#siliphium

Now, if we talk about its uses, the Greeks and Romans prized Silphium as a spice, a medicine, and most importantly, a contraceptive. Ancient physicians like Hippocrates praised it to the skies. Women would consume its seeds or sap to avoid pregnancy. Some records say its extract was mixed into wine and drunk for the same effect. It was so precious that Julius Caesar himself is said to have stockpiled a huge reserve in his treasury. Silphium became so wildly popular, so over-harvested, that eventually it vanished from the earth altogether.

So,the next time you send someone a ❤️ or stick this symbol on a Valentine’s card, remember—its history isn’t just about love. It’s also about desire, lust, and contraception. And this shape we take for granted is really the last trace of a plant that once thrived in Libya’s sands and ruled the world’s imagination of romance.”

Some scholars argue it came from medieval art, old anatomical misunderstandings, or even stylized symbols in playing cards.

So it’s not 100% proven—just one of several possible origins.