Best Herbs for Natural Birth Control

So many people use herbs to promote fertility, prepare for childbirth, and even induce labor, yet the use of herbs to prevent pregnancy is relatively unheard-of even among die-hard naturalists. However, some cultures have been using herbal birth control for centuries, particularly the ancients and in such places as India. Modern science does not give much credit to the effectiveness of these herbs, as is evident by the fact that almost no credible research exists today to document how to use them, their safety, or any drug interactions.

Unfortunately, for women hoping to avoid pregnancy without risking the known dangers that are associated with hormonal contraceptives, few options exist other than the age old Rhythm Method or the use of condoms. Because our knowledge about the effectiveness and even safety of contraceptive herbs is largely anecdotal, there are a few things you should consider before trying one of these herbs as a method of birth control.

• How serious are you about preventing pregnancy? If you are at a point in your life that pregnancy is absolutely out of the question, you may not want to rely on any of these herbs for birth control. You can couple herbal contraceptives with rhythm methods or with the use of condoms (or both), but don't hope to use herbs alone to keep from getting pregnant. 
• How well do you know your body? Women who have been on the Depo shot, the patch, or the pill for a period of time often find that they aren't as in tune with their own bodies as women who avoid hormonal contraception. In order for an herbal birth control method to work, you have to be able to tell when you are ovulating. Spend a few months getting more familiar with your body's cycles before you start herbal contraception, and use condoms in the meantime.
• How balanced are your hormones? As any naturalist will tell you, if you are using the pill to "balance your hormones" - to make your period more manageable, to fight acne, etc. - then you are simply masking the symptoms of unbalanced hormones rather than treating the underlying cause. Well-balanced hormones are important before you start taking herbs that could disrupt your hormones if taken incorrectly; if your hormones are out of whack already, you may miss the signs if you are doing something wrong. 

Choosing the Herb You Want to Use

I personally have never used any of these herbs for contraception, so I can't vouch for the efficacy of any of them. If you choose to use herbal birth control, you will be experimenting with herbs that have been used for centuries but have little to no modern scientific evidence to back them up. It is so important for you to wait until you have been off of hormonal birth control or finished nursing for at least a few months before you start an herbal birth control regimen.

• Neem oil. Neem oil is being studied in India as a way to promote sterility in men. It works by immobilizing sperm, and can be taken orally by men every day or as a spermicide in women. While its safety as a contraceptive is still under dispute, it is also used to kill lice and scabies and improve skin and hair, among a number of other "miracle" uses. 
• Seeds of Queen Anne's Lace. Also called wild carrot, Queen Anne's lace is a common weed throughout North America that you have probably seen lining a highway or even pulled from your garden. Its seeds can be made into a tea or tincture that can be taken as an emergency contraceptive - you don't have to take it every day for it to be effective. Make sure you get the white lacy plant with a hairy stem. Confuse it with its smooth-stemmed cousin, poison hemlock, and you could be facing a trip to the emergency room.
• Wild Yam. This may be a form of herbal contraception that you have heard of before. Wild yam has to be taken twice a day and never missed, and takes some time to really be effective. Even then, it may not be completely effective, so I would definitely recommend trying neem oil or Queen Anne's lace first. 
• Pennyroyal. Make sure to use only the leaves and stems of the plant and not the oil - pennyroyal oil is super concentrated and can cause death. Make a tea with one teaspoon of the plant to one cup of water, and drink a few cups of this every day for no longer than six days. This concoction should help regulate your period in addition to preventing pregnancy - many women who use it report that their periods consistently start within a few days of starting the six-day regimen. 

These are only a few of the herbs that are commonly used for birth control. There are lots of others, but many of them are difficult to make work or can be dangerous. Make sure you talk to a knowledgeable herbalist before you start any herbal birth control regimen. I am not a doctor or an herbalist, I am simply trying to help women become more informed about their options! Some of these herbs can have drug interactions. Keep in mind, too, that every herbal birth control method is best used in conjunction with the rhythm method.

If you have had any success (or failure!) with one of these herbs, or if you know of another herb that works well, leave a comment and let me know about it!

All-Natural Pest Control Solutions

Living in rural Southern Virginia, we have a problem with ants, flies, and those disguisting creatures that peer at you from high up places with beady eyes and scurry across the floor while you're trying to eat dinner - cockroaches. We inherited them from the previous owner, and as anyone who lives in a mobile home knows, once the roaches have moved in, they make themselves comfortable and don't plan to move out. Ever. 

