---
title: Does Vitex agnus castus work better than vitamin B6 for premenstrual tension syndrome?
description: Both reduced symptoms by similar amounts (47-48%), but more women on Vitex reported excellent results and had no remaining complaints, suggesting Vitex may wo
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/treatment-of-premenstrual-tension-syndrome-with-vitex-agnus-castus-controlled-1997/
---

- [Niyora](https://niyora.com/)
- [Research](https://niyora.com/research/)
- [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/)
- Does Vitex agnus castus work better than vitamin B6 for premenstrual tension syndrome?

Randomised trial, 1997

# Does Vitex agnus castus work better than vitamin B6 for premenstrual tension syndrome?

Both reduced symptoms by similar amounts (47-48%), but more women on Vitex reported excellent results and had no remaining complaints, suggesting Vitex may work better for PMTS.

 Strong study design

175 women with premenstrual tension syndrome

## What they did

Double-blind RCT where 175 women with PMTS took either Vitex agnus castus capsules or vitamin B6 capsules daily for 3 treatment cycles. Doctors and women themselves rated how well the treatment worked using symptom scales.

## What they found

Vitex reduced symptoms by 47.4% and vitamin B6 by 48%. For specific complaints like breast tenderness, swelling, inner tension, headache, constipation, and depression, Vitex provided considerably more relief. Doctors rated 24.5% of Vitex treatments as excellent compared to 12.1% for vitamin B6. Among women themselves, 36.1% in the Vitex group and 21.3% in the vitamin B6 group became symptom-free. Side effects were mild and rare in both groups.

## What it means for you

Both treatments are safe and effective. Vitex may work better than vitamin B6 for PMTS, particularly for mood and breast symptoms. The study covered 3 treatment cycles and used double-blind design, which is good. However, it was done at one location and only compared these two treatments.

175

women with PMTS

47.4%

symptom reduction with Vitex

36.1%

became symptom-free with Vitex

## About the study

Original title Treatment of premenstrual tension syndrome with Vitex agnus castus controlled, double-blind study versus pyridoxine Authors Lauritzen C, Reuter HD, Repges R et al. Journal Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology Year 1997 Study design Randomised trial Participants 90 What was tested Vitex agnus castus (1 capsule) versus vitamin B6 (2 capsules) daily for 3 cycles Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/s0944-7113(97)80066-9](https://doi.org/10.1016/s0944-7113(97)80066-9)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[Vitamin B6](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-vitamin-b6/)[Vitex agnus-castus (chasteberry)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-vitex/)

Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits.

Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor.

## Related studies

Review, 2023

Can herbs and supplements help with PMS symptoms?

Survey study, 2026

Can changing your diet help with period and PMS symptoms like fatigue, mood swings and bloating?

Survey study, 2025

Can a plant-based supplement reduce PMS symptoms?

Non-randomised trial, 2023

Does a supplement with Vitex, vitamin B6, and magnesium reduce PMS symptoms?

Survey study, 2011

Do overweight or obese women have worse PMS than normal weight women?

Randomised trial, 2026

Does Kundalini Reiki help reduce PMS symptoms and improve quality of life?

Ask AI about this page

Copy prompt

ChatGPT

↗

Claude

↗

Perplexity

↗

Google AI Mode

↗

Grok

↗