It may sound cannibal-like, but there are some who believe that eating the placenta is actually good for health; what’s more the belief is fast gathering support among a lot of people. The practice of eating placenta is known as placentophagy. Human placentophagy, or consuming the placenta, is defined as, ingestion of human placenta post partum, at any time, by any person, either in raw or altered form.
A host of historical occurrences of placentophagy have been noted throughout the world, while modern occurrences are rather rare, given that, contemporary society does not encourage its practice. Nevertheless, since the 1970s, consumption of the placenta, believing that it has numerous medicinal benefits has seen a rise.
Procedure For Encapsulation Of The Placenta
Once you have someone to provide encapsulation of the placenta, they will collect the placenta within 48 hours of birth. It is best to have your encapsulated placenta pills as soon as possible, to help you quickly. Ideally, the placenta has to be refrigerated immediately after birth. It takes about 1 day to prepare and dehydrate; in case you have frozen the placenta, it needs an extra day.
First, the placenta is washed well and blood and clots are removed.
Importantly, a series of clinical trials and research studies have been carried out to substantiate this. Studies have found that approximately ¾ th of the individuals who took part in the case study had positive experiences from consuming their placenta, and have cited ‘enhanced mood, ‘higher levels of energy’, and ‘better lactation’.
What Are The Health Benefits Of Eating Placenta?
- One of the benefits of eating the placenta is that it increases milk production considerably.
- It also lowers the risk of hemorrhage.
- Some experts believe that the placenta is loaded with nutrition and that eating it will enhance the body’s nutritional level appreciably.
- In some cases, women are encouraged to eat the placenta as a way to cope with the pain and the exacting process of pregnancy and birthing.
- Perhaps the most beneficial advantage of eating placenta is that it prevents postpartum depression. This is because the placenta is rich in hormones that help stabilize the emotions of the woman, which is usually thrown out of gear after birth.
Medical Benefits Of Eating Placenta
It is believed that consuming the placenta helps you to:
- Balance your hormone profile; thereby fighting off post partum blues as well as depression.
- Reinstate the depleted levels of iron in the body.
- It greatly helps the uterus to return to its pre-pregnancy state. The placenta provides you with high levels of prostaglandin which helps involution or shrinking of the uterus to its former size.
- Decreases post partum bleeding and blood loss.
- Increases milk production. The placenta also provides a little bit of oxytocin which allays birth stress and makes the smooth muscles around the mammary cells contract and eject milk.
- Steps up your energy levels significantly.