Moon tea, as described in the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, contains tansy, mint, wormwood, honey, and pennyroyal. It's essentially a herbal concoction.
Here's a breakdown of the ingredients:
- Tansy: A plant known for its bitter taste and traditional medicinal uses, including emmenagogue properties (stimulating menstruation).
- Mint: Often added for flavor and potentially to soothe the stomach.
- Wormwood: A bitter herb containing thujone, traditionally used for various ailments, including digestive issues. Like tansy, it's known for its potential to affect the menstrual cycle.
- Honey: Used to sweeten the tea and mask the bitter taste of the other ingredients.
- Pennyroyal: A highly potent herb that is an effective abortifacient.
In the context of the books, moon tea is primarily used to prevent or terminate pregnancies. Its ingredients, particularly tansy, wormwood, and pennyroyal, have properties that can induce menstruation or cause miscarriage. Given the lack of modern medical knowledge in Westeros, moon tea represents a crude and potentially dangerous method of birth control.
