Eating the Placenta

gandalf

OK had friends over the other night and as his Mrs and mine are Pregnant a lot of the topics concerned Pregnancy related subjects. Some how we got onto the subject of Placenta's and my friends wife related a story about how her sister who lives in Quebec was approached in hospital by someone looking to buy her placenta. It turns out that people eat them! Apparently her sister was offered a large amount of money (she didn't divulge what that amount was), but was disgusted and gave the person the cold shoulder.

We couldn't believe this so the missus Googled it and there are loads of sites. I've never heard of this before have any of you heard about it or even eaten your placenta? (Yes this is a serious question and not an attempt at trolling, I am just fascinated with this since finding out about it!)

Nevyn

Yes I know about it, the folk tradition was that the new mother would eat it to get back some of the nutrients take from her body over the pregnancy, encourages lactation and can help against post natal depression apprently sliced and fried or made into a hagis type dish or dried.

It is also said to fight the menopausal process and as a help to women who are having fertility issues.

They get disposed of (incinerated) by the hospital but you have to sign a permissions forum for that to happen, it used to be that certain cosmetic companies would buy them from hospitals to use in research and in age defying creams.

I know of a family members who'd bring them home and plant them under rose bush after the birth of each child and boy would those roses grow, I also know of pagans who when doing a naming rite for their child would plant a tree with the placenta buried under it.


http://www.ost-cosmetics.com/
http://www.carefair.com/skincare/Placenta_Use_in_Cosmetics_1924.htm
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-566936/EXCLUSIVE-How-NHS-sold-PLACENTA-luxury-cosmetics-firm-instead-using-medical-research.html

Lando Griffin

Didn't Tom Cruise say he was going to eat Katie Holmes's placenta?
Did he and what benifit would it give the man?

syklops

There is an african woman who lives in the village where I grew up, and she ate her placenta. RTE did a program about it. A few weeks later she was ahead of my mother in the shop buying a few things. When she had left, the shop keeper leaned over to my mother and said "Do you think she has the pan on?"

Didn't Tom Cruise say he was going to eat Katie Holmes's placenta?
Did he and what benifit would it give the man?

Probably make him a bigger tit then he is already.

cynder

They can sing this while they are feeding on it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4O1A-mmBWw


I eat cannibal

Jinxi

I'm more interested in if we are the only mammals that DON'T eat the placenta.

cynder

Because we can clean up after ourselves where as an animal with blood/placenta around it is only going to invite a predator to come and kill its young, its natures way of looking after the newborns.

Jinxi

I wonder what we did before antibacterial spray:rolleyes:

cynder

Burned it!!!!!!!!!!

Lando Griffin

Christ. I wasn't hardly able to have a pint straight away after the birth of my girl never mind snacking on that stuff.

Jinxi

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Placenta.
wow ... placentas are pretty amazing
I was particurly intrested in the chimp bit
"Non-humans

Placentophagy
Placentophagy is the act of mammals eating the placenta of their young after childbirth.The placenta contains high levels of prostaglandin which stimulates involution of the uterus, in effect cleaning the uterus out...

. However, it has been observed in zoology that chimpanzees, with which humans share 94%-99% of genetic material, apply themselves to nurturing their offspring, and keep the fetus, cord, and placenta intact until the cord dries and detaches the next day.

The placenta exists in most mammals and some reptiles"

Although I bet that the placenta doesn't weigh as much as the baby chimp!!!

tfak85

placentas are very fascinating indeed although i don't think i would like to eat one, made of largely blood vessels i imagine it would taste like very grisly black pudding (if you seasoned it right)...
you can ask the hospitals to take your home however, if you want to bury it it will have to be 6feet deep, less than this a fox/dog might dig it up and if it's found could cause uproar as people might think there is a baby somewhere...

bogtotty

I love that the direct German translation for placenta is 'mother cake'. I'll have mine with icing, please!

Das Kitty

I didn't see mine at all, I did feel them taking it out though, twas gross. Before the birth I had considered burying it and planting a tree but I never worked it out. Mike saw it though, he thought it was one of my organs! I would have no interest in eating it.

LegacyUser

I havn't eaten my placenta, but after researching it and reading a few blogs about it, It's definatley something I would consider (when I have kids).

The main benefits for the mother of comsuming the placenta are increased milk supply, increased energy and decrrease in risk of PPD.

lots of info here -> http://placentabenefits.info/

Personally I wouldnt cook it and eat it outright, although I don't think theres anything wrong with that. I would encapsulate it and comsume it in pill form. Theres lots of info online about this too, search 'placenta encapsulation'.

As far as letting other people eat or buy my placenta, eh no.

I doubt I would tell people about it unless they specifically asked, I was grossed out by the idea at first too.