Silphium: The Miracle Plant The Romans Wiped Out
Miracle contraceptive, wonder drug, aphrodisiac, the origin of the heart symbol, and hemorrhoid cure? Tiktok, National Geographic, even Facebook are all obsessed with this plant, Silphium, which grew over 2000 years ago here near Cyrene, Libya. It’s been called themost effective contraceptive of the ancient world. But the ancient randy Romans boinked this plant into extinction by the first century CE. Making Silphium the first victim of human-induced extinction.