What About Homeopathic And Herbal Treatments?
Print PageHomeopathy is a complementary therapy. Homeopaths claim that like cures like. Essentially, homeopaths believe that if a substance causes a disease, then you can cure it by taking a very minute, diluted amount of the same substance.
Homeopathic treatments contain NO progesterone, nor have they been demonstrated to cause any change in progesterone levels.
The herb Chaste berry (Vitex agnus castus) does not contain progesterone, but it may indirectly help you produce progesterone over the course of several months by stimulating your pituitary gland to produce LH. Chaste berry has unpleasant side effects, such as an itchy skin rash, nausea, dry mouth, digestive upset, hair loss, headaches, rapid heartbeat, and bleeding between periods. Vitex is called chaste berry and monk’s pepper because it was used for centuries to reduce libido. Do not use chaste berry if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have endometriosis, fibroids, cancer of the ovaries or breast, schizophrenia, or Parkinson’s disease. It is unsafe to take chaste berry in conjunction with these prescription drugs: bromocriptine; cabergoline; carbidopa-levodopa; chlorpromazine; Clozaril®; Haldol®; Mirapex®; oral contraceptives; Reglan®; Requip®; Risperdal®; Seroquel®; thioridazine; trifluoperazine; and Zyprexa®. Inform your doctor and pharmacist that you are taking chaste berry before starting any new medication to avoid adverse drug interactions.