History of Abortion: Historical Abortion Techniques — Abortifacient Herbs
This month at Lively Women, we’re talking about the history of abortion in the US and around the world. Discussion is encouraged, and additional information and resources are welcomed. Please leave a comment!
Prior to the rise of surgical abortion performed by medical doctors, women were using everything from herbal concoctions to insertion of foreign instruments to personal injury as methods to abort unwanted pregnancies. This week, we’ll discuss oral abortifacients. First up, abortifacient herbs.
Abortifacient herbs are natural substances that, in the right amounts and combinations, can induce abortion of a fetus by, essentially, poisoning the mother and/or the fetus. The result is spontaneous abortion. However, the likelihood of abortion when herbs are used correctly is only 20% to 30%, and fetuses that are not successfully aborted are may be born with serious birth defects. Herbal abortions are not recommended beyond the sixth week of pregnancy. (source)
Most abortifacient herbs are commonly found, easy to grow yourself, and relatively inexpensive, which played a major role in their popularity as abortifacients. Here are some examples of the variety of herbs that have historically been used to induce abortion. Throughout the week, I’ll discuss several of them in more detail.
- Anise
- Bitter Melon
- Black Cohosh
- Blue Cohosh
- Brewer’s Yeast
- Common Rue
- Cotton Root Bark
- Dong Quai
- Evening Primrose
- Nutmeg
- Papaya
- Pennyroyal
- Pineapple (unripe)
- Saw Palmetto
- Slippery Elm
- Tansy
- Vervain
- Vitamin C
- Wormwood (aka Mugwort)
- Wild Carrot
Sources:
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Tags: womens health, woman, health, history of abortion, herbal abortion, abortifacient herbs, anise, bitter melon, black cohosh, blue cohosh, brewer’s yeast, common rue, cotton root bark, dong quai, evening primrose, mugwort, nutmeg, papaya, pennyroyal, unripe pineapple, saw palmetto, slippery elm, tansy, vervain, vitamin c, wormwood, wild carrot
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POSTED IN: Abortion, Controversial issues, Pregnancy, Women's Issues
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2 opinions for History of Abortion: Historical Abortion Techniques — Abortifacient Herbs
History of Abortion: Abortifacient Herbs — Dong Quai
Feb 13, 2008 at 6:06 pm
[…] Tuesday, we talked about abortifacient herbs, and I promised to discuss some of the 21 herbs listed in more detail. Read on to learn more about […]
History of Abortion: Abortifacient Herbs — Vitamin C
Feb 13, 2008 at 6:39 pm
[…] Tuesday, we talked about abortifacient herbs, and I promised to discuss some of the 21 herbs listed in more detail. Read on to learn more about […]
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