Changes

Herbs were also seen as physical barriers for conception or pessaries. In the Canon of Medicine Avicenna recommends using mint inserted against the cervix prior to intercourse. He also makes mention of an early spermicide, specifically recommending the use of cedar oil as it “corrupts the sperm” and “prohibits impregnation”.Other mixtures of pulped plants or leaves are also mentioned as pessaries as well as the dung of various animals.These methods are mentioned in non-medical texts of the period as well, including an appearance in Chaucer. In the Parson’s Tale both the drinking of poisonous herbs and the placement of material things to prevent conception are listed among the sins, implying that these references would have been clear to Chaucer’s audience.<ref>J. Noonan,(1986). CONTRACEPTIVE TECHNIQUES: MEANS AND DISSEMINATION IN THE HIGH MIDDLE AGES. In <i>Contraception</i> (pp. 200-230). Cambridge, Massachusetts; London, England: Harvard University Press. 215.</ref> [[File:Avicenna's_'Liber_quintus_canonis';_WMS_104_Wellcome_L0018052.jpg|thumbnail|350px|left|Avicenna's 'Liber quintus canonis'; WMS 104 Wellcome L0018052]]

Magical methods fall into a few main categories, sympathetic magic which revolves around using pieces of sterile plants and animals in an attempt to absorb some of that aspect. The majority of advice for sympathetic magic calls for small bits of mules to be were worn on the body during intercourse or eaten beforehand in preparation. Over time this practice evolved until wearing the piece of mule was no longer necessary and a mule skin hung over a bed was deemed sufficient. Another item utilized was the bark of trees like the willow which was also used for willow bark tea as an anaphrodisiac, that is a substance to kill the libido, designed to cool the passions of the blood – a theory probably associated with the true fever relieving properties of the beverage. The white poplar was used for the same purpose combined with the testicle of a mule in a mixture from a 13th-century medical text.<ref>Green, 121-123</ref>