1.0Medievalists.nethttps://www.medievalists.netMedievalists.nethttps://www.medievalists.net/author/charlemagne/rich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="fvAK3iy01G"><a href="https://www.medievalists.net/2012/06/of-lemons-yams-and-crocodile-dung-a-brief-history-of-birth-control/">Of Lemons, Yams and Crocodile Dung: A Brief History of Birth Control</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://www.medievalists.net/2012/06/of-lemons-yams-and-crocodile-dung-a-brief-history-of-birth-control/embed/#?secret=fvAK3iy01G" width="600" height="338" title="“Of Lemons, Yams and Crocodile Dung: A Brief History of Birth Control” — Medievalists.net" data-secret="fvAK3iy01G" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script type="text/javascript"> /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(c,d){"use strict";var e=!1,o=!1;if(d.querySelector)if(c.addEventListener)e=!0;if(c.wp=c.wp||{},c.wp.receiveEmbedMessage);else if(c.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if(!t);else if(!(t.secret||t.message||t.value));else if(/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret));else{for(var r,s,a,i=d.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),n=d.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),l=0;l<n.length;l++)n[l].style.display="none";for(l=0;l<i.length;l++)if(r=i[l],e.source!==r.contentWindow);else{if(r.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message){if(1e3<(s=parseInt(t.value,10)))s=1e3;else if(~~s<200)s=200;r.height=s}if("link"===t.message)if(s=d.createElement("a"),a=d.createElement("a"),s.href=r.getAttribute("src"),a.href=t.value,!o.test(a.protocol));else if(a.host===s.host)if(d.activeElement===r)c.top.location.href=t.value}}},e)c.addEventListener("message",c.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),d.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",t,!1),c.addEventListener("load",t,!1);function t(){if(o);else{o=!0;for(var e,t,r,s=-1!==navigator.appVersion.indexOf("MSIE 10"),a=!!navigator.userAgent.match(/Trident.*rv:11\./),i=d.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),n=0;n<i.length;n++){if(!(r=(t=i[n]).getAttribute("data-secret")))r=Math.random().toString(36).substr(2,10),t.src+="#?secret="+r,t.setAttribute("data-secret",r);if(s||a)(e=t.cloneNode(!0)).removeAttribute("security"),t.parentNode.replaceChild(e,t);t.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:r},"*")}}}}(window,document); </script> Although used as both a cough remedy and a flavour enhancer in Roman cuisine, the true reason for silphium’s popularity was its reputation as a potent oral contraceptive. So great was the demand for this plant that the city of Cyrene was supported almost entirely by its sales, and by the 4th century C.E., silphium was extinct.http://www.medievalists.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Lemon-300x277.jpg