Nochi is Vitex negundo, the five-leaved chaste-tree — a pungent hedge shrub Tamil houses keep for leaf and that Hindi trade calls nirgundi. It is not Vitex agnus-castus, the Mediterranean chaste-tree of old European pharmacy. Same genus, different plant, different story.
- Botanical name
- Vitex negundo L.
- Family
- Lamiaceae
- Tamil
- Nochi
- Hindi
- Nirgundi
- Sanskrit
- Nirguṇḍī
- Parts used
- Leaves, Sometimes root and seeds
- Habit
- Aromatic shrub or small tree of dry tropics
- Last updated
- 2026-10-30
How to recognise Nochi
Linnaeus published Vitex negundo. The family is Lamiaceae (older books say Verbenaceae). It is a shrub or small tree with palmately compound leaves, usually three to five lanceolate leaflets, and terminal panicles of small lilac flowers.
Crushed leaf smells sharp and camphoraceous. That smell is the household test in Tamil Nadu. A scentless green powder in an export pouch has already lost the reason people wanted the plant.
Tamil nochi (with karunochi and vennochi for dark and pale forms) and Hindi nirgundi are the names when the seller means this species. English “five-leaved chaste-tree” is honest when the leaf is palmate. “Chaste-tree” alone usually means V. agnus-castus in a European catalogue.
Vitex trifolia is a coastal cousin with typically three leaflets and a different salt-tolerant habit. A packet that only says Vitex has not named the hedge.
A living hedge you can walk up to is easier to trust than a brown leaf powder sold as “joint oil herb.”
Seeds are small and dark in a four-lobed fruit. Traditional lists sometimes treat seed as a separate article. Leaf and seed should not share one casual label.
A hedge that is kept for leaf will be cut often and may not flower much. A non-flowering shrub is still this species if the palmate leaf and the smell match.
Traditional use of Nochi
Siddha and Tamil household
Leaf is warmed or crushed for ordinary household use, and the shrub is a common fence. Familiarity is not a monograph.
Tamil vernacular and Siddha naming
Ayurveda
Nirguṇḍī is a pungent leaf in that system’s lists, often filed under vāta categories. Those headings are historical. They are not a modern rheumatology claim.
Ayurvedic materia medica headings
Modern notes on Nochi
The leaf oil and flavonoids have been studied in the lab. A crushed leaf on a cloth is not a characterised oil, and a “nirgundi oil” bottle may contain little Vitex.
The practical modern issue is the English name collision with V. agnus-castus and the habit of selling any purple-flowered Vitex as nirgundi.
Nochi safety
Leaf as a household compress is the ordinary rural exposure. Internal decoctions and essential oil are a different strength.
Pregnant people should not start internal Vitex preparations from a hedge story. V. agnus-castus is sold in Europe for menstrual complaints; that reputation does not transfer to this hedge.
Do not put oil in a child’s nostril.
Ecology and sourcing
The shrub is planted, coppiced and common. Wild-harvest pressure is usually not the story; honest drying of a named leaf is.
Related plants
Also in Lamiaceae
Questions about Nochi
Is nochi the same as the European chaste-tree?
No. Nochi is Vitex negundo. The European chaste-tree of old pharmacy is usually Vitex agnus-castus. Related genus, different species.
What is the Tamil name of Vitex negundo?
Nochi.
Sources
- Vitex negundo L. — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
- Wikidata item Q14807863 (Vitex negundo)
Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.