My husband and I were making plans to call an exterminator, but as you can imagine, I was extremely leery of allowing anyone to spray chemicals in my home with two children and another one on the way. So I started researching natural pest control alternatives and, wonder of wonders, discovered that there are lots of ways to keep pests from getting into your home and garden in the first place, and a few ways to get rid of the ones that are already there. 

Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth

Made of the remains of a historic algea that have fossilized, diatomaceous earth is an entirely natural and organic powder that is extremely effective at killing almost any pest that could plague your home. While it seems like a soft, fine powder to humans, to bugs it is actually a pile of microscopic razor blades that creates tiny cuts in their exoskeletons and causes them to die of dehydration within a day or two. 

Sprinkle very small amounts wherever you see roaches, ants, earwigs, or even slugs, use it to create a barrier around the outside of your house, and rub a small amount into your pets' fur to kill fleas and lice. Apparently, you can also use it to make toothpaste, but I'm not sure I'm brave enough to try that. Make sure to wear gloves when you apply it just to be safe, and remember that a fine dusting is far more effective than piles of the stuff. 

Boric Acid

While boric acid is a natural pest killer, and a very effective one at that, you may want to think twice about using it if you have children or pets in the house. Unlike food grade diatomaceous earth, it is considered toxic to humans and animals, and can be deadly if your one-year-old decides to stuff a handful into his mouth. If you choose to go with boric acid as a method of pest control, use it sparingly and in out-of-reach places (behind the fridge and stove, on the tops of your cabinets, etc.). 

Fly Parasites

Farms, compost areas, and leech fields all tend to be serious problem areas when it comes to flies. This is because they are all areas where female flies prefer to lay their eggs. Fly parasites are tiny, non-stinging, non-biting bugs that will lay their own eggs in the fly pupa, or the cucoon that forms around maggots. The fly parasite eggs will hatch inside the pupa and eat the maggot before it can turn into a full-grown fly. Gross, but it's effective when you start to release the fly parasites early in the spring and continue to release them every few weeks throughout the summer. 

Herbs

What can't herbs do? With a well-rounded herb garden, you can prevent and even cure some sicknesses, make almost any body product you could think of, soothe burns and cuts, clear acne, and season your food. It seems you can also repel pests with certain herbs. 

Mint is particularly good at repelling almost every kind of bug, and will even keep away mice. I have grown mint behind my tomatoes for the past two years, and I have yet to see an aphid on them. Dill and basil are also excellent at keeping pests out of your garden, and even out of your home when you plant them in window boxes. 

Essential Oils

Ode to the never-ending uses of essential oils, too. Balsam fir oil will send mice scurrying, peppermint oil is more potent than planted mint and more effective at targeting specific problem locations, and cinnamon and clove oil can be mixed in equal parts to keep away snakes. Even citronella oil is said to be far more effective at repelling mosquitoes than citronella candles. Keep a diffuser of citronella oil where you would normally put a candle, and spray a few drops of the oil mixed with water on your arms and legs in place of DEET spray. 

Companion Planting

Even flowers can serve multiple purposes. Aside from simply looking good, many types of flowers are good at getting rid of specific pests. Marigold is one of the most common flowers used to keep destructive beetles away from your vegetables. I will be using nasturtium this year as a companion plant, both because I need a non-invasive climbing plant to make my privacy fence more private, and because the flowers and leaves are edible. 

To make your companion planting most effective, research the types of garden pests you are trying to get rid of as well as the plants that are being destroyed by the pests. Companion plants can also be effective at attracting beneficial bugs that will prey on pests, or attracting pests to themselves in order to draw them away from your vegetables. 

Prevention

As any pest control expert will tell you, the best method of pest control is prevention. Keep your yard clean and free of debris, keep logpiles well away from the house so you don't attract mice and snakes, keep your trashcans covered, seal up any cracks and other entrances that bugs might find into your home, and make sure you never leave food crumbs or even tiny amounts of water sitting out overnight. Once you have gotten rid of the pests with your own all-natural pest control solution, you don't want to do anything to invite them back!

A Natural Environment is a Natural Stress-Reliever

Ever noticed how you feel so much better after cleaning your house? Whether that involves tackling cleaning projects you have put off for months, or simply washing the dishes and running a vacuum over the carpet, having a cleaner environment to spend time in really can have a positive effect on your mental health. And that, in turn, can have a positive effect on your physical health.

On a more molecular level, air quality can also have a positive effect on your health. Numerous studies have linked being outdoors with stress reduction, and that has a lot to do with both your exposure to the sun and the clean and natural air quality. So, naturally, improving the air quality inside your home, where you spend a lot of your time, can also help reduce stress.

