The Silphium Plant
700 BCE – 100 CE
Silphium was a plant from ancient Cyrene (Libya) so valuable that it was worth its weight in silver and appeared on the city's coins. Ancient sources describe it as a universal medicine, a seasoning, a perfume, and — most intriguingly — an effective contraceptive. The Romans consumed it to extinction around 100 CE. The heart shape on playing cards may be derived from the shape of its seed pod. Its exact species identity remains unknown.