Queen Anne’s Lace - Daucus carota

Queen Anne’s Lace, Daucus carota, also called wild carrot, European wild carrot, bird's nest, or bishop's lace is a flowering plant native to the old world which has naturalized in North America. It is antifungal, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and has been used traditionally as a contraceptive. 

People are wary of harvesting it because of poisonous plants in the same family. There is a rhyme to help with this. The correct plant has a top of clusters of white flowers which have a dark red spot in the middle, a skirt-like green form under the flowers, and hairy stems. So, you say “Queen Anne was sewing her skirt, she pricked her finger and forgot to shave her legs”. It is a goofy rhyme, but it works.

The essential oils in the plant’s seeds are of medicinal interest. Studies have shown that the sesquiterpenes found in D. carota, such as carotol, β-caryophyllene, and caryophyllene oxide, exhibit fungicidal and herbicidal activity.1 Studies have been done on the antimicrobial properties of Daucus carota and have found that the essential oils were more effective than the commercial drug streptomycin against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. 2

There are studies that support its use as a contraceptive such as this one, but I must point out that this study involved mice, not humans: “The alcoholic extract of Daucus carota seed administered at different doses ranging from 50 to 250 mg/kg bw after coitus showed a significant dose-dependent antifertility effect. The administration of the extract at a lower dose revealed anti-implantational activity, whereas higher doses caused fetal resorption. The main effect of the extract was abortifacient activity. At higher doses, the extract demonstrated an estrogenic nature, whereas lower doses showed an antiestrogenic nature. On the other hand, the extract indicated neither progestational nor antiprogestational effects. 3

Tincture dosing is 10-30 drops four times a day. DO NOT TAKE IF YOU ARE PREGNANT. Allergies and sensitivities are always possible so start slow. I do not provide detailed info on how to use this as a contraceptive because the dosing is complicated, and women’s health is not my specialty. There are many places online to research this for yourself.

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose or treat any illness.

1 Soković, M., Stojković, D., Glamočlija, J., Ćirić, A., Ristić, M., & Grubišić, D. (2009). Susceptibility of pathogenic bacteria and fungi to essential oils of wild Daucus carota. Pharmaceutical Biology, 47(1), 38–43. https://doi.org/10.1080/13880200802400535
2 Ismail, Jana, Wassim N. Shebaby, Joey Daher, Joelle C. Boulos, Robin Taleb, Costantine F. Daher, and Mohamad Mroueh. "The wild Carrot (Daucus carota): a phytochemical and pharmacological review." Plants 13, no. 1 (2023): 93.
3 Bhatnagar, Upendra. "Postcoital contraceptive effects of an alcoholic extract of the Daucus carota Linn seed in rats." Clinical Drug Investigation 9 (1995): 30-36.