Herbal contraceptives are neither FDA-approved nor 100 percent effective. Listed below are herbal remedies found in our research; however, we are not sure how some of these are effectively used. Consult an herbal expert before experimenting, as some of these herbs are toxic.
Abortifacients (morning-after herb):
Cotton Root Bark, also called “gossypium,” is supposedly the safest and most reliable.
Blue Cohosh Root with Pennyroyal, sometimes formed in a tea to consume.
Smartweed Leaves, also formed into a tea for consumption.
Queen Anne’s Lace Seeds supposedly block the production of progesterone.
Apricot Kernels, effective if taken five to 10 a day until menstruation.
Herbs that cause sterility:
Stoneseed Root
Jack-in-the-Pulpit Root
Thistles
Monthly prevention against conception:
Wild Yam, taken daily.
Neem Oil, used internally as a spermicide.
Pomegranate Seeds
Rutin, 500 mg daily several days before and after ovulation.
SOURCES: Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year by Susun S. Weed; Woodrow Wilson Foundation; www.sisterzeus.com; Eve's Herbs: A History of Contraception and Abortion in the West by John M. Riddle
