Natural birth control methods in a post-collapse scenario

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to promote or denounce the use of anticonceptive devices - this decision is ultimately up to you and your spouse and what your personal beliefs- religious or otherwise allow.

There are several birth control methods commonly used in present times that you may or may not be practicing - spanning from abstinence , temperature methods, barrier contraception methods like condoms or spermicides, implanted devices that do or do not emit hormones, to oral birth control medications.

As most things in your preps, the supply for manufactured items like these is most likely limited and you will not be able to obtain many of the "conventional" birth control methods – unless you have discovered the condom tree? If so, please share with the rest of us!

The alternative methods of conraception that I am discussing in this article are not listed in a particular order of effectiveness and may not be reliable without added barrier contraception devices - I encourage you to do your own research and make your own informed decisions!

Also, this article is soley intended for informative reasons. While the world as we know it is still intact, please consult with your health care professional about the topic of contraception if you are interested in it and most importantly – as we are talking about herbal remedies that are not studied as well as pharmaceutical drugs – be sure to thouroughly check for any contraindications that might apply to your case due to underlying medical issues or prescription medications that you are already taking. Also do not – and I repeat, do not – switch out your current contraception methods for these described below without taking the extra steps of talking to your primary care physician, doing your own research and most imortantly applying common sense!

If however TEOTWAWKI ( the end of the world as we know it - copyright www.survivalblog.com) comes into play or you want to have alternatives ready for this case, continue reading below.

In the prepping community, the focus clearly lies on beans, bandaids and bullets. From my own experience with patients in a primary care setting, even if they think they are prepared – commonly items of daily use tend to be forgotten. While some may remember to find alternatives for their current other prescriptions – blood pressure medicine or antidepressants for example, birth control or other methods of contraception seem to be forgotten frequently, or if they were thought about then in a short term situation with a box or 2-3 of condoms that are bound to run out.

In the case of contraception methods, and this may be due to the fact that the prepper community is still largely male dominated or – as I tend to believe – that things we tend to do on a daily basis have become such a habit that we don't even think about them anymore and as such we fail to prepare for them adequately.

I realize that contraception and the unclear and often faught over definition of abortion and the beginning of life are very controvercial topics and I hope nobody will be offended by this discussion. Scripture states that the physical act of marriage is intended by God and that whether a woman will bear children is a blessing from God (Genesis 21:1 , 1 Samuel 2:21). We also have to obey God's command to provide for our children. Scripture does not state clearly whether it is against contraception or not and so it is the belief of many that temporary contraception in order to be able to provide better for children at a later time is acceptable.

You may or may not have though about this topic before - whether you are planning on hunkering down or bugging out - at least in the beginning stages of a new world order it might not be the wisest decision for yourself or your spouse to become pregnant as stress, lack of medical support, food shortage, unsanitary conditions, diseases and the likes will be prominent. If you are not preparing for ways to prevent conception, then you have to prepare for the eventuality of a home birth without support from medical staff or medications and have to be ready to face the complications associated with this for both mother and child.

Before you focus on herbal remedies, a good option would be to talk to your doctor about your concerns and discuss the possiblity of having a larger quantity of for example oral birth control pills dispensed at a time, so that you can always be ahead a few months. In many cases, depending on your state laws and especially once insurances are involved, this is unfortunately not an option.

Several plant-based methods of contraception have been used for centuries and date back to the ancient Greek and Roman tribes. Studies have intermittently been done on the effectiveness of several of these herbal remedies , but probably due to the monopolist power of the FDA and other government agencies not many of these remedies are widely known anymore or are even taught in medical schools in Western countries. I completed my medical training in Germany and was fortunate enough to have several courses on my curriculum that at least remotely touched on the subject of herbal or alternative medicine. By my experience from continuing my medical education in the United States, this topic is also largely overlooked here and sadly takes away a valid resource for the general population.

All of the herbal contraception methods described below are described as not causing sterilization, as such they are non-permanent, reversible methods.

Neem plant

The Neem plant is also known as Indian lilac. The parts of the plant that can be used are neem leaf, neem leaf extract or neem leaf oil.

It is one of the few contraceptives that are effective in both males and females : it shows spermicidal properties (meaning it kills the sperm upon contact, reportedly within as little as 30 seconds), is a reversible method on contraception and does not exhibit any changes in the menstrual cycle or ovarial function .When used in men it has been shown to slow the motility of sperm, thereby reducing the chances of fertilization.

Studies have shown that even the smallest amounts of Neem oil injected into the uterine horns (the
area where the uterus and fallopian tubes meet) can reversibly block fertility for up to one year!

When used in males (typically in an oral form of neem leaf) the reversible effects do not affect the sperm production or libido - a fact that every male reading through this article I'm sure is very glad to hear about!

A few other advantages of the Neem plant that are worth mentioning is that it also has antibiotic, antiviral and overall immune-boosting properties which has helped secure its spot on the top 5 herbal contraception remedies, as these properties help protect against sexually- and vaginally transmitted diseases.

Queen Anne's lace

Queen Anne's lace is also known als "wild carrot" and can be found all over the United States.

Only the seeds of this plant should be used and need to be chewed or otherwise broken up in order to release the active ingredients.

