantee each and every medicinal compound, including potential vitex compounds that haven’t been identified yet.
Dosage-wise, it’s slightly inferior to Oregon’s Wild Harvest, but very strong. You’re instructed to take 1 tablet daily containing 400mg of vitex chaste. The bottle comes with 90 tablets, so you have a precise 90 day supply, easily enough to test the product and cure your hormonal woes if it was what you needed.
This product is covered by a no-questions asked money back guarantee. It’s free from soy, and Pure Mountain Botanicals is one of my most trusted supplement brands, with their garlic capsules ranking as 1 on my list.
Alongside venturing to Greece and harvesting the berries yourself, Pure Mountain Botanicals is among the most reliable vitex chaste sources.
Amazon link: Pure Mountain Botanicals Vitex Chasteberry.
Eight – VH Nutrition
This vitex chaste berry brand contains the highest dosage per capsule of any on this list. You receive 60 capsules, with a recommended serving of 1 capsule according to the bottle, each containing 650mg of vitex chaste. While the capsule count is lower, the price is relatively affordable, allowing you to possibly buy 2 bottles for a 4 month supply.
Quality wise, VH Nutrition is also strong, as vitex chaste berry extract is the sole ingredient, except for the gelatin capsule. There’s no magnesium stearate, fillers, or preservatives in this product, and no allergens.
According to VH Nutrition, all their products are submitted for 3rd party lab testing to verify purity and potency. The product is packaged in California in a GMP-certified facility. The capsule is made from gelatin, so it isn’t vegan (unlike Gaia Herbs), but gelatin actually has some benefits for acne thanks to its glycine content.
VH Nutrition fulfills every requirement for an acne-clearing, hormone-controlling vitex chaste.
Amazon link: VH Nutrition VITEX+.
Nine – Frontier raw berries
Another bag of raw vitex chaste, with a slight difference to Starwest Botanicals: this is in whole berry form rather than a finely ground powder.
The only ingredient is pure vitex chaste tree berries, with no unnecessary fillers to detract from the acne-clearing properties, or flavourings like stevia. The vitex is organic, with an official organic certification by the USDA.
Important article – the top 7 natural topical treatments for acne
The value for money, strategy and dosage are nearly identical to StarWest Botanicals: it’s a 1 pound bag which will last for months. According to their website, the vitex within originates from Albania or Morocco. The safety directions are to not use it during pregnancy; that applies to all vitex chaste brands. You basically have two options: an extremely fine powder, or a bulk batch of full berries if you’re a die hard natural fanatic.
Frontier is ideal if you want to take vitex chaste in as untouched a form as possible.
Amazon link: Frontier Co-op Chaste Tree Berries.
Conclusion
Among the many old schools of medicine, like traditional Chinese medicine and Indian Ayurveda, there’s endless herbs with reputed hormone-regulating properties. Vitex chaste is among the most proven though, and if you’re convinced that your acne is largely down to female hormonal issues, these are the ultimate products.
Oregon’s Wild Harvest, in particular, is a perfect vitex chaste which is close to unbeatable. The vitex chaste market is like any supplement; top quality products aimed at natural enthusiasts are available, but there’s also cheaper brands filled with preservatives and magnesium stearate.
The market is no more corrupt or honest than with other herbal supplements, but to save time and dedicate yourself purely to monitoring the results, these vitex chaste products are hard to beat.
NEXT: learn the root causes of acne, clear your skin permanently
Thanks for reading!