We at Mega Curioso have already talked about some contraceptive methods that have been used throughout history - some beyond crazy! But among all the contraceptives that were employed, one of the most potent, at least according to the records that existed on it, was probably silphium, a plant that, from being exploited to prevent unwanted pregnancies, ended up before extinction. fall of the Roman Empire!

Contraceptive herb

According to Katie Serena of All That Is Interesting, this plant was endemic to the ancient city of Cyrene - in a region that currently corresponds to eastern Libya - and was used for decades by the local population as a medicinal herb to treat all kinds of herbs. from illness, including fevers, digestive problems, and even calluses on the feet.

Ruins of the ancient city of Cyrene (Wikimedia Commons / Man)

However, the population also found that the resin obtained from the silphium stem had powerful contraceptive - even abortifacient - action and was largely 'prescribed' to prevent pregnancy. According to reports left by Greek and Roman historians, doctors and pharmacologists, the recommendation was that women take a monthly dose in the form of a chickpea-sized resin ball.

This small amount, in a single dose, according to historical documents, was sufficient to prevent conception or terminate any pregnancy that had started during the cycle, since it induced menstruation and made women temporarily sterile. It turns out that the plant's properties began to become famous - and silphium became one of Cirene's main sources of wealth.

Rise and fall

According to Katie, the plant has become so important to the local economy that it has even been minted into one of the coin faces in the city. Then, with the increasing popularity of silphium, a string of strict rules were proposed to regulate the harvesting and exploitation of the herb, but none of this was sufficient to prevent its extinction.

Coin of the time showing silphium on one of its faces (Wikimedia Commons / Classical Numismatic Group)

No one knows exactly what led to the disappearance of the plant, but nowadays historians believe it has been extinguished by a combination of factors. To begin with, it could not be cultivated and grew naturally only on a narrow strip of land near the Cyrene coast and, due to the region's climate and soil conditions, the availability of silphium was quite limited.

Also, the area in which the plant grew was used for grazing and, if we combine it with the fact that the increased demand for the resin led to its overexploitation, we have the answer to what caused its extinction, right?

That would look like the plant - note the shape of the seeds (Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

Incidentally, the disappearance of the silphium came in the middle of the 1st century, and a curious anecdote is that the last specimen found was sent as a gift to Emperor Nero - who, unaware of its specific properties, ate the plant and put an end to its existence. . Another interesting anecdote is that the silphium seed had a peculiar shape that, it is said, would have served as an inspiration for the symbol that today represents love, that is, the heart.