Kick Out the Harmful Chemicals

The top way to create a more natural environment inside your home is to get rid of the harmful chemicals in the air. From cleaning products to bug repellants to that lovely-smelling Glade spray, the chemicals that are used to make these products float around in the air and get into your lungs, eventually causing chemicals imbalances inside your brain that foster the over-production of stress hormones. Instead of grabbing that apple-cinnamon air freshener next time you want to "freshen" the air, put some essential oil into a reed diffuser and get your fragrance fix the natural way.

Let in Some Sunshine

A brightly lit area is essential for stress reduction, and the best way to go is natural light. Sunlight increases the production of serotonin in your brain, one of the happy hormones that you get when you exercise. Throw open your curtains and let in some sunlight - not only will you experience a natural mood boost, you might even save some money on your energy bill!

Bring the Outdoors In

Houseplants are good for more than just their good looks. They help release oxygen into the air, and are particularly good at eliminating toxins such as formaldehyde and carbon monoxide. Check out this list of houseplants that are most effective at improving the air quality of your home. If you don't really have room for potted plants in your house, you can also try hanging plants in a free corner or even putting a few vases of fresh wildflowers on countertops or coffee tables. Keeping a fruit basket out can help too, and encourage your family to snack on apples and oranges rather than processed foods.

So, if you feel cramped, irritable, and stuck inside this winter, creating a more natural environment indoors can help relieve some of that stress and make the long winter indoors more tolerable.

GMOs: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Since yesterday's post was about boycotting the GMO giant Monsanto, I thought it was time to take a good look at the evidence supporting the idea that GMOs are indeed bad for you. At a glance, they seem like a good thing. Genetically modified to be resistant to common diseases and pesticides, engineered to produce more crops per acre, and sprayed with Monsanto's herbicide Roundup to get rid of weeds, the science behind GMOs seems like it would be fueled by good intentions. But when you look at the mounting evidence that GMOs are sickening the American population, you can't help be be skeptical.

Even the American Academy of Environmental Medicine Recognizes the Danger

While the FDA refuses to acknowledge even the possibility of harm that GMOs could cause, the highly regarded American Academy of Environmental Medicine calls for more studies and tests on the effects of GMOs before allowing the public in general to consume them. Read their stance on GMOs here.

They aren't the only ones who recognize the potential danger of this "biotechnology." GMOs are banned or partially banned in countries and provinces around the world, particularly in the European Union. England, Scotland, Wales, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Australia, and Brazil are only a few of the countries with at least partial bans of GMOs, particularly Monsanto's deadly Bt-toxin corn. In America, GMOs aren't even legally required to be labeled, so the only way to be sure that you are buying a non-GMO product is to find one that has been voluntarily and independently verified as non-GMO. Look for the non-GMO Project verified seal, particularly on foods that contain soy and corn ingredients and oils.

GMOs are Linked to...

Monsanto's two biggest illness-inducing ingredients are known as Bt-toxin, a pesticidal gene (for lack of a better word) that kills pests by punching holes in their insides when they eat the GMO; and glyphosate, the main ingredient in the herbicide Roundup. Between the use of two of them, a host of problems have seemed to become exponentially more common in the American people since the mid- to late- '90s. Interestingly, this is about the same time that GMOs started making their way onto our dinner tables.

More and more studies are linking GMOs, and specifically Bt-toxin and glyphosate, to hugely American problems like birth defects and infertility, cancer and organ damage, and even non-celiac gluten sensitivity (gluten intolerance).

What GMO Advocates Say

The most oft-repeated argument for the safety of GMOs is that Bt-toxin is found naturally in soil, and that even natural farmers use it as a pesticide. This is true, of course. However, when the Bt-toxin is injected into the DNA of corn, soy, and other GM crops, every single cell of that crop is infected with the toxin, so humans are exposed to substantially higher amounts of it than they would otherwise be.

This site explains how Bt-toxin works. Although many GMO proponents link to it, the very first sentence is cause for alarm: "Bt has to be eaten to cause mortality." And while human digestive systems are different and much more complex, not to mention less delicate, than that of an insect, twenty years of exposure to a toxin that puts holes into your digestive system is bound to start causing problems through the generations. Interestingly, gluten-related problems are often associated with the formation of holes in intestinal walls which allow particles to enter the bloodstream that shouldn't, while making the digestion of necessary nutrients difficult.

My Own Experiment

As I have mentioned, my two-year-old is gluten intolerant. Since he started eating solid food, around six months, he had rashes in the crooks of his knees and elbows and became an extremely fussy baby. As he grew older, he started to develop the classic rash around his mouth as well, and his behavior made me wonder if he might even have autism or at least Aspberger's. At the end of my rope, I decided to take him off gluten to see if such a simple diet change could offer an answer to my parenting woes.

