Placentophagia — the pratice of eating the placenta — has been observed throughout history in many parts of the world. In Western cultures, eating the placenta is often viewed as barbaric, but there has been a recent push among young mothers to carry out this practice after giving birth, due to the observance of multiple benefits to the mother’s health. While many Western doctors discourage placentophagia with the claim that it carries no inherent benefits, numerous studies have shown that eating the placenta can indeed curb postpartum depression, replenish nutrients, increase milk production, and slow postpartum hemmorrhage. However, many mothers are unsure as to the best way to go about consuming the placenta in order to receive the most benefit. There are a number of ways to experience the benefits of placentophagia, including eating the meat raw, cooking, or drying into a powder to be taken as a supplement.
Raw placenta
The most common (and, many claim, the most beneficial) method of placentophagia is to consume it raw in the moments immediately following childbirth. As with most other foods, placenta contains the most nutrients when it is consumed uncooked. After removing the membranes, the meat may be cut into small pieces to be eaten by the mother, or the mother may choose to bite a piece off herself. Many mothers will eat only a small portion of placenta this way, and are able to receive huge benefits. If this method is chosen, it is important to consume the meat as soon after giving birth as possible, to prevent spoiling. The placenta may be frozen or stored for later use, but in these instances, cooking or drying may be a better option than eating the meat raw, as infection may be possible after defrosting. (Cooking may be more appealing to many mothers in Western culture, as we are unused to consuming raw meat of any kind.)
Cooked placenta
Odd as it may sound, there are literally hundreds of recipes available online and in folklore for cooking your placenta. When cooking the placenta, the meat must first be cut away from the membranes before preparation. Some of the most popular recipes for preparing the placenta include roast placenta (roasted in the oven as you would a pork roast), placenta cocktail (a drink blended with vegetable juices and ice), stew, and lasagna, and spaghetti, among others. (These and other recipes were published in the September 1983 issue of Mothering Magazine and may be found at http://www.twilightheadquarters.com/placenta.html.) While cooking may diminish some of the nutritional properties of the meat, it does make the process a bit more palatable, especially for those mothers with queasy stomachs who may not relish the idea of eating a raw organ. Even cooked placenta carries many of the nutritional benefits of placentophagia, and is a suitable option for mothers who would prefer not to eat the meat raw.
Dried placenta capsules
Another popular method of placentophagia is to have it dried into powder and placed into capsules to be taken as a dietary supplement. Many midwives and herbal supplement stores offer this service to new mothers (for a fee, of course), but the process can just as easily be completed at home in the comfort of one’s own kitchen. The placenta must first be steamed until no more blood can be extracted from the meat, and then cut into strips (jerky-style) and cooked in a low-temperature oven until the meat becomes dry and crumbly. Then simply grind the meat into a powder and place into empty capsules. (A more exact breakdown of the process can be found at http://www.mothers35plus.co.uk/plac_rec2.htm#dehydrating.) The capsules can be taken up to four times a day, depending on the mother’s needs. Alternatively, the powder can be added to other food and drinks, similar to the way a powdered fiber supplement would be administered.
Regardless of the chosen method, there are countless undeniable benefits to placentophagia. Mothers who consume the placenta often find increased energy, lessened incidence of postpartum depression, an increase in breastmilk production, and shorter duration of postpartum hemorrhage. Women who are anemic or at risk for depression would be well-advised to consider some form of placentophagia to ensure their optimal postpartum health.
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RESOURCES:
http://www.mothers35plus.co.uk/plac_rec2.htm#dehydrating
http://www.twilightheadquarters.com/placenta.html
http://placentabenefits.info/medicinal.asp
