Man Jing Zi (Vitex Fruit)

Chinese Herb Actions

Chinese Herb Dosage

• What is the typical dosage of Man Jing Zi?

  Roughly 6–12 g in decoction, using the dried fruit. This is the range used across Sacred Lotus sources & references and is consistent with standard materia medica ranges reported elsewhere.

  Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references; cross-referenced against multiple online sources. Reference only — not a prescription.

Chinese Herb Contraindications & Cautions

• Are there cautions for Man Jing Zi?

  Man Jing Zi is cautioned in headache due to Blood or Yin deficiency, and in Stomach-qi deficiency — its dispersing, cooling nature is not suited to deficiency-type headaches or a weak digestion. Sacred Lotus sources & references also note it is traditionally not combined with prepared Aconite root (Fu Zi/Wu Tou) or Gypsum (Shi Gao).

  Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references; cross-referenced against multiple online sources.

Chinese Herb Toxicity & Overdose

• No significant toxicity is reported for Man Jing Zi at traditional decoction doses. It has a long history of use as both a medicinal fruit and a minor food/seasoning plant in parts of Asia. Isolated-compound work on vitexicarpin (a related Vitex flavonoid) reported minimal hepatotoxicity and negligible cardiac (hERG channel) liability in preclinical testing, but this describes the purified compound, not the whole herb, and should be read as supportive rather than definitive.

  Source: phytochemistry/pharmacology review (below); preclinical vitexicarpin safety data (below). Reference note, not a safety guarantee.

Western / Biomedical Research

Chinese Herb Clinical Studies & Research

Provided as research context — a summary of published biomedical study, not a therapeutic or medical claim.

• Is there modern research on Man Jing Zi (Vitex trifolia)?

  Yes — extensive phytochemical and preclinical pharmacology research, but no clinical trials specific to the traditional headache/eye indications. A 2023 review documents that Viticis Fructus has been used medicinally since roughly 480 CE for “colds, headache, vertigo,” and identifies over 190 isolated compounds (flavonoids, diterpenoids, iridoids) with laboratory-demonstrated anti-allergic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antibacterial activity.

  • Anti-inflammatory diterpenoids (in vitro) — newly identified labdane-type diterpenes isolated from Vitex trifolia fruit suppressed TNF-α–induced NF-κB activation in human cell lines, at inhibition rates roughly 43–69% at 50 μM — supporting a mechanistic basis for traditional anti-inflammatory use, though this is cell-culture evidence only.
  • Casticin (shared Vitex constituent, preclinical) — a 2018 review of casticin isolated from Vitex trifolia (and other Vitex species) reports anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-asthmatic, immunomodulatory, and liver-protective activity across cell and animal models, alongside separately studied anticancer effects.
  • Vitexicarpin (isolated compound, preclinical) — 2025 research found vitexicarpin selectively inhibits the ANO1 ion channel in colorectal and non-small-cell lung cancer models, with minimal hepatotoxicity and negligible hERG channel inhibition in testing — early-stage, compound-level oncology research, not a traditional-use study.

  Overall, the evidence base for Man Jing Zi is phytochemical and preclinical; no clinical trials evaluating it for headache, dizziness, or eye complaints were identified.

  Sources: Heliyon (2023), “Traditional use, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Viticis Fructus,” PMID 37810114; J Asian Nat Prod Res (2019), PMID 29996686; Journal of Integrative Medicine (2018), “Casticin from Vitex species,” PMID 29559215; Frontiers in Pharmacology (2025), PMID 40520165. Research context, not a therapeutic claim.

Chinese Herb Notes

• Is Man Jing Zi the same as Western “chasteberry”?

  No — Man Jing Zi (Vitex trifolia, sometimes Vitex rotundifolia) is a different species from Western chasteberry (Vitex agnus-castus), used for a different purpose. Both are fruits of the genus Vitex and share some overlapping constituents (notably the flavonoid casticin), but the traditional and evidence bases are distinct and should not be conflated.

  • Man Jing Zi (Vitex trifolia / V. rotundifolia) — used in Chinese medicine to disperse wind-heat and clear the head and eyes, for wind-heat headache, dizziness, and red/watery eyes.
  • Chasteberry (Vitex agnus-castus) — used in Western herbal medicine and as a standardized extract for menstrual-cycle and hormonal complaints such as premenstrual syndrome and cyclical breast pain, with its own separate clinical research literature.

  Because the common English names overlap loosely (both are called “vitex” in casual use), sourcing and research on one should not be assumed to apply to the other.

  Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references; cross-referenced against multiple online sources; Journal of Integrative Medicine review of casticin across Vitex species (see research).