Placenta - the good, the bad and the unknown

PLEASE prepare yourself. If you have a delicate gag reflex, do not read any further. 

Ok, I warned you. 

I ate my placenta. This is not a new phenomenon and there have been pro and anti-placenta people out there for some time. But I did it and I enjoyed it!

I didn't fry the thing up and eat like a steak. I did drink a smoothie with some raw pieces in it but the rest I had dehydrated and put into capsules. I also had a tincture made (with 100 proof vodka in it) that will last into menopause. I just need a few drops here and there to balance hormones and fight off PMS. 

I am almost done with the bottle and my daughter is only a year old. Just kidding. But really, sometimes I could use the whole bottle but a few drops on the tongue work just fine.

Maybe it's in my head, but maybe not.

Here are some fun facts about placenta, the lifeblood of your baby:

-It is loaded with vitamins like B6, B12 and iron

-The placenta draws nourishment and oxygen, which it supplies to the fetus

-It also acts as an endocrine gland, producing estrogen, progesterone, and gonadotrophin.

So why eat it? 

It is said to:

-Ward off post-partum depression

-Improve breast milk supply 

-Increase energy

-Significantly reduce post-partum bleeding

-Replenish essential hormones such as oxytocin and CRH(stress reducer) 

There was a study done at the University of Las Vegas on human placentophagy, otherwise known as mother's consuming their placenta in 2013.

Daniel Benyshek, a UNLV medical anthropologist, and Sharon Young, a doctoral student of anthropology, ran the study and found that most women who participated in the practice were American, Caucasian, married, middle class, and college-educated and were more likely to give birth at home. (I was/am ALL of the these things)

They asked 189 women who consumed their placentas after childbirth why they did it, how they preferred to have the placenta prepared, and if they would do it again. The results were published in the journal Ecology, Food and Nutrition in 2013.

Overall, 76% of participants said they had very positive experiences. The most commonly reported negative aspect of placentophagy was the placenta’s appeal — the taste or smell of it was simply kind of icky. But most reported positive experiences.

The study, which looked at 180 societies around the world, found that placenta consumption by humans other than the mother, however, has been recorded among a handful of cultures for various medicinal purposes, and it is used in some traditional Chinese remedies. In Chinese traditional medicine, however, it was the men who ingested zi he che, or dried placenta medicine, to boost their energy over 600 years ago.

While science knows much about the hormonal and nutritional components of the human placenta tissue, the study noted that almost nothing is known about the biological effects of its consumption.

Benyshek is now researching the public health implications, the likely course of placentophagy throughout human evolution, whether placentas can treat mood disorders and hormonal imbalances, and any potential risks.

He’s also analyzing the nutritional, hormonal, and chemical components of placenta in its various preparations. Benyshek has partnered with Jodi Selander, a specialist in placenta encapsulation and education in Southern Nevada. She is preparing the placentas for experiments and also helped connect the researchers with survey participants.

The placenta can be consumed cooked or raw, but most women in the survey consumed it in the easier-to-digest capsule form.

In my own experience, the pills gave me an energy boost and made me feel calmer. When I have another baby, I will do it all over again!