I’ve written before on the highly effective use of fertility herbs in women. I myself used herbs to encourage fertility with my first pregnancy as my husband and I did not attempt to start a family until I was well into my 30’s.
Once we discovered the wonders of Traditional Diet, however, I no longer needed any herbal assistance with later pregnancies. Herbs are also highly effective at dampening fertility in order to naturally and safely prevent pregnancy. When would such use of natural birth control be beneficial?
For one, herbal birth control would be helpful to use between pregnancies in order to space children 3-4 years apart. This allows Mom to adequately replenish her nutritional stores so that later children are just as healthy, smart and capable as the first. Spacing children a minimum of 3 years apart (birthday to birthday) was rigorously practiced in ancestral cultures. It preserves Mom’s health and prevents exhaustion and nutritional deficiency for her too.
Natural methods of birth control are always preferable to chemically based agents such as spermicides, contraceptive patches, and IUDs which emit synthetic hormones, or the contraceptive pill which decimates the balance of gut flora and can lead to autoimmune disease in the mother and any children born later.
Even IUDs that emit only copper instead of hormones to prevent pregnancy should be avoided as copper toxicity is a very real and dangerous side effect of using these devices.  According to Theresa Vernon, LAc author of the article Metals and the Mind:
If adrenal function becomes impaired, the copper builds up in the liver, brain, joints, and lungs. When this happens, you see very specific problems, including mental problems, liver problems, and detoxification problems. Phase II liver impairment is often made worse by copper toxicity, if not actually caused by it.
You also see a lot of copper toxicity with asthma and breathing problems, including emphysema. Copper also tends to build up in the joints, leading to arthritis. Chronic skin problems are also an indication of copper toxicity.
Low adrenal function is an epidemic in our modern society. Â If you doubt this, just walk into any convenience store and notice the enormous display of energy shots and drinks that are available for sale. Not to mention that a Starbucks or other coffee shop is virtually on every corner of most major cities. Americans have serious adrenal health problems. As a result, many are addicted to caffeine and sugar as a way to make it through the day. This makes any excess copper in the system a huge health problem!
Artificial contraception may be tempting in the short term. However, it is clearly not a great idea if preserving your long term hormone and gut health is important to you.
Herbs for Natural Birth Control
The use of anti-fertility herbs along with a simple barrier method such as the female or male condom that is not treated with chemicals (such as natural lambskin) works very effectively for preventing pregnancy. Â This option is especially attractive for health-conscious women who are not particularly turned on by the thought of charting their cycles, taking their basal metabolic temperature every morning, checking the stretchiness of their vaginal secretions and practicing selective abstinence a la Natural Family Planning which for some ladies over analyzes and saps the spontaneity out of what should be a very natural, uncomplicated and enjoyable event.
So if herbal birth control appeals to you, here are the different types and how they work as outlined in the very helpful book Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year. Â Please note that if sourcing your own herbs is new to you, a well-respected herbalist or acupuncturist in your area can put together a bag of herbs to assist you with natural birth control for an extremely reasonable cost. Â These professionally sourced herbs mixed in the proper proportions can then be used to prepare a cold or a hot herbal infusion that you drink periodically to keep fertility in check and under your control.
Sterility Promoting Herbs
Stoneseed Root. Â Women of the Dakota Indian tribes used this extremely powerful herb as a root infusion steeped in cold water for several hours. Â They then drank a cup every day for 6 months. The Dakota women also practiced breathing in the smoke of the plant as it burned to induce permanent sterility.
The Shoshone tribes concentrated in Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and Montana also used this root for permanent sterility purposes.
Jack in the Pulpit Root. Â This root is less powerful than stoneseed root and is prepared by mixing one tsp of the dried powdered root in a half cup of cold water. Â The liquid is then strained and was consumed by women of the Hopi Tribe. Â Â Conception was prevented for one week by doing this.
Thistles. Â The Quinault Indians used thistles to induce temporary sterility by placing the entire plant in boiling water. Â The very bitter, strong tasting liquid was then consumed.
Herbs that Prevent Pregnancy
Wild Carrot Seed (Queen Anne’s Lace). Â This oily and strong tasting but not unpleasant herb is particularly useful if an “oops” occurs and unprotected relations take place during the fertile time. One teaspoon of carrot seeds is taken immediately and continued each day for another 7 days.
