Vitex trifolia (Simpleleaf chastetree) is a large coastal shrub or small tree. It is a large coastal shrub or small tree, less than 5 m in height with the stems covered by soft hairs (tomentose). The leaves are oppositely arranged along the stems and are usually compound, composed of 3 linear leaflets which range between 1 –12 cm in length. The upper surface of the leaves are green and the lower surface grayish green. Vitex trifolia is naturally found along coastlines from tropical East Africa as far east as French Polynesia. The leaves are used to treat female ailments in the Cook Islands, and used to relieve fever in Samoa.
Six flavonoids, persicogenin (1), artemetin (2), luteolin (3), penduletin (4), vitexicarpin (5) and chrysosplenol-D (6), have been isolated for the first time as new cell cycle inhibitors from Vitex trifolia L., a Chinese folk medicine used to treat cancers, through a bioassay-guided separation procedure.