What are Old Birth Control Methods?
by Travis
There is little information regarding old methods for birth control. However, much of what we know can be attributed to ancient writings of doctors and naturalists. They show that most of the methods utilize many herbs and fruits. An Egyptian scroll of medical advice that’s over 3500 years old gives us a way to end a method to end pregnancy at any moment: Mix up the unripe fruit of acacia with honey and other items to be soaked by the absorbent pad of plant fiber; then a person should insert this pad into the vagina. Interestingly, dissolved acacia produces lactic acid which is spermicide.
There are other old texts that show that herbal birth control was brewed into teas. They used the leaves of pennyroyal (a type of mint) and parts of many plants that look like weeds to be like a modern day morning after pill. Juniper berries, willow bark, mugwort, aloe, anise, dittany and certain ferns were all used. Seeds from the plant Queen Anne’s lace or from pomegranates were eaten for the same reason. Figs were also believed to help with birth control. During the Middle Ages and Renaissance these plant solutions were used. Even in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ophelia plays with the herb rue, which is a weed used for abortion. Rue is found in many parts of North America and has been used by natives for centuries to help end pregnancies.
What sorts of contraptions were used for protection to prevent pregnancies back in the old days? Illustrations dated thousands of years back show old men using condoms. However, the earliest condom found dates to 1640. It was made of sheep intestines. In 1843, Goodyear began mass production of rubber condoms.
Female condoms, also known as cervical dams, have been around for millennia. They have included seedpods, oiled paper, seaweed, lemon or pomegranate halves, beeswax, and even moss. History records the use of spermicidal potions made from oils, vinegar, rock salt, wine and herbs.
Superstition and ignorance about the properties of certain ingredients played roles in some of these birth-control methods. Modern research on animals shows that some of these ingredients would have resulted in lower pregnancy rates or increased instances of miscarriage. However, some of these substances are also toxic, which could have rendered the birth-control benefits moot.
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