What Is Chinese Vitex?

The United States Department of Agriculture says Chinese vitex is scientifically referred to as Chinese chastetree (Vitex negundo L.), of the genus Vitex L., and a member of the Verbenaceae family.

Identification

• Vitex negundo is a common, wild shrub found throughout China, with at least seven varieties of the perennial plant recorded in the country. The seeds, fruit, leaves and roots of the Chinese vitex have traditionally been harvested and utilized as a cold remedy, with the plant believed to help with everything from relief of cough to regulation of asthma.

Effects

• The fruit of the plant is believed to expel phlegm and relieve coughing, pain and asthma, while the root of the Chinese vitex also may assist with reducing fever and treating malaria. The leaves also are utilized for soothing malaria symptoms and as a tool for detoxifying the body, in addition to removing pathogens from the surface of the skin.

Ornamental

• Although there is interest in Chinese vitex for medicinal purposes in the United States, the plant has mostly been known and coveted for its aesthetic value. "The shrub is grown in American gardens, primarily in the south, for the ornamental effect of the violet flower spikes," writes Steven Foster and Chongxi Yue in their book "Herbal Emissaries: Bringing Chinese Herbs to the West."