The women of Rajasthan, India use carrot seed for this exact purpose. While wild carrot seed is not commercially available, cultivated carrot seeds can be substituted but be sure to check that they haven’t been treated with chemicals or other toxic substances.
Research in mice has proven the effectiveness of carrot seed to prevent implantation.
Smartweed Leaves. Â A common weed that grows all over the world, smartweed contains rutin, quercetin, and gallic acid. All of these substances interfere with the initiation of pregnancy.
An infusion of one ounce of dried leaves (or 4 ounces of fresh leaves) in a quart of boiling water is consumed liberally until menstruation begins.
Like carrot seed, smartweed may also be used after relations occur on fertile days or to bring on menstruation if the period is late.
Rutin.  This phenolic compound can be purchased in tablet form. A minimum of 500 mg should be taken daily for several days before and following ovulation. Another option is to consume rutin after sexual relations and continue each day until menstruation begins.
Herbs Which Initiate Menstruation
Ginger root. Â Ginger is perhaps the fastest acting menstruation initiating herb you can use. Put 1 tsp of powdered organic ginger root into a cup and pour boiling water over it. Drink when the water cools to a temperature which is still hot but comfortable. Drink up to 4 cups per day for no more than 5 days.
Vitamin C. While plain ascorbic acid is not the natural form of Vitamin C, it can be used therapeutically on occasion to bring on menstruation if necessary. Take 500 mg every hour for 12 hours each day for up to 6 days maximum. The use of ascorbic acid in this high dosage may also produce loose bowels as a side effect.
As a naturopathic physician, I think I can confidently say that these herbs are NOT safe for breastfeeding mothers. In fact, as a doctor I would strongly discourage the use of these herbs in general. All abortifacient herbs (yes, I would consider them abortifacients) carry significant risks. I would highly advise all women who want to terminate a pregnancy or prevent implantation to use medical methods from a licensed physician. (And this is coming from a naturopath!) The risk of hemorrhage is higher using herbs, as is the risk of incompletely terminating the pregnancy. This could have disastrous results if the pregnancy ended up being carried to term, as many of these herbs are teratogenic as well.
I agree with one of your readers who commented on Natural Family Planning as a much better, safer alternative to herbal methods as birth control. NFP takes no longer than preparing an herb, is completely safe, and has the added benefit of providing awareness and allowing women to become more in touch with their own monthly cycles. There is nothing wrong with using a barrier method, either.
Once again, I highly discourage the use of these herbs.
I wish all your readers the best of health,
Erika Krumbeck, ND
http://www.mtwholehealth.com
Hi Erika, I appreciate your input, but I wonder if you actually read the post. You are against ginger and vitamin C and thistle? Also, these herbs have been safely used by Indian women of many different tribes for centuries. If a woman is unfamiliar with them and their usage, it is always wise to seek professional help but they are no doubt much safer than any of the synthetic options available. Many things can be used to abort an implanted embryo but none of these herbs was identified for that use. Only to discourage fertilization (most of them) and a few to discourage even implantation for those women whose beliefs would be open to that.
Natural doesn’t always mean safe. High doses of vitamin C can be pro-oxidant, rather than antioxidant, hence the abortifacient effect. Even ginger and thistle – if used as emmenogogues (to initiate menstruation) can cause hemorrhage (though likely in very high doses, which leads me to question their effectiveness in preventing pregnancy).
The danger in using any remedy to prevent implantation (still considered an abortifacient, by the way), is hemorrhage, incomplete abortion, or, should the pregnancy completely fail to terminate, causing serious birth defects. Even “natural” remedies carry this risk. There is no data to support your claim that these remedies are safe. Even if they have been used for “centuries,” there still is no data. Also, there are very few traditional healers or herbalists to share their knowledge on how to prepare these herbs safely. Jack-in-the-pulpit and Stoneseed root are both considered poisonous in the conventional medical literature, and they recommend calling poison control center if ingested.
I did a quick search of scientific literature before responding here, and I could not find any toxic dose studies of these plants. In other words, we have no idea how much herb it takes for a dose to be considered lethal.
