Women have used the seeds from Daucus carota, commonly known as wild carrot or queen anne's lace, for centuries as a contraceptive. The earliest written reference dates back to the late 5th or 4th century B.C. appearing in a work written by Hippocrates. John Riddle writes in Eve's Herbs that queen anne's lace (qal) seeds are one of the more potent antifertility agents available, and a common plant in many regions of the world. "The seeds, harvested in the fall, are a strong contraceptive if taken orally immediately after coitus." Research on small animals has shown that extracts of the seeds disrupt the implantation process, or if a fertilized egg has implanted for only a short period, will cause it to be released. There has been some research done on wild carrot seeds, mostly in other countries. The results of those experiments have been encouraging. The Chinese view QAL as a promising post-coital agent. "Recent evidence suggests that terpenoids in the seed block crucial progesterone synthesis in pregnant animals." When asked about the contraceptive effects of wild carrot, some herbalists have described it as having the effect of making the uterus "slippery" so the egg is unable to implant.

Progesterone is essential for pregnancy to occur. Progesterone's function is to prepare the uterine endometrium to receive an egg. If the endometrium isn't ready, the egg will find implantation very difficult. If the egg can't implant then the opportunity is missed, and the egg begins to breakdown and is no longer viable. Menstruation arrives as usual.

Using Queen Anne's Lace
If you try this, you do so at your own risk.
The seeds, collected from the flower head in fall are thoroughly chewed, swallowed and washed down with water or juice. The taste is heavy and oily, not very pleasant, but doesn't taste terrible. It is the volatile oils contained within the seed that prevent implantation. Chewing them releases the oils. If the seeds are simply swallowed whole, they will pass right through your system, with out releasing their oils and will not be effective.

Dosage is 1 tsp chewed per day. This dosage works effectively for women of average height and build. If you are above average height and/or build you might find the seeds more effective if you slightly raise the dosage.

They can be used a couple different ways.
1. Daily, through out the cycle.
2. Following unprotected sex, for 7 to 10 days.
3. If a woman knows when she if fertile or ovulating she can use the seeds during her fertile time, through when implantation would occur, 6 days after ovulation.

Cautions & Contradictions: Women with a history of kidney or gallstones should consult with an herbalist before using Queen Anne's Lace seeds. QAL contains estrogen and can cause estrogen-like side effects, and may encourage the growth of estrogen dependent tumors. Estrogenic herbs should be avoided by anyone taking birth control pills, other estrogen medications, or blood pressure medications.

A similar herbal contraceptive measure is the practice of placing a sprig of parsley in one's vagina. This is done during the premenstrual phase of a woman's cycle. The parsley, like Queen Anne's Lace, will release oils that make the endometrium less "sticky", and soften any mucous plug that begins to develop immediately after conception, if it has occurred.
Parsley can also be consumed for the same purposes. I recommend brewing a tea with the leaves and honey to avoid eating the plant, which can become quite bitter in quantity.
The body is far more likely to go ahead and menstruate on schedule after this.

The parsley method is certainly not failsafe, and pushes the grey line between birth control and abortificant, since one waits as long as a few weeks after a possible fertilization to employ it.

A second method to try is vitamin C*. As ambitious as happy little sperms are, they need an alkaline environment in which to live, and 6-10 g of ascorbic acid per day near and after ovulation is enough to make the uterus too acidic for implantation to occur. It will also reduce the production of progesterone, the purposes of which are outlined above.

Vitamin C tablets may also be placed in the vagina instead of ingested. You can do this either immediately after sex (1000 mg a day for 3 days) as an emergency procedure, or beforehand (with enough time to dissolve) as a preventative one. Use of vitamin C as a spermicide can be very irritating to the delicate skin up in there, so soothe with aloe vera after use.

*Without bioflavinoids, if you can find it.


Above all, know your cycle well. These are not fully safe alternatives to protected sex, even if you aren't supposed to be fertile. And in the off chance of being exposed to an STD, use a condom, fool.

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