The 5 Best Ways To Eat Your Placenta [.. Because It Has Superpowers]
Placentas are magical organs.
In the womb, they create a portal between mother-baby that sustains life until birth. Pulsing with oxygen, nutrients, and hormone-rich blood, they hold everything needed to carry a pregnancy to term.
A healthy placenta grows a healthy baby.
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But does a placenta have a purpose after birth? Based on the growing popularity of placentophagia (which means that a woman consumes her placenta postpartum) the answer is “yes!”
The Benefits Of Consuming Your Placenta
Featured Image: Freydoon Rassouli
Consuming the placenta postpartum isn’t new. Almost every single mammal eats their placenta as a natural part of giving birth.
Except humans.
For humans, the placenta was primarily used in Traditional Chinese Medicine as a remedy to help stabilize hormones and boost energy. Only in the past five years have the benefits of placentophagia gained attention in the Western world.
“With celebrities like Kourtney Kardashian, January Jones, and Mayim Bialik admitting to eating their own placentas, placentophagia is growing in popularity.”
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This might not be too far out for some, but placentophagia has some incredible health benefits:
- Increased milk supply
- Fewer mood swings
- Higher energy levels
- Lower incidence of postpartum depression
- Easily absorbable iron supply, which prevents iron deficiency
- Helps the uterus return to its pre-pregnancy size
5 Unique Ways To Eat Your Placenta
#1 Encapsulate Your Placenta
Many women feel squeamish about eating their placentas. If this is you, have your placenta made into 100-200 capsules and add it to your daily intake of vitamins and supplements.
During encapsulation, a Placenta Specialist washes and dehydrates your placenta. It is then grounded into a powder and placed into capsules. If preferred, the placenta can be steamed with or without herbs before dehydration.
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With proper storage and care, your placenta capsules could last for years.
#2 Have It In A Soup
Use pieces of your placenta, or the steam gathered during encapsulation, in a soup or broth. Keep in mind that the placenta is hard to chew. Cooking it longer doesn’t make it any softer.
#3 Make It In A Recipe
If you prefer the real deal to capsules or soups, replace the regular meat with your
placenta in your favorite meat dishes, such as tacos, stir fries, and lasagna.
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“Depending on the size of your placenta and your appetite, you could cut up and freeze your placenta for later consumption.”
#4 Have It In A Smoothie
While waiting for your placenta to be encapsulated–or because you prefer it to the
other options–have a placenta smoothie. I find that adding berries and milk hides
the taste.
Many moms report liking the smoothie and feeling less of a hormonal crash days after the birth.
#5 Make It A Tincture
Tinctures are awesome. They tend to last several decades when stored and cared for properly.
This is how you can make your placenta tincture:
- Mix high-grade alcohol with raw grounded placenta or powdered placenta
- Store the mixture in a jar for 4-6 weeks
- While in storage, shake the mixture daily
- After 4-6 weeks, strain the mixture to create a potent liquid that can be taken one drop at a time
TIP: The placenta capsules or tincture can be used during major life transitions, such
as moving, separation from a child, or menopause.
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Other Magical Things You Can Do With Your Placenta
Ingesting your placenta can do wonders for you and your health, but if you are not sure about this, don’t worry, there are many other magical ways in which you can honor and reclaim your placenta.
Memorialize Your Placenta
Your placenta is a symbol of the mother-child bond and it makes sense to create special memories around it.
- Take a picture of it
- Dehydrate the cord or membranes for a keepsake
- Plant a tree or bury it in a special place
- Create placenta jewelry
- Burn or char the placenta in a ceremonial fire
Use Your Placenta For Beauty
Animal placenta has become a common ingredient in skincare products because of its rich supply of protein and hormones. (Note: MTS does not support any non-vegan skincare products. We love animals)
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When you use your own placenta, you are using the same nutrients that helped your baby grow. Imagine what it can do for your skin!
To use, mix your placenta powder with your all-natural, non-chemical skin cream. This helps to reduce blemishes, wrinkles, dark spots, and many other skin issues.
No matter what you decide to do with your placenta, reclaim it!
Do not let the hospital discard your placenta as medical waste or sell it for research purposes.
I’d love to hear what you decided to do with yours!
By Monika Rosicka | Edited by Allison Ross
Featured Artist: Freydoon Rassouli
Related Reads:
This Doctor Just Came Out With the Awful Truth About C-Sections
The Magical Powers Of The Uterus {A Woman’s Most Powerful Organ}
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