Notes
Queen Anne’s Lace
Queen Anne’s lace or wild carrot is a wildflower that most people have seen at some point in their lifetime. What is less known is the extensive history that Queen Anne’s lace has in connection with contraceptives.
Description: Queen Anne’s lace flowers
Source: Gardening Know How Website [6]
The wildflower was discussed by the Greek physician Dioscorides as working as a contraceptive because it brought forth menstruation and would abort an embryo. To do this, he said to ingest one seed from the flower.[2] Another physician who discussed wild carrot being used as a contraceptive was the Roman physician Scribonius Largus, who worked for the Roman Emperor Claudius around 47 CE. Scribonius Largus had wild carrot in a recipe used to cause an abortion.[3]
The name Queen Anne’s lace also comes from a story relating to contraception and the loss of children. While the exact source of the name is unknown, it is inferred that the name relates to one of the Queens Annes who have reigned throughout history. One potential origin of the name comes from Queen Anne II of England, who ruled from 1702-1714.[1] Throughout her life, Anne had 17 pregnancies that resulted in at least 12 miscarriages or stillborns, and four children who died by the age of two. Her only child to survive infancy, Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, died when he was 11. This tragic tale is why some believe that Queen Anne’s lace was named after Queen Anne II, because both are associated with the loss of children.[1]
Description: Queen Anne II of Great Britain and Ireland, 1702–1714. Painting by William Wissing around
1687.
Source: Accessed through Britannica. [5]
The use of Queen Anne’s lace as a contraceptive continues today, 2,000 years later, in folk medicine. While scientific studies don’t have a definitive answer on whether Queen Anne’s lace is an effective contraception, there have been studies that show that ingesting the plant can lead to complications in conception.[4] Therefore, those trying to conceive are advised to avoid it.
Sources:
[1] Kanuckel, Amber. “Queen Anne’s Lace: Facts & Folklore.” Farmers’ Almanac, 16 Sept. 2021,
www.farmersalmanac.com/what-queen-annes-lace.
[2] Phillips, Michelle. "Ancient Contraception: From the World's First Civilization, through
Egyptian Dynasties, to the Native Americans, We've Been Almost as Interested in
Preventing Pregnancy as We Have in Propagation." Medical Post, vol. 37, no. 14, 2001,
pp. 31. ProQuest,
https://www.proquest.com/trade-journals/ancient-contraception-worlds-first-civilization/d
[3] Riddle, John M. “Chapter 6 - Ancient Society and Birth Control Agents.” Contraception and Abortion from the
Ancient World to the Renaissance. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press, 1994, pp. 57-65,
hdl.handle.net/2027/heb01463.0001.001. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
[4] Riddle, John M., et al. “Ever Since Eve... Birth Control in the Ancient World.” Archaeology, vol. 47, no. 2, 1994,
pp. 29–35. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41770706. Accessed 1 May 2025.
Image Sources:
[5] The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “Anne | Biography & Facts.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 11 Apr. 2019,
www.britannica.com/biography/Anne-queen-of-Great-Britain-and-Ireland.
[6] Tilley, Nikki. “The Queen Anne’s Lace Plant – Growing Queen Anne’s Lace and Its Care.” Gardening Know
How, 23 Jan. 2023, www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/queen-annes-lace/queen-annes-lace-plant.htm.