Queen Anne's lace seeds have been proven in studies on laboraty animals to inhibit the progesterone synthesis and as such inhibit the implantation of the fertilized egg into the uterine wall. Thus,

most will argue that this herb is the most effective herbal remedy when it comes to contraception!

Queen Anne's lace is typically taken as follows:

- 1 tsp within 8 hours of exposure to sperm (chewed/ broken up)

- continue this dose 1x/day for another 7 days

There are however a few aspects that you need to be aware of if you plan on using this herb:

A very common side effect is constipation (a fairly easy-to resolve problem but something to be aware of and if the symptoms persist you may have to discontinue the use of wild carrot seeds.)

This seed should not be used in patients with a history of kidney- or gallstones as it can re-exacerbate these conditions.

Most importantly though, be sure that the plant you are using is actually Queen Anne's lace! The hemlock or water hemlock plants look eerily similar but are extremely poisenous!

A solution that would help prevent this from happening is to purchase the seeds  and grow your own resources; just make sure the plants were not treated with any toxins or chemicals as you will be ingesting them. This applies to all of the remedies mentioned in this article and beyond – if you know what you are growing it limits your chances of being wrong while you are foraging for these plants in the wild.

Blue Cohosh

With Blue Cohosh, only the root of this plant is used to make a tea. One of the components of Blue Cohosh mimics Oxytocin - a hormone that naturally occurs in a woman's body and is typically excreted after stimulation of breastfeeding after birth, which leads to the contraction of the uterus in order to minimize post-partum bleeding.

In this particular situation, the oxytocin-like properties inhibit the implantation of the fertilized egg and initiates menstruation, which then expels the outer-most layer of the uterine-wall tissue, including the fertilized egg.

Blue Cohosh tea is prepared as follows:

Boil 4 cups of water

add 1 tsp of Blue Cohosh root and steep it for 5 minutes

consume the tea in small sips while hot

use no more than 3x/day until menstruation begins, then discontinue.

Pennyroyal

This plant was also used by the ancient Greeks and Romans. It promotes menstrual flow (this is also called being emmenagogue) and initiates contraction of the uterine muscles much like Blue Cohosh.

Pennyroyal is consumed as a tea (no exact dosage is known; but expert herbalists recommend that it be consumed while hot and since only a dosage of 50-75 cups of this tea per day can cause lethal side-effects ( Source 2 - Norman Farnsworth-Phd University of Illinois), no exact recommendation for a daily dose exists.

Studies were conducted in the 1930 which showed that the plant " stimulated the production of female sex hormones and decreased fertility in laboratory animals, much as modern contraceptives do" ( Source 1 - University of Illinois)

It is most often consumed together with other emmenagogues like Blue Cohosh. As such, I would deem it as possibly a little less effective, especially considering that no clear dosage has been tested

in studies.

A recipe that can be found in "The Child Bearing Year" by Susun Weed states:

Emmenagogue Brew

2 tablespoons (Tbsp) dried Blue Cohosh Root

(substitute 20 drops of blue cohosh tincture to each cup)

3 Tbsp dried pennyroyal leaves

2 Tbsp dried Tansy in flower

Boil the Blue Cohosh in a quart of water (if the tincture is used, skip this step, just boil the water) for 5 minutes.

Place the pennyroyal and tansy in a glass quart canning jar (or equivalent). Pour the boiled water (with the blue cohosh - if you used the dried herb) into the jar, cap and allow to steep for 30 minutes. Strain the herbs out and reheat before using. If you use the blue cohosh tincture add 20 drops after reheating the tea.

Together these 3 herbs can produce profuse menstrual flow in sensitive women. The usual dose, is a steaming hot cupful every four hours, day and night, for up to 5 days or until bleeding is well underway. The effectiveness of this formula is enhanced by the addition of tablespoonful of brewers yeast to every cup.

Buckwheat

Buckwheat interferes with normal hormone levels in the female's body and its' component Rutin inhibits implantation of the fertilized egg. The recommended dosage is 500 mg per day and virtually no side effects are known, which makes it a very popular birth control option.

There are several other options out there so I once again encourage you to do your research, keep your own specific situations, allergies and other illnesses you may have in mind. If you are currently breastfeeding and are looking into herbal remedies please be extra careful!

With any natural remedies it is very important that the female wanting to apply these methods is very familiar and in tune with her body. You should be aware of your menstrual cycle and your body's normal behaviors so you can more easily identify side effects of these herbal remedies that would warrant you to cease using them. Along with this also goes to be prepared for possible stronger menstrual flow than you may be used to, which has to be compensated for with a big enough supply of tampons, menstrual cups of the right size or sanitary napkins.

A few good references that I have found helpful for herbal remedies in general are “ The Herbal Drugstore” by Linda White , “Herbal Antivirals- Natural Remedies for Emerging & Resistant Viral Infections” by Stephen Harrod Buhner as well as " Prescription for Herbal Healing" by Phyllis Balch. Of course a lot of information can also be found online but be weary of information from one single source and confirm the information with as many sources as possible as you are treating your body with supplements that have not been very well studied and that you are new to.


 

This brings us back to the beginning- use common sense!

As always, a solid hard copy of books is better than an electronic version, as you will always be able to reference and cross-reference these books.

First and foremost though, especially if you are the medic for your family or group - please keep in mind the basic principle of medicine – nihil non docere - first do no harm.