This article was originally published on Aug. 23, 2022.
For nearly as long as we’ve been having sex, we’ve been attempting to control reproduction. After all, there’s more than one reason why humans like to get it on.
We’ve put countless potions into our bodies in an effort to prevent pregnancy — some innocently ineffective and others dangerous or even deadly. Through the ages, birth control has certainly changed. But the reasons behind it remain much the same.
The ancient Egyptians took a host of strange concoctions that they insisted could stave off pregnancy. They advocated for the use of a peculiar mixture of crocodile dung and acacia honey. According to the book "The history of contraception: From ancient Egyptians to the "morning after," the mixture was inserted and then "left in the vagina for long periods before intercourse.” After sex, people utilized a combination of wine, garlic and lavender ...
