The practice of consuming the placenta after childbirth, known as placentophagy, has become a subject of increasing discussion. This temporary organ develops during pregnancy to provide oxygen and nutrients to the fetus and is expelled following birth. Proponents suggest it offers various health improvements for the mother during postpartum recovery. The debate centers on whether there are genuine benefits and, more importantly, whether the practice is safe.
Immediate Safety Concerns of Uncooked Consumption
Consuming the placenta raw carries substantial health risks, primarily related to microbiological contamination. The placenta is not sterile and can be contaminated by bacteria during delivery or improper handling afterward. Pathogens like Group B Streptococcus (GBS), E. coli, and Salmonella may be present on the tissue or within the blood vessels.
Eating the placenta raw bypasses the safeguard of heat used to destroy harmful microorganisms in food preparation. A raw placenta retains all acquired bacteria, including those from common maternal infections. In one documented case, a newborn developed a severe, recurring GBS infection after the mother ingested contaminated placenta capsules.
The lack of heat treatment means that any naturally occurring or acquired bacteria are directly introduced into the mother’s digestive system. This can lead to a maternal infection, which poses a secondary risk if the mother is breastfeeding. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned that infectious bacteria from the placenta can be passed to the infant through breast milk if the mother becomes infected.
Common Preparation Methods for Ingestion
While some consume the placenta raw, most who practice placentophagy process the organ first. Preparation aims to make the tissue more palatable and reduce the risk of infection, though it does not eliminate it.
The most widely adopted method is encapsulation, a multi-step process. The placenta is usually steamed, sliced, dehydrated, and then ground into a powder before being placed into gelatin capsules. This makes the organ easier to consume over weeks, similar to a supplement.
Other methods include cooking the placenta, often mixing it into stews or sautéing it like organ meats. Some blend raw tissue into fruit smoothies, which offers no bacterial protection. While heat treatment can kill some pathogens, the temperatures used in many preparation methods, including encapsulation, are often insufficient to eradicate all infectious bacteria or viruses.
The Scientific View and Regulatory Warnings
Clinical research has overwhelmingly failed to support the purported health benefits of placentophagy. Claims that consuming the placenta can prevent postpartum depression, boost energy, increase milk supply, or improve iron stores have not been substantiated by scientific studies.
The placenta acts as a filter during pregnancy and can accumulate various environmental contaminants. Harmful elements such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and some viruses can be identified in the post-term placenta. Simple preparation methods do not reliably remove these potentially toxic substances, meaning they are ingested along with the tissue.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advised against consuming placenta capsules due to the documented risk of infectious disease transmission. There are no established, standardized safety guidelines for commercial processing, meaning the temperature and duration of heat used in preparation are not guaranteed to kill dangerous pathogens.
Health organizations advise against the practice due to the lack of proven benefit and the presence of documented risks, including potential severe bacterial infections in both mother and baby. Clinicians are advised to counsel patients against placentophagy.