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kaszz writes:

Researchers at U.C. Berkeley have found a birth control that is hormone free, fully natural, resulted in no known side effects so far, is harmless to eggs and sperm, could be used both in the long- and short-term, and it can be used either before or after conception, from ancient Chinese folk medicine. "Because these two plant compounds block fertilization at very, very low concentrations -- about 10 times lower than levels of levonorgestrel in Plan B -- they could be a new generation of emergency contraceptive we nicknamed 'molecular condoms,'" team leader Polina Lishko, an assistant professor of molecular and cell biology, said in a press release.

The active compounds are pregnenolone sulfate — and the two plant-derived inhibitors pristimerin and lupeol. According to the publication.

And they work by blocking ABHD2 that signals to sperms to move faster. However these compounds hit a target that is important for many cell types in the body. So these compounds are no "magic bullet" and a better comparison is that of carpet bombing.

The chemicals they studied are supposedly extracted from mangoes and dandelion roots.

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1700367114 — a full pre-print is available.

Original Submission