# Placenta Recipes



## mamaofthree (Jun 5, 2002)

I am not sure were this should go, but I was sort of beinf silly and looked up placenta recipes on google, and there a lot of them. Anyway, one didn't sound too bad. Has anyone actually eaten their own placenta or eaten someone elses? Was it nasty? Was it like other meats?
Eating it kind of gives me the willies to be honest, although I am most intereged about it and thinking I might try it. Although my DH is totally grossed out about the whole thing. LOL

H


----------



## Emilie (Dec 23, 2003)

Can not help you here. No desire- don't eat meat as it is...let alone my own- curious to see what is posted here tho!
Hope you get some answers!
Emilie


----------



## ladyluna (May 13, 2004)

What kinds of recipies? I am FACINATED!


----------



## Katie's Momma (Jun 11, 2004)

I thought this post was going to be a joke....

Is this really for real?








:


----------



## luckylady (Jul 9, 2003)

Ugh.Wouldn't this be canabalism? (((shuddering)))

I have heard to plant it. I do know some cultures eat it though. You are a mighty brave mama. I can't even eat brown meats, let alone a placenta.


----------



## momof3cutekids (Jun 24, 2004)

Sry, can't help ya out there...


----------



## chocomoto (Nov 21, 2001)

I've heard that eating the placenta helps the uterus clamp down after birth and therefore prevents excessive bleeding. I've also heard that it helps with postpartum depression and helps with postpartum recover.

It sounds totally gross to me, and when I first heard about it I was shocked. However, if any of these claims are true, I'd be willing to try it. Other mammals do it, right?


----------



## jannan (Oct 30, 2002)

but wouldn't you only want to eat a healthy placenta. mine wasn't healthy. very undernurished.......i wouldn't eat it anyways.


----------



## purplegirl (Apr 5, 2004)

Yup







. I have read accounts of women eating it to stave off post partum depression. Nope, I wouldn't be able to do it either.


----------



## Raven (Dec 15, 2001)

http://www.twilightheadquarters.com/placenta.html


----------



## mamaofthree (Jun 5, 2002)

A friend of mine looked up some more info for me. Apparently to get all the benifits from the placenta reguarding cramping and PPD you need to eat it raw, which I know for a fact that I am not ready for. LOL
That website given has some pretty intense pictures, but the recipe was on that site, along with another site (The PLacenta roast... actually sounded good for a "real" roast).
I am tempted to try it, but I am not sure I could actually handle my placenta to prepare it. Makes me feel all ooky. Oh well, we will probably just bury it under a tree in the yard. Although we still have dc#3's umbilical cord in the freezer (after almost 3 years!) awaiting a tree to plant it under. Not sure I want a whole placenta in my freezer that long. LOL
















H


----------



## Katie's Momma (Jun 11, 2004)

uke

Oh my! That is one of the grossest things I think I have ever heard.


----------



## jeca (Sep 21, 2002)

I'm quite the carnavour but I must say uke


----------



## Raven (Dec 15, 2001)

nak

you can also dry it out and put in capsules.


----------



## BetsyPage (Mar 5, 2004)

I might have totally made this up, but don't some animals eat the placenta? If so, wouldn't that suggest there is some benefit to it? Even so, don't think I could.


----------



## nikirj (Oct 1, 2002)

Don't many herbivore animals eat their own placentas?

I think I'm going to give this a try, a small amount in a shake, because it seems like a bit of extra insurance against excessive bleeding (which I haven't had in the past) and PPD (which I have had).

I'm not a squeamish person.


----------



## MPJJJ (Oct 24, 2003)

interesting. I don't think I could physically make myself eat a placenta... but I don't think it's gross... after all, it's not like you're gonna get a disease from yourself. I much better like the idea of planting it under a tree... and wanted to with all 3 boys but DH veto'd that idea. He thought it was just too weird. Imagine if I had told him I wanted to eat my placenta... I think he would have had me commited! :LOL

My dog did that too, but I've heard that animals do it just to get rid of the evidence, so that other animals do not smell it and threaten the babies.


----------



## MPJJJ (Oct 24, 2003)

Mothering magazine advocates eatingg your placenta!!!

"Placenta Recipes (Mothering Magazine, September 1983, Vol. 28, pg 76)"

Wow!


----------



## MPJJJ (Oct 24, 2003)

is this the webpage you were referring to? http://www.twilightheadquarters.com/placenta.html


----------



## lunchbox (May 14, 2003)

Well, I ain't running to the store for Placenta Helper....