Sarah, I appreciate your blog – you have a great, engaging writing style, and I love how passionate you are about health. However, it concerns me that women may mistake your blog posts for medical advice. I couldn’t sleep Friday night after I read your post – the thought of women taking these herbs and hemorrhaging in their own homes, away from medical care haunts me. I read your post on Strep Throat on Saturday, and had dreams about rheumatic fever and post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis Saturday night. I am very, very concerned.
I am close to tears as I write this. My number one priority as a physician is to protect the safety of my patients – but how can I shield people from the internet? From Dr. Google? There is no accountability for what Dr. Google can prescribe. There is no medical license to be revoked, no health department to oversee, no medical community to connect with.
Sarah, I highly recommend that you place a more visible disclaimer in your blog posts, especially those that could constitute medical advice. I strongly urge your readers to see their health practitioner before following any internet advice. If they want advice on herbs they can visit a registered herbalist (someone trained by the American Herbalists Guild), or a naturopathic physician (they can find licensed naturopaths at http://www.naturopathic.org).
In Health,
Erika
Plants have consciousness. All things do.
Eliza – you’re playing it pretty fast and loose with the term “consciousness”. Are you deliberately trying to misunderstand what April has posted, or are you seriously putting forth the suggestions thatlants are in every way equal to human beings?
http://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2012/06/16/meet-your-vegetables/K9Q57mh3vuj5P2RvV6rUuK/story.html.
Eliza, if, for the sake of argument, we want to say that plants have consciousness, then that’s fine. There are some people who refrain from eating animal flesh for that very reason. I would expect then that the same people would refrain from eating plants as well.
The whole point of what I said, however, was to point out that arguing that herbs preventing implantation are not abortifacients purely disregards science.
Anything interfering with the advancement of a human life is an abortifacient for the reasons I described above. This blogpost neglects to acknowledge any of what science teaches us in that aspect.
A few things I want to address.
Whether or not you have religious beliefs that say there is a Creator or abide by more of an evolutionary and scientific view of life, one fact is starkly shared by them both: an instance of abiogenesis (life arising from non-life) occurs in both, and this only occurs once throughout the Earth’s history in either scenario.
To this day, there are no observed acts of abiogenesis. Abiogenesis itself was never observed under either of the aforementioned scenarios and are both theoretical (purely in the scientific sense) explanations for the beginning of life.
That all being said, fertilization, conception, implantation, etc. doesn’t matter. Life does not arise from non-life. Again, this has never been observed or successfully and substantially tested.
There is also a vast difference in quality of life. We can go into comparisons about plants and humans and what constitutes life all we want, but also important to acknowledge is that a plant seed never results in intelligent life. There is not consciousness. But a human blastocyst is set to develop one way, and that is into an intelligent life form. At the initial joining of gametes, cell reproduction is set in motion and begins developing an intelligent being. This does not stop in regard to the blastocyst a unless there is an interference in the continuing reproduction and division of cells to cause cell death stop life from developing.
I was disappointed in the post as well. Not in the particulars of validating moral aspects, but it lacks a firm understanding of what science explains quite adequately while arguing otherwise.
As well, preventing implantation naturally, while not necessarily holding the artificially toxic effects on one’s body, does affect the hormonal structure you experience during the ending of a [potential] pregnancy. You have to recover from this as well, and you do go through a hormonal recovery period, whether you are aware of the conception or not. And this is harder on the bodies of some than others. This is not acknowledged anywhere in this post, and I felt that the consequences of natural interference were glossed over in favor of simply preventing artificially interrupted processes.
Just got on the site, read the article and saw the comments. Dear Sarah, you must have known your article would bring out the Pro and Choice people. Not worth reading anymore because everyone has their opinion locked in stone – no discussion; no debate; no solutions.
Sarah,
I have never been so surprised by your blog as I am by this post. Using a condom does not add to the “very natural, uncomplicated and enjoyable event” of lovemaking. It certainly does not add to the spontaneity, as it interrupts the flow, if you you know what I mean :-). I am surprised that you downplay NFP. The publishing company of Nourishing Traditions has a book on fertility, Honoring Our Cycles, that is all about NFP. http://www.newtrendspublishing.com. If you use the Creighton method of NFP, a woman need only check her cervical mucus (not check her BBT) and this takes no more time than using the bathroom when heeding nature’s call. If one can learn to soak grains and beans daily, and make bone broth and lacto-fermented food regularly, one can surely learn to check cervical mucus. It’s just part of a naturally healthy life as the one you espouse, living in harmony with nature. Using anti-fertility herbs and inhaling smoke does not sit right with me as healthful.
