In the fourth chapter Dragon HousePrincess Rainier delves into her sexuality after a lustful foray out of the palace with her uncle Demon. Despite the disguise they both use to hide, what happened does not escape the eye. birdies Hands of the king, so Viserys it won’t take long to find out. Angry, he renounces his brother and sends his daughter an infusion in her hands Grand Master Mellos. He doesn’t tell her what it is, just mentions that it’s tea from the king. But it is clear that this moon teaa abortive infusion which is part of the world created by George R. R. Martin in his saga Song of Ice and Fire.
In particular, the recipe for this infusion is described in Storm of swords. This is the responsibility of Lysa Arryn, who says that her father gave it to her after a love encounter with Littlefinger, not knowing what it was about. As he tells, moon tea takes tansy flower, mint, wormwood, a tablespoon of honey and a drop of pennyroyal.
The recipe is fictional. However, like many other medical problems Dragon Househas a certain historical truth. In fact, many of its ingredients have been used in the past to make abortive infusions. Both tansy and wormwood or pennyroyal oil are considered ingredients for this type of preparation. Today it would be cruel to have an abortion with them, because consequences can be dire. For example, the amount of pennyroyal oil that can cause an abortion due to uterine contractions can also kill a pregnant woman. Today, there are much safer options, although unfortunately illegal in many countries. But going back to a time when these options didn’t exist, what else was there for abortive infusions?
Pill in the morning after retirement
In the past, if someone wanted to have an abortion, he usually had to resort to herbs with estrogenic propertieswhich could, among other symptoms, cause an abortion.
One of the most common, although short-lived, was sylphalso known as laser Romans. It has been a highly coveted plant due to its many uses, which ranged from spice in food to medicine and perfumery, including its use as an aphrodisiac. As for medicine, according to Pliny the Elder, in ancient times it was treated sore throat, cough, fever, warts, or upset stomach. as well as how birth control or abortion. It was actually a kind of pill the next morning, as many women took it after sex to avoid pregnancy.
The fame of this plant was such that since it was used more widely, it lasted only a few centuries. After that, he mysteriously disappeared. Actually, it’s not that rare. In the 1st century AD, it grew only in the immediate vicinity of city of Cyrenelocated in the current Libya. Cultivation has been attempted repeatedly, but no one has succeeded, so it could only be obtained from the wild. For this reason, its harvest was strictly controlled by the authorities of the time, although there was a lot of black market that went unnoticed by the authorities.
Perhaps that is why he disappeared. However, there are those who believe that today it could continue to grow somewhere in Libya. The problem is that it is not known exactly how it was. Some descriptions and even drawings of the plant have survived, since its significance was such that it was engraved on the obverse of coins minted in Cyrene. But even then, it is difficult to know exactly its characteristics, so it cannot be guaranteed that it still exists or that it is completely extinct.
Other abortive infusions
There are countless plants whose abortifacient properties have been used in the past to make infusions.
This doesn’t just apply to silphium or moon tea ingredients. Dragon House. Historically, it has also been widely used the outside. This is a genus of shrubs containing substances that can stimulate the muscles of the uterus to reject any possible embryo that is forming.
He too parsley Historically, it has been used for abortions. Although it is not a problem in small doses used for nutritional purposes, in large quantities it can terminate a pregnancy. For this reason, in the past, abortive infusions were prepared with its ingredients.
In Latin America, it has been used for centuries. pink lapacho (Handroanthus impetiginosus). It is an abortifacient plant in very low doses, so it is not safe for pregnant women, unlike parsley.
Unfortunately, many of these failed injections are not a thing of the past. The illegality of abortion in some countries, and the taboo it continues to represent even in countries where it is not punishable, encourages many women to attempt abortions, as they did centuries ago. The problem is that, however natural these methods may be, they are not safe at all. On the one hand, they can incorrectly terminate a pregnancy, and on the other, cause bleeding and other complications it can threaten the life of a pregnant woman.
Contraceptives in the “House of the Dragon”
In the fourth chapter Dragon House, Reynira just had sex. He didn’t actually do it to his Uncle Damon, as his father believes, but to Sir Christopher Colefrom the Royal Guard. Be that as it may, it was all recent, so the infusion that the master gives her, more than as an abortifacient, would act as an emergency contraceptive. Something like a morning pill. Therefore, it will be a kind of silphium. We only need to know if it will work, but for that we will have to wait for the next chapters.
Source: Hiper Textual
