Chasteberry was originally thought to lower men’s libido, hence the name. However, this is relatively debunked, the more interesting uses for it however have been around how it effects women. It’s most commonly noted for it’s impact on PMS symptoms, but considering it’s started making into menopause supplements like Meno, that begs the question, does chasteberry do anything for menopause?

The answer is, well there are a couple of studies that suggest it could help a couple of symptoms, although there are better ingredients.

Balancing Hormones and Relieving Menopausal Symptoms

Chasteberry is what’s known as an adaptogen and it works by influencing the pituitary gland which is responsible for regulating the female hormone system.

It then helps to boost insufficient ovarian hormone output. Meaning that it should help maintain optimal estrogen and progesterone levels.

By binding to estrogen receptors chasteberry exerts estrogen-like effects, helping to alleviate symptoms like hot flashes, insomnia, and mood changes. In theory. This is also the way in which it seems to improve similar symptoms in PMS. [1]

On top of this it can act as a “dopamine agonist” reducing the secretion of prolactin which can in theory improve menopausal symptoms.

Scientific Evidence Supporting Chasteberry's Efficacy

A few studies have investigated the effectiveness of chasteberry in relieving menopausal symptoms. The most notable study published in the Journal of Women's Health Care found that chasteberry significantly reduced the frequency and severity of hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, anxiety, depression, lack of energy, and headaches in menopausal women (Leo et al., 2014). [2]

Another study showed that chasteberry was as effective as common drug treatments in reducing cyclic mastalgia a type of breast pain more commonly associated with PMS, but still present during menopause. (Rafieian-Kopaei and Movahedi, 2017). [3]

Dosage of Chasteberry For Menopause

The lowest studied dose that has shown to be effective is around 20mg, with higher studies ranging up 1600mg. Most studies that show chasteberry tis more effective around 40mg.

So, Does Chasteberry Work for Menopause?

Well, there isn’t a whole lot of evidence, but the evidence that is there is generally positive. It does stand to reason that because it mostly functions as an adaptogen which effects female hormone production, that similar benefits to those found during PMS would apply to menopause as well. There is definitely need for more studies before anything can be said as certain though.

References

1 - https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/chasteberry

2 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8140208/

3 - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28243425/