Vitex agnus-castus - Chaste tree

Nirgundi, Vitex agnus-castus

Nirgundi is a native of the Mediterranean region. It is one of the few temperate-zone species of Vitex, which is on the whole a genus of tropical and sub-tropical flowering plants. It is widely used in folk medicine, particularly in South and Southeast Asia.

Uses

Wounds, Cuts, Snakebites, Curing liver disorders, Skin eruptions, Blotches, Pimples, Diarrhea, Sore throats

Parts Used

Roots, flowers, leaves, bark.

Chemical Composition

Contains volatile oils, flavonoids, apigenin, luteolin, quercetin, kaempferol, tiliroside, triterpene glycosides including euscapic acid and tormentic acid, phenolic acids, and 3%–21% tannins

Common names

Language	Common name
Kannada	Bile-Nekki
Hindi	Samhalu, Saubhalu
Malayalam	Indrani
Tamil	Nirkunnchi, Nallanochi
Telugu	Nallavalli, Vavilli
Marathi	NA
Gujarathi	NA
Punjabi	NA
Kashmiri	NA
Sanskrit
English	Five-Leaved Chaste Tree

Properties

Reference: Dravya - Substance, Rasa - Taste, Guna - Qualities, Veerya - Potency, Vipaka - Post-digesion effect, Karma - Pharmacological activity, Prabhava - Therepeutics.

Rasa

Tikta (Bitter), Kashaya (Astringent)

Guna

Laghu (Light), Ruksha (Dry), Tikshna (Sharp)

Veerya

Ushna (Hot)

Vipaka

Katu (Pungent)

Karma

Kapha, Vata

Habit

Shrub

Identification

Leaf

Kind	Shape	Feature
Simple		The leaves are Palmately compound petiole 2:5: 3.8 cm long; mostly trifoliate, occasionally pentafoliate

Flower

Type	Size	Color and composition	Stamen	More information
Unisexual	2-4cm long	Bluish-purpleYellow	5-20	Flowers Season is June - August and small, in peduncled cymes

Fruit

Type	Size	Mass	Appearance	Seeds	More information
rounded drupe	1 to 3 mm in diameter	calyx cup may show one or two vertical splits	fruit colour light brown to black	2	{{{6}}}

List of Ayurvedic medicine in which the herb is used

• Vishatinduka Taila as root juice extract

Mode of Propagation

Seeds, Cuttings.

How to plant/cultivate

It prefers a light well-drained loamy soil.[3] It is widely planted as a hedge plant in between the fields and usually not browsed by the cattle.

Commonly seen growing in areas

Tropical region, Sub-tropical region.

Photo Gallery

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External Links

• [1]
• [2]
• [3]