I am also surprised that you recommend using condoms with anti-fertility herbs. Why do you recommend using them together? Either they each singly work alone, or they don’t.
Thank you, Sarah. Where might one find a lambskin condom without chemicals???
Walgreens and Walmart both carry Naturalamb but I’m not sure they are chemical free.
Geez, people! Sarah is not posting this information to try to convert people to believe what she believes about conception or abortion – these are natural alternatives to synthetic contraceptives!! THAT’S ALL. If someone here absolutely HAD to use a form of contraceptive, regardless of whether you believe in them or not, wouldn’t you rather use a natural one?? I personally believe life begins at conception, but I still think that the info Sarah has posted here is a great alternative for those who might use synthetic contraceptives instead, and in the process destroy their gut!
Except this post has the potential of inspiring a lot of women to destroy their hormonal balance . . . which can lead to as many problems as poor gut health.
This is like, my favorite blog of all time, but I was also dissapointed to read this article. I would never mess with my fertility in any way. Plus I would not risk aborting a baby, I am not 100% sure if it is a real abortion or not, but I feel it is and why not be safe than sorry? This was a good reminder that we have to think for our own selves and not swallow everything someone ( we respect and admire) has to say. I absolutely ADORE Sarah and all she writes about. She has changed my life! But I absolutely differ in this area! I would be scared to tell people it’s okay to prevent implantation, I feel that is not our place, it is God’s. I use NFP and it works perfectly! Anyway, not disrespect to Sarah, I still admire you and your writing!! 🙂
Sarah,
I’m still glad you posted this. Hopefully, anyone who is planning to take herbs will do complete research before consuming them. I feel safer with NFP and condoms. (What’s the big deal about condoms?! They work! They’re cheap! Maybe not quite so nice as without, but they work, and even foolish, immoral teenagers can get them and use them!)
I don’t like abortion and I think it must be a very very sad decision for those involved. Contraception is the kindest realistic way to limit our human numbers. And our numbers WILL be limited on this planet within our lifetimes, one way or another. Will it be through the terrors of war and famine, or by empowering girls and women to only give birth to children that they are prepared to feed, protect, and educate? I know this may seem very far from your reality here in North America, but it is a fact that the climate wars have begun (Sudan, in particular comes to mind).
I don’t think God is going to swoop in and rescue us from this one, and say, “Oh, the global human population has reached 20 billion and you have killed off 50% of the planet’s species, turned farms and forests into desert and killed the oceans? Here’s a new planet for you.” It won’t happen. Not this century or the next. WE MUST GROW UP as a species. The “just have faith” argument will not prevent our decline and I am horrified by those who think it’s okay to trash this beautiful planet because Heaven will supposedly be better. If you have ever looked at a beautiful scene from nature that was untouched by humans, picture that now. Then imagine people starving, murdering each other, neglecting their children…we all know which of these two scenes is beautiful and harmonious and which one is full of pain, and (I would argue) NOT spiritually elevating. I am NOT for a moment saying that even those tortured people are less valuable and important than the rest of Earth’s life, only that more babies at every opportunity is not the best policy by a long shot. Contraception is a very important part of the equation in taking responsibility for this miraculous gift of a planet. As much as I would like to help create another child, I’m trying to remember that I need to leave room for others, so we may all have a better chance at living in peace.
After reading this post again and all of the comments, one of the most disappointing things is Sarah’s response to so many people’s concern about the tinctures causing what many deem to be an abortion (interfering after an egg has been fertilized). Rather than take those concerns into account and respond with understanding about the strong differing moral viewpoints on this topic (religious or not), Sarah came off haughty and inconsiderate and authoritative on this subject. Huge turn off and raises concern about her credibility. The fact that this is an extremely sensitive subject and there are strong opinions on both sides of the fence should have been disclaimed in the post by Sarah rather than coach women into unknowingly having what many see as an intentional ending of human life. Because of this post and the inconsiderate responses by Sarah following many readers’ concerns, I will be removing my following of this blog.