Ancient Romans were obsessed with a plant said to be a contraception and an aphrodisiac. Then one day, it went extinct

Phys · Apr 08, 2026 · 887 words · By Thomas J Derrick

headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing

Generate a natural audio summary of this story

Daily briefing

What to know about Ancient Romans were obsessed with a plant said to be a contraception and an aphrodisiac. Then one day, it went extinct

The article discusses the ancient plant silphium, its historical use by Romans and Greeks as a contraceptive, abortifacient, and medicinal herb, and its eventual extinction. It explores theories about its disappearance, including overharvesting, climate change, and failed cultivation attempts, while noting modern conservation concerns for related species.

Propaganda risk 0%

Claims checked 22

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center80%

Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Ancient Romans were obsessed with a plant said to be a contraception and an aphrodisiac.

Why it matters

Then one day, it went extinct Sadie Harley scientific editor Andrew Zinin lead editor Roman leader Julius Caesar is said to have kept a stock of it in the treasury.

Common ground

Ancient writer Pliny the Elder says Rome's Emperor Nero owned the last stalk of it.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Ancient Romans were obsessed with a plant said to be a contraception and an aphrodisiac. Then one day, it went extinct?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Silphium is frequently mentioned in ancient medical treatises and was often administered through food?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ancient-romans-obsessed-contraception-aphrodisiac.…

analyticsAnalysis

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 22 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 12

check_circle Corroborated 6

info Single Source 2

report Misleading 1

help Insufficient Evidence 1

schedule

Claim 1: “Silphium is frequently mentioned in ancient medical treatises and was often administered through food.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 2: “In Ancient Graeco-Roman medicine, silphium was considered a 'windy' food that could clear the body of obstructions causing ill health.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 3: “Silphium resisted human cultivation, and as such, there was a finite supply.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 4: “Resin was extracted from the plant's stems and roots and preserved in flour, which allowed it to make the journey from Libya to further shores.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 5: “Some of the earliest depictions of silphium are of the plant's heart-shaped seedpod, which may be the source of this association.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm that the heart-shaped seedpod is a key feature associated with silphium, which may explain its cultural association with love/sexuality.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The heart icon could come from early incorrect drawings of the anatomical heart or the silphium plant. We all know the heart symbol.This association could draw the conclusion that the seedpod of this …
https://www.thewildcatroar.com/in-depth/2021/02/13/why-is-th…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Heart Shaped Silphium Pods. Public Domain An illustration depicting silphium’s (also known as silphion) heart-shaped seed pods. The Cyrenians tried to balance the harvests. However, the plant eventual…
https://allthatsinteresting.com/silphium

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Silphium's seedpod bore a striking resemblance to the modern heart symbol, and its association with love and sexuality may have helped popularise the heart shape.
https://paintvine.co.nz/blogs/news/how-did-the-heart-shape-c…

+ 60 more evidence sources

report

Claim 6: “Silphium is often described these days as an aphrodisiac, despite no ancient source confirming this.”

MISLEADING

While modern sources *do* describe it as an aphrodisiac, the evidence also shows that ancient sources *did* describe it with properties that suggest aphrodisiac use (e.g., general medicinal/sexual enhancement claims). The claim is misleading because it suggests *no* ancient source confirms it, when the evidence points to general ancient belief in such properties.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Silphium (also known as laserwort or laser; Ancient Greek: σίλφιον, sílphion) is an unidentified plant that was used in classical antiquity as a seasoning, perfume, aphrodisiac, and medicine.[1][2].
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silphium

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Silphium is often described these days as an aphrodisiac, despite no ancient source confirming this. Some of the earliest depictions of silphium are of the plant's heart-shaped seedpod, which may be t…
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ancient-romans-obsessed-contra…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — According to ancient sources, silphium not only had aphrodisiac properties but also was supposed to prevent pregnancies, making it one of the earliest contraceptives in history.Ancient texts describe …
https://www.zmescience.com/feature-post/history-and-humaniti…

+ 60 more evidence sources

help

Claim 7: “Depictions on coins and figurines have led modern botanists to wonder if silphium was related to modern wild giant fennels (from the genus Ferula).”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

Although the claim is plausible in the context of botanical study, no evidence was returned from the web search or Wikipedia that specifically links modern botanists' speculation about the genus *Ferula* to ancient depictions of silphium.

schedule

Claim 8: “Climatic changes and the desertification of the north coast of Africa may have led to the plant's extinction.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 9: “The Romans believed silphium was extinct in the 1st century CE, but it may have continued in local use and consumption until the 5th century CE.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 10: “Used for contraception and abortion, medicine, food seasoning, perfume and as a livestock improver, its special properties made this herb one of the most precious commodities in Graeco-Roman antiquity.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results list the uses of silphium, including contraception, medicine, seasoning, perfume, and livestock improvement, confirming its status as a highly valued commodity.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Used for contraception and abortion, medicine, food seasoning, perfume and as a livestock improver, its special properties made this herb one of the most precious commodities in Graeco-Roman antiquity…
https://theconversation.com/ancient-romans-were-obsessed-wit…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Ancient Minoans, Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks loved silphium. They used this fennel-like plant to ease bloated stomachs, season their food, perfume their bodies, and prevent pregnancy.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/9-forms-birth-control-us…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Greece and Rome. In ancient Greek and Roman times, silphium - a plant generally used for seasoning - was discovered to have contraceptive effects. How effective it actually was is hard to say.
https://www.europeana.eu/en/exhibitions/the-pill/contracepti…

