- TikTok users are claiming the herbs mugwort and pennyroyal can induce abortion.
- Herbalists and doctors advise against it, as both herbs can be toxic in high doses.
- Misoprostol is a well-researched abortion drug with a very low rate of serious complication.
Days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed states to ban abortion, some TikTok users began showcasing herbal teas that they claim can induce abortion.
One TikTok that suggests mugwort tea can lead to miscarriage has nearly 1 million views. TikToks claiming the herbs mugwort and pennyroyal can induce abortion have received thousands of views, and remained on the site as of July 6.
Many video creators tell viewers to not take the herbs (a method of avoiding being taken down by TikTok), while still advising people in the comments on how to take them.
Though these herbs have a history of use in ancient cultures, herbalists and doctors advise against using them to induce abortion or miscarriage. Mugwort and pennyworth both contain ingredients known to be toxic in high doses, and women attempting abortion with the herbs have died.
"You do not need to try things at home that you learned about on TikTok, because really many of those things are not tried and true," Dr. Maria Sophocles, a New Jersey-based OB/GYN, told Insider.
Experts advise against using mugwort and pennyroyal to induce abortion
Sophocles said she would never recommend using herbal supplements to self-induce abortion. She said not only is the supplement industry unregulated, meaning people cannot be sure the pill they are getting contains the ingredients on the label, doctors may also have trouble treating patients who take too much of an unregulated herb, as there are no agreed upon treatment protocols.
The Herb Society of America, a non-profit advocating for horticulture, told Insider it also does not recommend using herbs for medicinal or health use.
Dr. Eden Fromberg is board certified in both Obstetrician/Gynecologist medicine and in integrative holistic medicine. Her practice combines medical tests and treatments with personalized nutrition and alternative therapies.
Fromberg said she understands people may be seeking herbal options out of desperation, but consuming these herbs in large quantities can be dangerous and ineffective.
"I'm a holistic gynecologist, and I take these things really seriously," Fromberg said. "Usually if people ask me, oh, what herbs could I take to induce a miscarriage, I often will not share that information because I think that it's often misused."
The history of herbs and supplements in reproductive health
Mugwort and pennyroyal, though used in traditional medicines, are deadly in high doses.
Mugwort is another name for "artemisa," a subshrub native to parts of Europe and the US that has been around for 3,000 years
The leaves contain thujone, the same chemical compound found in absinthe. Thujone is toxic in high doses and can cause complications in pregnancy, according to the Herb Society of America.
Fromberg said mugwort in low doses is not harmful, and is sometimes found in foods like mochi and soba noodles. Some people use mugwort lotion to reduce itchiness in scars, but research doesn't show the herb can alleviate those symptoms, according to The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
But Fromberg said overdosing on the herb "could become toxic." A 2020 review of research on thujone said the compound can cause neurotoxicity, or a disruption of the nervous system.
Pennyroyal is an herb native to parts of Europe and Asia, and has been used in traditional Iranian medicine to treat gastrointestinal disorders.
It's a member of the mint family that is highly toxic in its essential oil form, Fromberg said. The essential oil form contains pulegone, a chemical compound that can be toxic to the liver and nervous system in high doses, according to the American Botanical Council.
No research has shown pennyroyal essential oil can cause fetal death, according to a review published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
The majority of acute poisonings and deaths from pennyroyal have been in cases of women attempting an abortion using the oil, according to Kaiser Permanente. In the 1990s, a father of a 24-year-old sued an herb seller when his daughter died after taking a high dose of pennyroyal, which resulted in her seizing, vomiting, bleeding uncontrollably, and eventually her death.
Instead of taking herbal supplements, a gynecologist said to stick with misoprostol
Sophocles said while herbal supplements can have dangerous side effects, the main drug used for medical abortions, misoprostol, is safe and effective.
Misoprostol causes the uterus to contract and push the embryo or fetus out of the body.
"You don't need to be desperate," Sophocles said. "You don't need to do scary herbal options that we know can be dangerous."
The doctor added there are abortion funds that can pay for pregnant people to get out-of-state care. Sophocles's clinic, Women's Healthcare of Princeton, is giving people free IUDs and other resources to help in crisis situations.
"I will always, always come to anybody's help," she said. "We will do whatever we need to do to help women."
