I have heard there was a plant used in an "abortion" tea, especially during the Roman Empire, but was so egregiously overused that it went extinct: is this true? | AskHistorians Archive Observer

I have heard there was a plant used in an "abortion" tea, especially during the Roman Empire, but was so egregiously overused that it went extinct: is this true?

by PraiseHellRaiseDale

It was supposedly close to almost perfect in its success rate. Was it real? How could it have gone FULLY extinct?

Searocksandtrees

hi! The plant was "silphium". Here are a few previous references to it:

What was birth control/contraception like in Ancient Rome?
In early times, where brothels and prostitutes were a part of everyday life, how did the prostitutes avoid getting pregnant?
Wednesday AMA: I am heyheymse, specialist in Roman sexuality and mod of this fine community! AMA.
I have a possibly prurient and somewhat unusual question about how certain sex acts have historically been perceived... [NSFW]