Clinical abortion methods can
be traumatizing or prohibitively expensive for the women who choose to use
them. Because of this--and a common perception that they are simply
"unnatural" some women opt to attempt home abortions using natural
herbs, such as pennyroyal, tansy, parsley, black cohosh, and dong quai.
I have
seen a tragic number of women find themselves injured, sickened, or deeply
traumatized by herbal abortions. Herbal abortions (and all other forms of home
abortion) are not a safe or effective alternative to clinical methods.
All the
following methods of inducing herbal abortion are either dangerous or
ineffective to varying degrees. This guide is NOT intended to give information about
how to use these options: it is to inform women of the many, serious risks so
that they are encouraged to seek other alternatives.
Pennyroyal
The most
well-known herbal abortificant, pennyroyal is also one of the most dangerous.
Pennyroyal contains pulegone, a powerful uterine stimulant that causes strong
contractions in the uterus. Because this herbal abortion method uses pulegone,
it is one of the most effective methods--however, pulegone is also extremely
toxic, even in relatively small amounts.
While
there have been only a few reported deaths from pennyroyal, it is extremely
likely that more deaths have occurred than have been recorded in print. I have
personally spoken with several women who had serious complications after
consuming pennyroyal tea, including ruptured ectopic pregnancies, shock, acute
liver damage, bloody diarrhea, incomplete abortion, and hemorrhage.
Pennyroyal
oil is even more toxic than the leaf, which itself is quite volatile. Both the
oil and the leaf should especially be avoided by women who have, or might have,
an ectopic (tubal) pregnancy. This herbal abortion method can and will cause a
rupture of fallopian tubes if used in these cases-- a medical emergency that
causes death without immediate medical attention.
Tansy
So toxic
that mere skin contact will cause rashes in most people, tansy is as dangerous
as pennyroyal when taken internally. The volatile oil found in tansy, thujone,
breaks down in the digestive tract and is likely to cause liver failure,
serious digestive problems, or kidney failure.
Fortunately
for the health of women everywhere, tansy's toxic effects are now very well
known among herbalists and pro-choice groups. Because of this, tansy's use as
an herbal abortion method is now obsolete. I have never met any woman who has
used tansy to stimulate an herbal abortion, and I am glad to know that more
women are aware of its risks.
Tansy has
other medicinal uses, including its ability to eliminate intestinal parasites.
However, because it is toxic even in very low doses, most herbalists now
refrain from recommending it for any purpose.
Parsley
This
extremely common culinary herb is one of the safest methods of inducing an
herbal abortion, and it is also the least effective. I have at times
recommended it to my clients as a method of bringing on a late period when the
delay is not caused by pregnancy. Women who have very irregular cycles can
sometimes use parsley as a pessary (vaginal suppository) to make their cycles
more predictable.
However,
parsley's ability to stimulate uterine contractions is very weak compared to
some of the more dangerous herbs. After implantation has occurred (usually a
few days before a missed period) a blastocyst is generally too strongly rooted
into the womb to be expelled using an herb as weak as parsley.
Parsley's
ability to safely stimulate contractions may, however, be useful as a form of
emergency contraception. I have known a few women who have stated that drinking
parsley tea for several days following intercourse may prevent conception or
implantation. While this use may be slightly effective, it is supported only by
anecdotal evidence and should not be relied on exclusively as a form of birth
control.
Black Cohosh
Also
called squaw vine, black cohosh is a wonderful root long used by midwives as a
means of ending pregnancy that has gone past term. It is also used as a treatment for menopausal symptoms and infertility and, occasionally, to induce abortion.
Herbal
abortions with black cohosh are at a very high risk of causing hemorrhage.
Black cohosh is known to interfere with blood clotting, which is usually a
relatively harmless side-effect when it occurs following labor, since medical
staff or midwives are equipped to handle the complications. However, since
herbal abortions are not medically supervised, potentially lethal hemorrhage is
a very serious and frightening reality.
If you
are considering an abortion using any of these methods, contact your local
health department or crisis pregnancy center to find out about safer, more
effective alternatives to herbal abortion. Whether you choose to carry your
pregnancy to term or seek a clinical abortion, these options will be safer than
the potentially deadly effects of herbal abortion methods.
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ReplyDeleteThe following herbal testosterone boosters can help men maintain stable hormone levels at all stages of life.
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