At last weekend's Convergence, Robin Rose Bennett gave an informative talk on wild carrot and its use as part of conscious birth control. She's made available a copy of her work on Daucus carota online.This member of the parsley family has historical uses that range from abortifacient to diuretic. Here are some of my notes from Robin's discussion:
. the seed dose is approximately 1tsp. daily, varied for weight and constitution (sensitivity to inputs)
. the first dose should be taken 8-12 hours after sex, then repeated once or twice more with 12-24hrs between doses
. intermittency of dosage allows for most effective birth control action, and also fertility enhancing: take breaks at the right times!
. if there are hormonal imbalances (pharmaceuticals, cycle disturbances, post-partum if cycle hasn't returned, e.g.) it is less trustworthy
. if there are assimilation issues from dysbiosis, it is less trustworthy
. its volatile oil, and to a certain extent its fixed oil, are key to its action. Harvest not when bone-dry, not when old, first days of flowers, seedhead still greenish-brown
. it is extracted in 50% to 70% alcohol, 2:1 ratio of greenish-brown seed to brown seed, bruised
. tea can be made with 1TBS bruised seed, steeped covered for 20-30 min
. flowers can be used too, as a tea, at twice the doses of the seed
. only reported side effect has been vaginal irritation, relieved by switching from seed to tincture of the seed
. combination: ginger, pennyroyal, mugwort, wild carrot
. in a case of ectopic pregnancy, it helped eliminate the fetus without surgery (I heard this last part second-hand).
Robin's got 20+ years of experience working with wild carrot, both for herself and her clients.