Within a week, his behavior improved dramatically and his physical symptoms have since completely disappeared. Family and friends have all commented on how he seems like a completely different person from a year ago, when I finally put him on a gluten-free diet.

In writing this post, I ran into dozens of comments and posts by people who claim that their gluten-related symptoms didn't show up at all when they traveled to Europe, where GMOs and wheat treated with glyphosate-containing Roundup are banned. This suggests that perhaps the gluten in wheat isn't causing the reactions - it is the American Roundup-treated wheat itself. Rather than having a sensitivity to gluten, perhaps my son is exhibiting physical reactions to glyphosate which are triggered by the gluten. If that were the case, he may be able to eat European, non Roundup-treated wheat.

King Arthur flour is a European brand of flour that can be bought right at Wal-Mart, and most of their flours do not use chemical bleaching agents or other harmful additives. So, for my experiment, I will switch to King Arthur flour (organic, unbleached, and unenriched if I can find it) and gradually introduce breads and other foods made with it in my son's diet. Even if he still shows gluten-intolerant symptoms, it will certainly be better for the rest of my family. And if not, we can safely assume that there is something about American wheat that triggers a reaction to gluten.

So What's All the Fuss About Monsanto, Anyway?

Browsing the Internet for organic, non-GMO seeds for my garden this year, I came across dozens of mentions of the company Monsanto. I had heard the name before in passing, but I had no idea who they were or what they did. However, advocates of organic and non-GMO agriculture portray Monsanto as the symbolic corporate Hitler of the agriculture world, and I was determined to find out why so many organizations are urging consumers to boycott Monsanto seeds, foods, and products.

What Does Monsanto Do?

In short, Monsanto is the company responsible for around 80% of the country's GMO consumption, if not the world's. They sell their genetically-modified seeds and chemical-based pesticides and herbicides to large companies and small farmers alike, and their "technology" has found its way onto the shelves of just about every garden center and farming supply store you could walk into. Even the organically grown zuchinni that your neighbor shares generously with you could easily have come from a Monsanto seed.

Interestingly, their website promotes a green and low-impact point of view:

"We are focused on empowering farmers--large and small--to produce more from their land while conserving more of our world's natrual resources such as water and energy. We do this with our leading seed brands in crops like corn, cotton, oilseeds and fruits and vegetables. We also produce leading in-the-seed trait technologies for farmers, which are aimed at protecting their yield, supporting their on-farm efficiency and reducing their on-farm costs."

And yes, the typo in that paragraph is Monsanto's, not mine (natrual, rather than natural). Check it out in the Who We Are section.

What are They Really After?

It would be nice to think that the company really does have the greater good at heart, even if they are going about it the wrong way. But when so many consumers are protesting the monopoly in numbers that are growing every day, and Monsanto still refuses to acknowledge even the potential for danger that GMOs could cause, even the most forgiving among us has to concede that they must have an ulterior motive.

And a simple glance at their website can tell us what that motive might be. Just today, the topics that Monsanto finds news-worthy include "Monsanto Board Approves Dividend of 49 Cents Per Share" and "Monsanto Shareowners Reelect Board Members at the Company’s Annual Meeting". In fact, the only headline that had to do with "helping" agriculture was this one: "Monsanto Showcases Ag Innovations to Support the Demands of a Growing Population". The rest were about money, or ways to make it.

With a market cap of $59 billion (basically, the value of all the company shares) and sales exceeding $15 billion in 2014 alone, Monsanto is in the business of making money. The company ranks number 334 on the Forbes Global 2000 list, a pretty impressive number.

What Can We Do?

As consumers who have to feed our families and can't spend a fortune doing it, how can we possibly get away from a company that has its fingers in almost every agricultural product we can find in stores today? Boycotting Monsanto is the only way to make a difference, but it isn't always easy. The best way to start is to grow your own vegetables from seeds that are not affiliated with Monsanto in any way.

A great list of Monsanto-free companies can be found here. They may be more expensive than the seed packets you can buy at Wal-Mart or Lowe's, but you could end up saving hundreds in food depending on the size of your garden and you will know that you are eating fresh produce that is entirely natural and good for you. When you buy heirloom plants, you can even collect the seeds and keep your crops going the next year without having to buy more. The Seed Savers Exchange can tell you everything you need to know about collecting and saving seeds.

The more active we become about getting GMOs off our shelves, the healthier our nation will become as a whole. Since the consumption of GMOs is possibly linked to all sorts of things, from birth defects to gluten intolerance to - you guessed it - cancer, nothing good can come of eating them. Every little action you take against GMOs and companies like Monsanto can make a difference.