----------



## organicbanana (Mar 25, 2002)

you know, i really respect the idea of sorta 'closing the circle' by eating your placenta - and i know there are loads of benefits...
and it would be a really spiritual experience, i'm sure

but my own vegetarian ethic aside... i reaaally could never eat anything that came out of my own body...


----------



## ~OceanPotion~ (Apr 30, 2004)

I think it very interesting especially if it helps ppd. I could probably take it dried and in capsules but I don't think I could eat it raw.


----------



## NaturalMommie (Feb 27, 2004)

Um, have to say yuck! I have heard, too, of planting but not eating it, eww. I don't think I could ever do that.


----------



## Katie's Momma (Jun 11, 2004)

:

Quote:


Originally Posted by *lunchbox*
Well, I ain't running to the store for Placenta Helper....


----------



## stafl (Jul 1, 2002)

go check out the current thread in pregnancy forum. Do a search here at mdc, you will find tons and tons of information.

IMO & IME - it should be eaten raw, when it is fresh and still warm.
here's a very interesting website, and what convinced me to try it myself:
http://birthrites.edsite.com.au/placent.html

I am so very glad I did it, too!
After my second was born, I did not have ppd and my milk came in on day two! Those two things made it so very worth it to me, after the severe problems I had after my first was born.

No, it isn't cannibalism, and it is vegan. Do those searches if you really want more info.


----------



## MPJJJ (Oct 24, 2003)

So, umm... how did it taste? Did it activate your gag reflex, or just taste like an overly rare steak? How did you get your doc to let you eat it? I know most just throw it away...


----------



## stafl (Jul 1, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MPJJJ*
So, umm... how did it taste? Did it activate your gag reflex, or just taste like an overly rare steak? How did you get your doc to let you eat it? I know most just throw it away...

actually, one of the midwives who attended the birth tore off that first piece for me to eat when DH jokingly told them I had thought about eating it (he didn't realize how serious I was about it).
no, it didn't make me gag. When it was still fresh and warm it wasn't bad at all, and I am normally squeamish and a very picky eater.

here's a link to that other current thread on this topic
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...ad.php?t=61009


----------



## LDSmomma6 (Oct 31, 2003)

If plancenta eating is normal for some mothers, I wonder if they allow their children to eat their boogers? Or if they do the same? uke uke uke uke uke


----------



## dentente (Aug 14, 2002)

Well, I HAVE tried my own milk. I know. Gross sounding but it tasted rather good. I could see why Mimi was so enamored of it







Eating my own placenta? Um. No. Sorry. Grotacious.

Mimi does like to eat her own boogers. I have all but given up trying to stop her.

I chew my nails. Am I a cannibal?

The mind reels...

d


----------



## chocomoto (Nov 21, 2001)

I don't think it's the same as eating boogers, though it's even more disgusting.

On the other hand, I think it's fascinating that other mammals do this, even vegetarian animals such as cows. Makes me wonder why.


----------



## kimberlylibby (Dec 28, 2003)

I can't believe so many people think this is gross! It comes from your body...

I am not intending to do it, but I think it's kinda cool


----------



## Katie's Momma (Jun 11, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kimberlylibby*
I can't believe so many people think this is gross! It comes from your body...

Um, yah...so do many other things that I wouldn't eat either! Ugh....


----------



## LDSmomma6 (Oct 31, 2003)

Our dog will sometimes eat a dirty diaper...poop and all!! I wonder if poop is good? uke uke


----------



## thirtycats (May 14, 2002)

Quote:

I can't believe so many people think this is gross! It comes from your body...

I can't believe it either. I thought mothering.com was filled with placenta-eating people. I thought it was something that crunchy woman just do.

I don't think I'd be able to do it though. I'm squeamish just about ice-cream made out of breast milk. It took a lot out of me just to taste a drop of my own breast milk. And it was such a small drop...not sure if I was tasting bm or my finger.

Dina


----------



## damongeau (Mar 5, 2004)

I guess my mom had mentioned her fellow hippies doing this but I thought it was a joke...Oddly enough it really doesnt freak me out much...I dont know if I would do it ever, but it sort of intrests me....


----------



## stafl (Jul 1, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *thirtycats*
I can't believe it either. I thought mothering.com was filled with placenta-eating people. I thought it was something that crunchy woman just do.

I'm also shocked at the reaction here - where do you think I first heard of it, but here at mdc? I guess the earthy-birthy moms aren't hanging out in TAO







I feel so alone.









