Many women seek at-home abortion methods as a natural alternative to clinical abortions. While some select this option based on financial limitations, others pursue herbal abortions with the belief that they are safer than their pharmaceutical or surgical counterparts. To date, limited information confirms the safety of any herbal abortion method, and some are known to either be ineffective or dangerous.
Herbal Abortions with Parsley
A very common culinary herb, parsley is widely used as an herbal emmenogogue, to induce menstruation when a period is "late" because of a hormonal imbalance not related to pregnancy. For this purpose, parsley is generally considered to be both safe and effective, but its efficacy may be limited if a blastocyst has implanted in the lining of the womb. It is unlikely that herbal abortions with parsley are effective when more than a few days have passed since implantation.
Fresh and dried parsley generally contain too little of its uterine-stimulant volatile oils to have a noticeable effect on the endometrium. When consumed as a supplement, it may be strong enough to induce menstruation or prevent implantation, but the oils are still too weak to trigger a true abortion. Parsley oil might be nominally effective in this capacity, but it is also considered to be immensely dangerous, owing to its ability to cause severe inflammation throughout the body.
Herbal Abortions with Black Cohosh
Centuries of use have shown black cohosh be extremely effective in treating many disorders of the female reproductive system, and it has also been traditionally used to induce labor or miscarriage. Because it is so commonly used as an herbal supplement, many women believe that it is a safe home abortion method, and it is slowly gaining in popularity as an abortificant.
Still, black cohosh is not without its risks. The primary complication associated with the use of black cohosh results from its anticoagulant properties: people who take black cohosh are much more prone to hemorrhage and prolonged bleeding. Post-abortion hemorrhage is a medical emergency, and home-abortion users who don't seek emergency care for excessive bleeding can die from blood loss.
Herbal Abortions with Pennyroyal
Pennyroyal, a member of the mint family, is the herb most widely known for its abortificant properties. While there are a few rare herbalists and naturopathic gynecologists who recommend its use, pennyroyal is generally considered to be very unsafe owing to its ability to cause acute and terminal liver failure. There have been several case reports of deaths in women who used pennyroyal to induce abortion, and it is likely that other incidents have gone unreported.
Additionally, in the event of an ectopic pregnancy (itself a life-threatening condition) pennyroyal will cause even more serious complications than other abortificants. While all herbal abortion methods and pharmaceutical abortion pills can cause death if the pregnancy has implanted outside of the uterus, the condition is less likely to be diagnosed in those who are self-inducing abortion without the advice of a physician.
A Practical Understanding of Herbal Abortions
All abortion methods come with some degree of risk, and it is impossible to compare the relative safety of herbal abortions because peer-reviewed data on the topic is extremely limited. While some herbal abortificants, like parsley, are only nominally effective and do not carry many severe risks, all home abortion methods are inherently dangerous because they by-definition lack medical supervision.
Because women are unlikely to detect abortion complications until the condition has reached an emergency or terminal state, and because herbal abortificants have not yet been fully studied by academic institutions, most doctors and midwives strongly discourage all home abortion methods, including the use of herbs to stimulate abortion.
Links and Resources:
"Pennyroyal Toxicity: Measurement of Toxic Metabolite Levels in Two Cases and Review of the Literature". Annals of Internal Medicine 124 (8): 726-734
Induce Menstruation Naturally with Parsley. Juniper, Associated Content. 26 December 08.
Gunn TR, Wright IM: The use of black and blue cohosh in labour. New Zealand Medical Journal 109: 410-411, 1996.
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