Highly advanced medical papyri (like the Ebers Papyri) list numerous recipes for "emptying the womb," suggesting it was a standard medical procedure.
Egyptian women used pessaries made of crocodile dung, honey, or lint. The acidity likely acted as a mild spermicide. Contraception and Abortion from the Ancient Wor...
In some cultures, women drank solutions containing toxic metals. While they prevented pregnancy, they often caused organ failure or death. ⚕️ Abortion: Surgical and Chemical Highly advanced medical papyri (like the Ebers Papyri)
Midwives and doctors utilized probes or vigorous physical activity (jumping, heavy lifting) to terminate pregnancies. Contraception and Abortion from the Ancient Wor...
The most famous contraceptive of antiquity. A giant fennel from Cyrene so effective and popular it was harvested to extinction by the 1st century CE.
Potent herbs like pennyroyal, rue, and Queen Anne’s Lace were used to induce contractions.