North American Fertility–Regulating Botanicals: a Review
2022
Applequist, Wendy L. | Bridges, Mikayla C. | Moerman, Daniel E.
Species from over a hundred genera found in North America have reported traditional uses as contraceptives or uses that suggest possible abortifacient or postcoital contraceptive activities. If any of these are both effective and relatively safe, that information ought to be preserved, both for its potential utility and because it would mean that those species are unsafe for consumers who wish to become pregnant. Biomedical literature was searched for references to bioactivities of these species relating to the reproductive system. For the vast majority of species, and often genera, no relevant scientific data were found, leaving the safety of these species unknown. Plants with strongest scientific support for contraceptive or abortifacient activity include species of Juniperus, Lithospermum, and Ricinus; the latter two are reported to have long-lasting contraceptive effects. Further research into the toxicity of products made from these species is warranted, as is initial investigation of the bioactivity of a dozen additional genera for which traditional use data are particularly suggestive.
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