I Can Do WHAT with My Placenta?

h, the placenta.

By now you likely know of its many functions during pregnancy, including supplying the fetus with maternal nutrients and disposing of waste.

But you might be surprised to learn what some people are doing with the placenta after delivery!

My, Your Skin Looks Radiant!
Using placenta extracts for facials has become all the rage in some cities (including Hollywood). The claim is that extracts from the placenta can help rebuild cells, accelerate tissue regeneration, and more miraculous feats, by replacing the vital nutrients (proteins, amino acids, etc.) that are lost during childbirth.

Dig Deep
In a number of cultures (both presently and for centuries), the placenta is buried after birth. Different cultures have different reasons – and rituals – but many are to represent the spiritual presence that they feel the placenta possesses.

Fertile Fertilizer
Instead of just burying the placenta, planting it along with a tree allows parents to celebrate the growth of their child each year while they watch the growth of the tree. Added bonus: the nutrients from the placenta can apparently help feed the soil and nurture the tree’s growth!

Up in Smoke
At least one culture (The Tolong of the Philippines) traditionally puts the placenta in a clay pot and then smokes it. (It’s a placenta peace pipe!) Afterwards, they bury the ashes. 

Dinner is Served!
I’ll have the placenta, please… medium rare.

Yes, it’s true – some people enjoy the practice of consuming the placenta, otherwise known as ‘placentophagy.'

There are a number of studies that show it has multiple benefits, including warding off postpartum depression and helping with milk production. Chinese medicine incorporates placenta extracts into a number of health remedies.

If the idea of placenta lasagna doesn’t sound appetizing (we will confess that we at The Cradle offices felt a bit woozy after reading that recipe), you can dry the placenta, grind it, and put it into capsules. Bon appetit!*

Move Over, Monet
Bet they never taught you this in your art classes: Some women make prints and designs using their placenta. 

You can either use the fresh placenta’s blood and amniotic fluid to make the print, or you can clean it and cover it with another medium - such as paint or ink - to make the impression. (Placenta Painting 101: press the vein side down on your paper to make the impression, and your image will resemble a tree!)

There are some folks who even dry the placenta/membranes and frame it in its entirety. That’ll give your guests something to talk about at your next dinner party! Whether or not placenta lasagna is on the menu is completely up to you...
 

*Note: Regarding ingesting or topically using the placenta, the Environmental Working Group has concerns over the hormones found in the placenta that can negatively affect our system. In 1998, the Journal of Clinical Pediatrics reported that four girls in Texas “developed breast or pubic hair 2 to 24 months after starting the use of estrogen or placenta-containing hair products. Discontinuing the use of the hair products resulted in regression of the breast or pubic hair.”