← The ApothecaryLamiaceaeleaves, fruits, roots, stemsFact-checked 24 October 2026

Five-leaved chaste tree

Vitex negundo

Also calledLagundi (Filipino) · Nirgundi (Sanskrit/Hindi; also Tamil in Sri Lanka) · Nika (Sinhala)

A shrub found from East Africa and Madagascar across South and Southeast Asia to China. It is used in Ayurveda and Chinese medicine. In the Philippines, as lagundi, its leaf became the country's first commercial herbal medicine: the Philippine FDA approved it as an over-the-counter cough and asthma remedy. Those Philippine trials are the main human evidence. Its other uses rest on tradition and lab work.

What it is used for

Cough
Limited
Lagundi leaf preparations are approved by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration as an over-the-counter herbal medicine for cough and asthma, on the basis of local clinical studies of safety and efficacy. By 2011 lagundi was the country's second most popular commercial cough medicine. The original trials are not widely available, so the grade is cautious.^2,4
Asthma and wheeze
Limited
Part of the same Philippine FDA over-the-counter approval (cough and asthma). In Sri Lanka, leaf preparations are used for asthma in indigenous and Ayurvedic medicine.^2,4
Viral infections
Limited
A government-funded, two-stage, multicentre randomised trial in the Philippines gave a lagundi formulation to patients with mild COVID-19. Compared with placebo, the lagundi group had significantly lower total symptom and loss-of-smell scores. The source here is an investigator's summary; the full trial report was not reviewed.³
Arthritis and joint pain
Traditional
Chinese materia medica records the plant for 'wind-damp' joint pain and stiff muscles and bones. In Sri Lanka it is used for rheumatoid arthritis, and Indian companies sell it in massage oils and creams for joint and muscle pain. There are no controlled trials.^1,4
Headache
Traditional
In Chinese medicine the stir-fried fruit is used to 'dispel wind-heat' and relieve headache and dizziness.¹
Period pain
Traditional
In Ayurveda, the fruit is used for irregular menstruation and period pain. This is untested in trials.¹
Intestinal worms
Traditional
In Indian folk medicine, decoctions of the root are used against intestinal worms.¹

How it is prepared

syrup

Commercial lagundi leaf syrups and tablets are sold in the Philippines as over-the-counter cough and asthma medicines.

Cough · Asthma and wheeze

infused oil

Massage oils and creams containing the plant are sold in India for joint and muscle pain.

Arthritis and joint pain · Muscle pain and cramps

Amounts are as recorded by the named source, not a recommendation.

Safety

Pregnancy: Insufficient data
Breastfeeding: Insufficient data

Toxicity

In a brine-shrimp screen of 53 Philippine medicinal plants, the ethanol leaf extract was 'mildly toxic' (LC50 465 µg/ml), the same value as okra. The authors used it as the benchmark for a plant safe enough to sell over the counter. Other studies found some bark and leaf extracts made with other solvents more toxic. No formal human safety data were found beyond the Philippine approval.

In the healing traditions

Southeast Asian (Jamu, Thai, Philippine…)
Lagundi
In the Philippines the leaves are used for cough, asthma, colds, flu, fever and malaria. Lagundi was among the first priority plants chosen by the Department of Health for development into modern herbal medicines. A standardised formulation from the National Integrated Research Program on Medicinal Plants (NIRPROMP) is now prescribed by doctors and listed in the Philippine National Formulary.
Ayurveda
Nirgundi
The fruit and leaves are used for irregular menstruation, period pain, skin infections (leaf juice applied to the skin) and low sexual function. Commercial products include Nirgundi churna, Nigundi ghrita and massage oils for joint pain.
Ayurveda
Nika (Sinhala) / Nirgundi (Tamil)
In Sri Lanka's indigenous and Ayurvedic medicine, leaf preparations are taken internally or applied externally for asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, gastritis, snake bite and sinusitis.
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Vitex negundo (root, stem, leaf and fruit)
Used for headache, dizziness, joint pain, cough and asthma; Chinese medicine is unusual in also using it for stroke. The stir-fried fruit is said to dispel wind-heat.
First recorded as a 'top-grade' herb in Mingyi Bielu (Supplementary Records of Famous Physicians); later Bencao Shiyi (Supplements to Materia Medica): 'alleviating wind-damp arthralgia and muscle-bone contracture'

Active compounds

casticin: polymethoxylated flavone; antioxidant and anti-inflammatory in rat heart-injury models
vitexin and isovitexin: flavone C-glycosides; reduce oxidative stress in endothelial cell studies
ursolic, oleanolic and betulinic acids: triterpene acids found in the plant
negundin A and B: lignans named after the species

History

Chinese materia medica first recorded Vitex negundo in the Mingyi Bielu, where it was ranked a top-grade herb. In the Philippines, the Department of Health chose a short list of folk remedies to develop into modern medicines, judged on safety, efficacy, quality and supply of raw material. Lagundi was among the first, with sambong and akapulko, and became the country's pioneer commercial herbal medicine. During the COVID-19 pandemic the Department of Science and Technology funded a randomised trial of lagundi in mild COVID-19.

Sources

Reference, not prescription. Nothing here is medical advice. Herbs can interact with medicines and be dangerous in pregnancy; tell your doctor or pharmacist about anything you take.