Small packages of wild carrot seed (Daucus carota) were included in one of the letters of the Lost Volumes. Each package contains one teaspoon of wild carrot seed, the amount a woman would need to chew as a ‘morning after’ contraceptive.
There are numerous historical references to wild carrot seed as an anti-fertility agent. In works in the Hippocratic Corpus, Pliny the Elder, Dioscorides, Scibonius Largus, and Constantine the African, wild carrot seed is described as an abortifacient, emmenagogue or contraceptive. For a review of references and studies both historical and contemporary see Carrot seed for contraception: a review. Jansen G & Wohlmuth H. Australian Journal of Herbal Medicine 2014 26(1).
This research is a part of the artistic research project Nothing of Importance Occurred. See separate website here
