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Long before the invention of condoms, birth control pills, and modern contraceptive methods, our ancestors developed their own strategies to prevent pregnancy. While they were far more resourceful than we often realize, their methods didn’t always succeed in preventing pregnancy.
Some ancient birth control methods were stranger than others, and a few of them are still practiced today. As you will discover, these older techniques were not always safe for those who used them. In fact, some were truly terrifying.
10. Crocodile Feces
One of the earliest forms of birth control dates back to 1850 BC, developed by the ancient Egyptians. The Ramesseum Papyrus, a medical text from the 17th century BC, suggested the use of crocodile feces as a form of contraception.
This substance was used because of its thick, sticky texture. The ancient Egyptians believed it would form a protective barrier to prevent sperm from entering. The dung may also have held a religious significance, as the crocodile was associated with Set, the Egyptian god linked to bleeding, abortion, and miscarriage.
9. Honey
Honey, the sweet substance made by bees, is commonly used in cooking, baking, spreading on bread, or adding to tea. But it also served as an ingredient in ancient Egyptian contraceptive methods, possibly after the realization that crocodile dung wasn’t very effective.
This sweet, sticky substance appears in the Ebers Papyrus, dated around 1550 BC, as a form of birth control. The Egyptians combined acacia berries and colocynth, also known as bitter apple, with honey to create a mixture.
This concoction was applied to an object to create a makeshift tampon, which was then inserted into the woman’s vagina. The Egyptians believed this contraceptive method could prevent pregnancy, sometimes for up to three years.
8. Mercury
One of the most dangerous forms of birth control in the past was the consumption of mercury or lead. Women, especially concubines, in ancient China believed that ingesting mercury or lead would help prevent future pregnancies.
These women would consume enough mercury to alter their bodies and prevent conception, but not in quantities that would poison or kill them. Mercury was known to cause infertility, brain damage, kidney failure, and even death. The fact that this toxic metal caused organ damage made it clear that these women were not likely to conceive anytime soon.
At times, mercury was mixed with arsenic, strychnine, and other toxic substances to create a potion. Mercury was commonly used in the past for various medicinal purposes, including as a topical treatment due to its antimicrobial properties. It was also used for dental treatments, cancer, and could be found in products like eye drops and laxatives.
7. Animal Intestines
As early as the 1400s, animal intestines were used to craft some of the earliest forms of condoms. People began to realize that covering the penis was a more effective form of birth control. Condoms also helped prevent certain sexually transmitted diseases. The ancient Romans used linen, animal intestines, and animal bladders, primarily from sheep and goats, to make their condoms.
In China and Japan, silk, oiled paper, or lamb intestines were used to make glans condoms. As the name suggests, these only covered the head of the penis. While it may sound unusual, it was still an improvement over Japanese condoms made from tortoise shells and animal horns.
6. Weasel Testicles
Not all early birth control methods were practical, leading to one of the most bizarre and disappointing contraceptive ideas in history. Between AD 100 and AD 500, ancient Europeans believed that wearing weasel testicles around the neck during intercourse could prevent pregnancy.
Not fond of wearing weasel testicles as a necklace? They could also be tied around the thigh and worn during intercourse as a form of birth control. Needless to say, this method should not be attempted today.
5. Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fibrous material used in products such as towels, clothing, fishing nets, coffee filters, tents, and cottonseed oil. However, the cotton plant has also been used for contraception in various ways.
Chinese peasants in Jiangxi commonly cooked with cottonseed oil and tended not to have children. This led many in China to believe that cottonseed oil might be an effective form of birth control. It was used as a male contraceptive, and studies showed that men who consumed cottonseed oil had higher infertility rates.
As mentioned earlier, honey was mixed with other ingredients and inserted vaginally as a contraceptive. Sometimes, honey was applied to cotton when used for this purpose. Cotton even played a role in birth control for US slave women. Slaves would chew on cotton root bark to prevent pregnancy.
Cotton root bark is known to interfere with the corpus luteum, the space left in the ovary after ovulation, preventing the uterus from fertilizing eggs and stopping pregnancy. The root of the cotton plant was even brewed into a tea, although it's uncertain whether this method was effective.
4. Lemons
When life hands you lemons, make... spermicide?
Long before the introduction of spermicide in condoms, lemon juice and other acidic fruit substances were used as spermicides by those seeking to prevent pregnancy. In ancient times, people would apply lemon juice and honey to a contraceptive sponge for added protection. Sponges were used due to their ability to absorb semen.
Casanova, the famous Italian lover from the 18th century, used half a pulped lemon to create a cervical cap for his numerous lovers. The acidity and blockage from the lemon served as a fairly effective but generally unsafe method of birth control. It seems like a way to turn sweet love into something a little sour.
3. Juniper Berries
The juniper plant produces blue or reddish berries, commonly known as juniper berries. These berries are used as a flavoring in food and drinks, particularly alcoholic beverages, for seasoning meats, and as a fragrance in cosmetics and perfumes.
Various Native American tribes also discovered multiple uses for juniper berries. They would thread the berries and wear them as beads on necklaces. Additionally, they brewed a tea from the berries, drinking it for three days straight as a form of birth control.
Juniper berries are considered a natural contraceptive herb. The berries help make the uterine lining inhospitable to embryo growth and can be consumed before or after unprotected intercourse with a partner.
Other herbs that have been used as natural birth control methods include wild carrot seed, smartweed leaves, neem, and rutin. However, pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid consuming juniper berries due to their potential severe side effects.
2. Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a beloved beverage, but in impoverished regions, it was used in an unconventional way. During the 1950s and 1960s, when other birth control methods were scarce or costly, Coca-Cola became part of contraceptive folklore. People believed the carbonic acid in the drink could kill sperm, and the glass bottle was even regarded as the perfect “shake and shoot applicator.”
Deborah Anderson, along with two colleagues from Harvard, tested Coca-Cola in sperm tubes to evaluate whether it was an effective birth control method. While most sperm were killed quickly, Anderson cautioned that sperm could still reach the cervical canal faster than someone could apply the beverage.
This experiment earned Anderson and her colleagues an Ig Nobel Prize, a parody of the Nobel Prize awarded for peculiar scientific research that “first [makes] people laugh and then [makes] them think.”
Anderson argued that this method of birth control could be harmful to women. Coca-Cola destroys beneficial bacteria, which could lead to bacterial infections. The soft drink also strips away the vaginal cells' top layer, potentially increasing the risk of sexually transmitted infections.
While this birth control method might be more of an urban myth, it’s probably best to stick to enjoying Coca-Cola as a beverage from now on.
1. Pennyroyal
Pennyroyal is a small herb within the mint family, known for its historical use in medicine to alleviate digestive issues like upset stomachs and flatulence, as well as to treat colds and other ailments. It also has a long history as a natural form of contraception, and even though it was an early birth control method, it is still used today.
The Orgone Biophysical Research Lab, alongside the Women’s Health Center in Switzerland, recommends pennyroyal and other herbs as a means to prevent pregnancy. They advise taking pennyroyal right after intercourse and before the fertilized egg implants to be most effective. Additionally, pennyroyal can be consumed as a tea, though it should only be ingested during specific times of the month and for brief periods.
While no scientific studies confirm pennyroyal's ability to prevent pregnancy, it should be used with caution. Overuse of pennyroyal can lead to liver, kidney, and nervous system damage.
