Herbal for Birth Control

Herbs have been used to control fertility for as long as there have been women who desired to do so. Our desire is as great as ever, but our knowledge base is far from large or strong. This article is both a sharing of what I know, and an open ear to hear what you know. May we reweave the healing cloak of the Ancients. Further discussions on herbal birth control can be found in my book Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year (Ash Tree Publishing, 1986) and in Contraception and Abortion from the Ancient World to the Renaissance, John M. Riddle (Harvard University Press, 1992)

FOR HIM

Hot balls make no babies. If he sits in hot water for 20-30 minutes every night for at least a month, he will shoot duds for the next 8-10    weeks. Don't laugh. This is effective and inexpensive.

     FOR HER

     Ovulation Prevention

• Reduce fat intake
• Increase exercise
• Bring down body weight
• Caution: A fertile woman who is too thin to ovulate can lose as much bone mass in one month as she would in one year post menopause.
• Consider: The many health benefits of birth control pills

     Fertility Signs

• Basal body temperature
• Cervical mucus

     Timing is Important

• Hormone cycles and herbal birth control
• Fertilization, implantation, early pregnancy, and more hormones

     Implantation Prevention

• Wild carrot seed (Daucus carota)
• Morning after birth control pills
• Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)
• Rutin (good sources include buckwheat greens, elder leaves, and rue)
• Smartweed (Polygonum hydropiper); drink infusion of dried leaves freely.

     Spirit-life Poisons

• Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum)
• Rue (Ruta graveolens)
• Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare)
  Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium)
• Pennyroyal (Hedeoma pulegioides); and a word about essential oil dangers.
• Saffron (Crocus autumalis); one half gram daily for four days; ten grams is fatal.
• Vitamin C; take 500mg as often as every 30 minutes, up to 10 grams daily

    Uterine Contractors (oxytocin)

• Birth root (Trillium pendulum); caution, do not use Aristolochia (birthwort)
• Blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides)
• Cotton root bark (Gossypium)
• Dosages, cautions

 For YOU BOTH

Sterility promoters include stoneseed root (Lithospermum ruderale), Jack-in-the-pulpit root (Arisema triphyllum), and thistles (Cnicus and Cirsium species).

Susun Weed