The Search for Natural Solutions
Natural Sperm-killers
When I set out to find more info on herbal sperm-killers, I didn't know what I would find. I had a feeling there wasn't a whole lot of information available. I had heard that lemon juice and garlic killed sperm. But I needed some kind of proof.
None of my herb books or women's books offered any clues, so I turned to the medical establishment and their research scientists. There I found many articles, many more than I had expected. I discovered there are a lot of plants out there that kill sperm or inhibit pregnancy in a variety of ways.
The problem, however was the research was being done by those who gear their studies toward the pharmaceutical industry. All the research was done using various forms of refined extracts, none of which would be easily duplicated by the lay person.
But this is what I had expected from the establishment. I approached this source of information with the idea this was a starting point. From there I would hopefully come away with the names of a few plants I could do some experiments with and perhaps find something simple, yet effective, that you or I could use today.
To do these experiments one would need a microscope and a sperm donor. And the desire to do some experimenting. So if there is any one out there who meets these three requirements, please by all means do some experimenting. Feel free to contact me for more information. Let your imagination run wild, and let us know what you find!
Over a period of weeks I processed these scientific articles, I learned lots of interesting things. Like garlic does indeed have sperm killing properties. As well a anti-fungal properties (which I knew anyway, which makes it good to help alleviate yeast infections).
I didn't find anything on lemon juice in the scientific articles. But I did find a recipe in a booklet, put out by a radical women's group from the NYC area, I believe. Its supposed sperm-killing properties make sense when you remember that lemon juice is very acidic, just like the vagina. Sperm need the alkaline fertile mucus to survive the hostile, acidic conditions within the vagina.
- The recipe is as follows:
NATURAL SPERMACIDE
at least 14 drops of lemon juice
1 tsp. of cornstarch
a bit of honey
"The lemon juice kills sperms, and the honey makes it taste better." The recipe is recommended for use with a diaphragm, cervical cap or a rubber.
Included is a Note: "The spermacide Nonoxyl 9 is proven protective against the AIDS virus. This is not proven to do anything. As in any home remedy use at your own risk."
Another variation of this recipe:
Mix 1 part Aloe Vera Gel (100%) with
1 part FRESH Lemon Juice
Insert using an applicator - like those for store bought jellies and medications.
PROVEN and EFFECTIVE!! [thats what it says]
I personally have not tried either of these recipes.
As for the herbs which I have learned contain some form of spermicidal activity are as follows. This list needs to be investigated further. I have included common names for those that I found. All the scientific articles used the botanical names, with no common ones. While I understand the reason for this, as a lay person I found it very annoying. It would be nice to have both. :-) I think in common names because I remember very few of the botanical names, I recognize them even if I can't pronounce all of them.
Clover (Trifolium subterraneum)
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Sheep in Australia who grazed for prolonged periods on clover pastures experienced a significant drop in sperm counts.
Calendula (Calendula officinalis)
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An extract made from the flowers was shown to have a high degree of spermacical activity. However the active constitutes are found in small quantity in the flowers. Home preparations may be tricky, the lay person rarely has access to that kind of equipment. Currently the laboratory extract is being investigated for use as a vaginal suppository.
(Phytolacca dodecandra)
- A fruit from Africa with potent spermicidal abilities. When the fruit is dried, one ounce of the dried fruit contains one quarter ounce of spermicidal saponins. Research has found it to be non-irritating, it is currently being investigated for use as vaginal suppositories.
(Tripterygium wilfordii)
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A chinese herb, being investigated as an antifertility agent for men. Animal testing in China has found the preparation of T. wilfordii seems to affect only the sperm. Producing temporary sterility, without any negative side effects. Full recovery of fertility has been observed in 4-5 weeks after dosages stopped. These articles were published in 1986, there may be more recent articles that I did not find.
It sounds very promising, but leaving it up to the establishment, we may have to wait for a very long time for these possible products to reach the general public. Perhaps, armed with our own microscopes we can discover natural sperm-killing preparations that we can make ourselves.
We can use the research done be the scientific community for the pharmaceutical companies and transform it into something we can use today. Until we can collect more information, this list is not of much use. But it does give hope that mother nature has provided us with many possible solutions to our age old dilemma of dealing with and regulating our fertility.
So in closing, don't go inserting a clove of garlic into your vagina and expect it to keep you from getting pregnant, it may cure your yeast infection but that's about all you should count on.
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