Home remedies for abortion come from a long tradition of women trying to make decisions about their bodies for as long as there have been records. From the Egyptians, who used herbs, vaginal douches and suppositories, to Hippocrates, who spoke of these compounds to terminate pregnancy in his texts, abortion is a subject as old as humanity.
The detail is that the handling of the ingredients to have an abortifacient formula requires knowledge and experience. The Holistic Abortions organization warns that home remedies for abortion are most effective when someone familiar with the ingredients and the process administers them and proves that this practice was the subject of study in Canada and the United States.
"Although some used herbs and supplements as primary agents to initiate an abortion, it was more common to see herbs used as secondary agents, adjuncts, in combination with other abortion methods to soften the cervix or affect hormone levels in an attempt to terminate the pregnancy," they detail.
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Herbs and compounds were also used effectively to treat side effects such as pain, nausea, and excessive blood loss. "When requested, various medicinal plants were integrated as emotional and ceremonial support, making abortion more holistic, in line with cultural identities, and combining allopathic modalities with more traditional practices," they add.
But this approach to abortion has been the subject of stigmatization. Doula Daena Horner says there are mainstream media publications that "are full of damaging and misleading narratives that may dissuade people from becoming informed about the full spectrum of options for abortion care...This could also harm people who rely on traditional, indigenous or plant-based practices for their health care".
While herbs are not a substitute for clinics or medication, they can coexist with other abortion methods as part of a spectrum of options, provided there is adequate information.
Scientific Research is Needed
Planned Parenthood details that wormwood, rue, sage, licorice, pennyroyal, and calendula are some of the herbs that doctors prohibit for pregnant women. However, there are no studies that verify their effectiveness and risks.
Precisely, the lack of research is one of the reasons for the mystery surrounding abortion preparations. The legal problems that may arise from providing someone with abortion concoctions also mean that those who practice herbalism or phytotherapy for this purpose are not always easy to find or it is not always possible to confirm that they are a trained person.
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For all these reasons, the recommendation from Aya Contigo is to follow the protocol of the World Health Organization for abortions in pregnancies of less than 12 weeks. Having this information can save lives.
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