14. Try a Love Potion (Not Drugs!)
Love potions are not merely the realm of Harry Potter’s universe, as love potions, both magical and chemical, have been used in the hope for romance throughout the centuries. The purposes of the love potions ranged from ensnarement to curing impotence. Almost every culture throughout history has had some form of drink or medicine associated with love and sex. Some likely did function to treat infertility, while many were just fanciful placebos.
The medieval naturalist Albertus Magnus wrote a guidebook on plants and animals that stated that a concoction of leeks and earthworms, sprinkled over a meal, would increase and strengthen the love between a man and his wife. Marigolds were a favorite love potion ingredient in the middle ages. Some Native American tribes were documented to use wild columbine for similar purposes. Indian women used Jimsonweed, which likely backfired reasonably often due to the incredible toxicity of the plant.
In the realm of birth control, the Romans so loved a plant called Silphium, which effectively prevented pregnancy, that they literally drove it extinct through over-harvesting. In an era when some cultures used vaginal crocodile dung suppositories to avoid pregnancy, merely taking a tea or tincture of a flavorful herb must have been a real luxury. While not technically a love potion, abortifacients have also been used throughout history with herbs like Tansy commonly being drunk in tea form to end unwanted pregnancies.
