GR-MAPs | Online Genomics Resource for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants

Vitex negundo

Plant ID	PLN0053
Plant Name	Vitex negundo
Common Name	Chinese chaste tree, Huang ping
Vernacular Name	Chinese chaste tree, Huang ping
Plant Description	Vitex negundo, also known as the Chinese chaste tree, five-leaved chaste tree, horseshoe vitex, or nisinda, is a large, aromatic shrub with quadrangular branchlets covered in dense, whitish tomentose hairs. It is widely utilized in traditional medicine, especially in South and Southeast Asia.

Kingdom	Plantae
Phylum	Streptophyta
Class	Magnolipsida
Order	Lamiales
Family	Lamiaceae
Genus	Vitex
Species	nigundo
Variety/Line/Chemotype
Distribution	Vitex negundo is native to tropical regions of Eastern and Southern Africa, as well as Asia. It is naturally found in countries such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Use	Purified extracts of Vitex negundo are believed to possess medicinal properties. The plant is used to protect stored garlic from pests and is recognized as one of the ten herbal medicines approved by the Department of Health in the Philippines for treating cough. It is commercially available under the trade names Ascof and Plemex. In Malaysia, it plays a role in traditional herbal medicine for women's health, including regulating the menstrual cycle, managing fibrocystic breast disease, and serving as a post-partum remedy.
Chemical Constituents	Casticin, isoorientin, chrysophenol D, luteolin, p–hydroxybenzoic acid, D-fructose, sabinene, linalool, terpinen-4-ol, β-caryophyllene, α-guaiene and globulol.

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