+ 60 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 11: “Many species of giant fennel occur across the Mediterranean and surrounding regions, but due to many outlets falsely reporting its aphrodisiac qualities (particularly for treating erectile dysfunction), there are growing conservation concerns about modern over-harvesting.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 12: “Some have suggested rampant extramarital sex in elite Roman circles led to demand outstripping supply, and it dying out altogether.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results suggest that excessive use, potentially linked to elite activities like extramarital sex, contributed to the plant's overharvesting and eventual decline.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Silphium was used in Graeco-Roman cooking, notably in recipes presented in Apicius. Some historians have suggested that its use, particularly in the North African region of its origin, was extensive
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silphium

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Some have suggested rampant extramarital sex in elite Roman circles led to demand for silphium outstripping supply.While the Romans believed silphium was extinct in the 1st century CE, it may have con…
https://au.news.yahoo.com/ancient-romans-were-obsessed-plant…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Silphium is believed to have gone extinct due to the Romans’ greedy overuse of the herb.Over the short course of about 100 years, the plant went from being one of the most popular in the ancient Roman…
https://www.thevintagenews.com/2023/07/05/silphium/

+ 60 more evidence sources

info

Claim 13: “Depictions of silphium next to gazelles (another product of Libya) suggest typical ancient silphium stalks were around 30cm in height.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim regarding the 30cm height based on depictions with gazelles is mentioned in the context of Wikipedia results, but no other independent source corroborates this specific measurement.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ancient Egypt was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in the eastern corner of North Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150 BC (according to …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egypt

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman civilisation from the founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Rome

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history through late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the development of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_history

+ 60 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 14: “Soranus of Ephesus's four-volume text on gynecology, written around the 1st-2nd century CE, suggests various strong-tasting herbs and spices (including silphium) could be mixed with wine or simple foods for oral contraception.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 15: “The Greeks also used silphium; it was so central to some regional economies that it was a frequently depicted motif on coins.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 16: “Ancient Romans were obsessed with a plant said to be a contraception and an aphrodisiac.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results indicate that ancient sources associated silphium with contraceptive and aphrodisiac properties. The evidence suggests this belief was widespread in Graeco-Roman antiquity.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Ancient silver coin from Cyrene depicting a stalk of silphium. Silphium (also known as laserwort or laser; Ancient Greek: σίλφιον, sílphion) is an unidentified plant that was used in classical antiqui…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silphium

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Used for contraception and abortion, medicine, food seasoning, perfume and as a livestock improver, its special properties made this herb one of the most precious commodities in Graeco-Roman antiquity…
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ancient-romans-obsessed-contra…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Silphium was used by the ancient Romans as a contraceptive.It was a a medicinal gum-resin also used as a powerful aphrodisiac and contraceptive used in the Middle East and elsewhere. Emperor Nero swor…
https://www.thevintagenews.com/2023/07/05/silphium/

+ 57 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 17: “In 2021, a new species of giant fennel (Ferula drudeana) was identified around former Greek settlements in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey).”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 18: “The Romans called this resin laser or laserpicium. The best laserpicium was extracted from the root, but an inferior type could also come from the stem.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 19: “The Greeks seemingly did not harvest silphium themselves; they were given it as tribute by Libyan tribes who lived with it and knew how to harvest and prepare it.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 20: “Silphium: an extinct plant that once grew wild in modern-day Libya.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results identify silphium as an extinct plant native to the region of modern-day Libya/North Africa.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Aug 21, 2025 · Ancient Greeks used a 'miracle' plant called Silphium, which was thought to have gone extinct 2,000 years ago, has now been rediscovered.
https://greekreporter.com/2025/08/21/plant-ancient-greece-re…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Aug 27, 2022 · As of 2022, a scientist in Turkey claims to have rediscovered the ancient miracle plant. Silphium once grew rampant in the Greek city of Cyrene — modern-day Libya — on the northern coas…
https://allthatsinteresting.com/silphium

+ 60 more evidence sources

info

Claim 21: “Roman leader Julius Caesar is said to have kept a stock of it in the treasury.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim that Julius Caesar stored silphium in the Roman treasury is cited in a cross-reference, but the web search results for this claim are generic AI tools and do not independently corroborate the specific historical detail regarding Caesar's treasury stock.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator, was assassinated on the Ides of March (15 March), 44 BC, by a group of senators during a Senate session at the Curia of Pompey, located within the Theatre of Pompey …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Julius_Caesar

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Gaius Julius Caesar (; Latin: [ˈɡaːiʊs ˈjuːliʊs ˈkae̯sar]; c. 140 BC – 85 BC) was a Roman senator, a supporter of his brother-in-law, Gaius Marius, and the father of Roman statesman Julius Caesar.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaius_Julius_Caesar_(governor_…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general, statesman, and author who was the dictator of the Roman Republic almost continuously from 49 BC until his assassination…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Caesar

+ 144 more evidence sources

check_circle

Claim 22: “Ancient writer Pliny the Elder says Rome's Emperor Nero owned the last stalk of it.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results cite Pliny the Elder recording that Emperor Nero was given the last stalk of silphium, confirming this specific narrative.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus (born Gaius Caecilius or Gaius Caecilius Cilo; 61 – c. 113), better known in English as Pliny the Younger ( PLIN-ee), was a lawyer, author, and magistrate of Ancient R…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pliny_the_Younger

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus ( ty-BEER-ee-əs; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was Roman emperor from AD 14 until 37. He succeeded his stepfather Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Tiberius was …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiberius

+ 123 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.