What were the common contraceptive methods in ancient times?

Contraception is a topic of concern in every era, but now people can use too many contraceptive methods, and each one is scientifically reasonable. Although there are certain drawbacks, they will not endanger people's lives. However, in ancient times, there were many ways to avoid pregnancy that threatened health and life. So what were the common contraceptive methods in ancient times?

Sixteenth-century Canadians believed that the testicles of small furry animals held the key to contraception. Therefore, some women soaked beaver testicles in wine and drank the wine as a contraceptive. Some Canadians grind beaver testicles into fine powder and mix it with wine to take. This method has no side effects. In addition, some people dry beaver testicles and then soak them in wine to take. This method is very similar to the weasel testicle effect mentioned above.

The ancient Greeks believed that molten iron could also be used as a contraceptive. Although we don't know who invented this method, it is a fact that lead is contained in the iron water. During World War I, women who worked in lead-producing factories suffered abnormally high rates of infertility. Scientific research has found that drinking hot metal can cause neurological diseases, kidney failure, coma, and even death. Its function seems to be similar to that of mercury.

A contraceptive prescription recorded in an Egyptian papyrus book can be said to be the earliest medical contraceptive method used by humans. The prescription instructs that crocodile feces be mixed with a paste-like substance, formed into strips, and placed in the vagina to absorb semen and block sperm from entering the uterus. There is no record of how effective this method is, but some people like to use elephant dung instead of crocodile dung.

Before the 13th century, elephant dung was an important "external contraceptive" used by them. Modern scholars have conducted research on this, and the results are quite interesting: elephant dung is acidic and does have a spermicidal effect, but crocodile dung is alkaline and is beneficial to the survival of sperm. In Rome, another birthplace of civilization, local women used the "olive oil contraceptive method", which was recommended by the great philosopher Aristotle in the 4th century BC.

I believe everyone has a general understanding of the ancient contraceptive methods. Nowadays, contraception is a common means of natural protection for women, in order to prevent artificial abortion after unexpected pregnancy. In ancient times, contraception was a form of torture to women's bodies. Not only was the contraceptive effect unsatisfactory, it also threatened women's health to varying degrees.