Bizarre “Birth Control” Methods People Followed Back Then

Lemon Used To Avoid Pregnancy!

This method was used in 1700's when slices of lemon were inserted in the vagina of a woman, as it was believed that the citric acid present in the lemon would kill the sperms!

But a little did they understand that the citric acid would wreak havoc to the female reproductive system!

Potatoes!

This is one of the most bizarre birth control measures, in which the potatoes were inserted in the vagina of a woman. The practice was stopped after several women had discomfort in removing it and a few ended up at the hospital with grown roots of potatoes in their vagina!

Using A Fizzy Drink!

Women in the 50s and 60s are said to have used fizzy and soft drinks to wash their vagina after the act. They believed that it acted as a spermicide, which turned out to be just a rumour. Hence, the practice vanished in thin air.

Olive Oil

Aristotle himself had mentioned about using olive oil as a birth control method. According to him, pregnancy could be prevented "by anointing the part of the womb on which the seed falls with oil of cedar, or with ointment of lead or frankincense, co-mingled with olive oil." But later it was proved that this method was ineffective as well as messy and dangerous!

Cotton!

Women in the ancient times were advised to grind dates, acacia tree bark and honey to make a paste. They would apply it to seed wool, and insert the seed wool vaginally. It is said that the cotton would ferment into lactic acid that would act as a spermicide.

Sneezing!

Yes, this was considered as one of the measures as well! Women were asked to sneeze after an intercourse, squatting, holding one's breath and doing silly acts like jumping up and down or backwards.

Also Read:Everything You Need To Know About The Science of Sex

Papaya

This has been used in multiple Asian cultures by both men and women as a birth control agent. Unripe papaya was eaten to prevent or terminate pregnancy, as it contains phytochemicals that interfere with progesterone. Initially, the seeds of papaya were used as a fairly effective male contraceptive method.

Gold Diaphragm

Contraceptive devices were made of gold and silver. This was invented by Casanova, in which the gold diaphragm consisted of a small alkaline-soaked gold ball inserted in the vagina of a woman.

Honey Tampon!

It was used by a variety of ancient cultures as a primitive spermicide due to its stickiness and thickness. But in reality, the sugar content of the honey probably led to a lot of yeast infections causing ill health of the woman.

Mercury

In ancient times, women would drink concoctions of lead and mercury to keep themselves sterile. But later studies revealed that it was incredibly poisonous, as it was causing organ failure, brain damage and death.

Blacksmith's Water

A Greek doctor came up with the brilliant bizarre idea that women should drink the water cast off from blacksmithing rigs to keep them sterile! We still wonder what made him come up with such an idea!

Tortoise Shell Condom

This was used by the Japanese upper class men in the Middle Ages. It is believed that they used tortoise shells as condoms, which seems both wasteful and incredibly painful. Apart from the pain, it also masked impotence.

Crocodile Poop

Crocodile poop is said to be slightly alkaline, like modern-day spermicides, so it might actually have worked. But we wonder who even got an idea of trying this trick?!