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Part 1: Emmenagogue & Abortifacient

So, you want to restart your menstrual flow? Or, did you want an abortion?

So much so that you’re willing to try the first herb mentioned on TikTok? What was it again? Pennyroyal? Do you know which part of the herb you’d use? Are you supposed to ingest essential oils? How much of it should you take to really kickstart that uterine cramping to get flow going?

Tiktok is never the source for these kinds of questions because you open yourself up to hurting yourself so badly you could accidentally kill yourself in the process. Most folks do NOT have your best interests in mind and are only after a buzz word to increase their platform exposure.

Two words I’d like you to familiarize yourself with first are emmenagogue and abortifacient.

Emmenagogue, according to the FREE MEDICAL DICTIONARY by FARLEX:

“A drug or agent that induces or hastens menstrual flow” (emmenagogue, n.d.)

“Emmenagogue is an herb used to increase the menstrual flow. Herbal emmenagogues include black cohosh (Cimicifufa racemosa), blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides), life root ( Senecio aureus), mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), pennyroyal (Hedeoma pulegioides), pulsatilla (Anemone pulsatilla), southernwood (Artmesia abrotanum), squaw vine (Mitchella repens), and tansy (Tanacetum vulgare).” (Segen’s 2011)

Abortifacient, according to the FREE MEDICAL DICTIONARY by FARLEX:

1. Causing abortion
2. An agent that induces abortion (Miller-Keane 2003)

“ A drug, herb, chemical or other substance that dilates the cervix and causes the uterus to contract, resulting in spontaneous termination of pregnancy. Fringe obstetrics- A potentially toxic herb- e.g., pennyroyal, black cohosh, blue cohosh, parsley, and tansy, which evoke spontaneous abortion. Pharmacology- An agent that induces the expulsion of an embryo or fetus, e.g., prostaglandin E1 analogues- misoprostol, gemeprost.” (abortifacient segen’s 2011)

 

While I am not a Registered Herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild (although I’d love to be) it is my recommendation you seek out your local registered herbalist that’s either listed with the Guild, or someone who has extensive working knowledge (runs a mentorship), or is someone with appropriate credentialing beyond “I taught myself”; which is easy for anyone to say, because there isn’t any credentialing body in the USA for herbalist like there are for nurses and doctors. Scams and curio health items have flooded the market. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the “I taught myself” crowd because that’s basically where most of us have started from anyway. I’m just suggesting folks seek out someone who’s not just throwing around herbs on a social media platform because they saw it was listed in a free medical dictionary. At least for something as serious as a menstrual restart, abortion, or “uterine flush.”

Please refer to this resource to find your local registered herbalist:

Registered Herbalists | American Herbalists Guild

 

Citations

emmenagogue. (n.d.) The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary. (2007). Retrieved May 10 2022 from https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/emmenagogue

emmenagogue. (n.d.) Segen’s Medical Dictionary. (2011). Retrieved May 10 2022 from https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/emmenagogue

Abortifacent. (n.d.) Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. (2003). Retrieved May 10 2022 from https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Abortifacent

Abortifacent. (n.d.) Segen’s Medical Dictionary. (2011). Retrieved May 10 2022 from https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Abortifacent

DISCLAIMER:

I AM NOT A DOCTOR

Please seek the appropriate healthcare professionals to answer medical/drug-related questions. This information is for knowledge purposes only and not meant to replace any advice or care provided to you by your Health Care Team Providers. ANY INFORMATION WITHIN ‘BASICS OF BOTANICALS’ LITERARY WORKS SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN AS MEDICAL ADVICE NOR SHOULD IT REPLACE ANY MEDICAL SERVICES. ‘BASICS OF BOTANICALS’ IS NOT A COMPREHENSIVE COMPILATION; It is meant to be a spring-board type guide to getting individuals into searching in-depth further on their own. If any information is incorrect/missing, please email hwsbotanicalsemporium@gmail.com with the following:

• Citations missing or incomplete
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