I thought it might be gross or disgusting, but it wasn't at all. At the time, it was the most natural thing in the world to do after my wonderful natural birth. I almost feel sorry for anyone who didn't eat theirs in the same way I kind of feel sorry for babies whose mothers don't even try to breastfeed. You are all missing out on something really incredible, and it's only because of preconceived notions and social stigma. How sad.

It's good for you for so many reasons, lessens ppd, brings milk in sooner, prevents hemorraging, all sorts of other post-partum complaints related to the drastic change in hormone levels after giving birth.


----------



## Attila the Honey (Mar 15, 2003)

It doesn't gross me out. I am nto sure if I'd do it, but the idea doesn't make me sick or anything...

I didn't have a chance to even consider it with my birth, but hearing it could prevent hemorrhaging? Wow, that makes it definitely worth considering for me. I needed a transfusion after birth last time.

To me the difference is that a placenta isn't a waste product like boogers or those "other things".

I tasted alot more of my breast milk than a tiny drop! I can't be the only one, right??? Why would you be squeamish about breast milk and then feed it to your baby? I don't get that! (It tasted good, I thought. Like vanilla soy milk. I wouldn't make ice cream from it though, too much work when I can just run and pick up some Ben and Jerry's without all that pumping. :LOL )

I am surprised at the negative reactions, I thought this place was crunchy enough that everyone would at least be blase' about it, even if they didn't choose to do it themselves!


----------



## kimberlylibby (Dec 28, 2003)

I am still shocked at the response here. It seems really juvenile... in fact, it seems JUST LIKE the response I saw when this was brought up on babycenter of all places!

I'm not saying EVERYONE should eat their placenta... but if you read about it, it's pretty incredible.


----------



## Cloverlove (Jan 2, 2003)

My midwife stir-fried it with garlic and onions. It wasn't







but it wasn't uke either. I've never had liver, but it is what I imagine liver would taste like. I had pretty bad hemorraging and it was extremely helpful. DH even tried some.

I was pretty shocked at the replies too! I can see why some people might be squeamish about it, but it really wasn't anymore dramatic than giving birth.


----------



## Charmie981 (May 30, 2002)

as a student midwife, I see and handle lots of placentas and they don't gross me out. I think they're really cool, actually. I can't wait until we have a twin birth b/c I'm totally psyched about checking out how two babies are nourished inside their mama. The placenta is a really awesome organ, IMO. I can't believe it nourishes a baby!

In my 6 months of training, I've missed as many births as I've attended. Two of the ones that I missed, I still did the pp care for (I was too close to turn around and go home!). I noticed at those births, I smelled the "meaty" smell of the blood and placenta. At the births I was there the whole time, I didn't notice that smell. I think eating the placenta would be kinda like that...if you're there and in the moment, it would naturally follow, but when you remove it from that moment, it seems gross.

I'm pretty aware of my body. I check cervical mucous, position, etc. Use a cervical cap for birth control and a keeper for menstrual flow. I wanted to see the placenta after the birth and if it hadn't been for the excitment of holding my baby, I would have held and played with it, probably. I wanted to make placenta prints with it to hang on my office wall (but didn't plan enough ahead of time to do that). However, I'm not sure when push came to shove if I could EAT it. Maybe if I had transported for hemorrhage or if I'd had sever postpartum depression, I would feel differently about it, but right now it seems like the benefits wouldn't really outweigh the gross factor (not because it's my placenta, but because I don't really do well with meat that isn't 100% cooked...can't even cut up raw chicken). And again, in the moment, I might feel totally different about it.

And yes, I am very suprised about the reaction here. Much more mainstream than I would have expected!


----------



## Cloverlove (Jan 2, 2003)

Quote:

I feel so alone.
I'm right with you!


----------



## moon_goddess (Jun 19, 2004)

i was looking into eating my placenta after my baby was born but couldnt find any good reciped. i was hoping actually, to find out how to make a tincture or capsules. never did and so we didnt bring it home. i think that the benefits out way the grossies. it probably would have been yuckie but if i would have found a way to do it...i would have!!!! as long as i could have done it imediately with out really thinking too much about it


----------



## veganmamma (Sep 10, 2002)

Wow, I'm shocked at the responses too. It seems that at the very least if you are disgusted you could keep your responses respectful for the people who did eat their placentas and who think it is not ony normal and healthy, but beneficial for postpartum health. I remain very respectful in my posting and discussions towards people who eat things I think are unethical _and_ disgusting. (Read: animal products)


----------



## Persephone (Apr 8, 2004)

I'm here too! Placenta eating is sort of like breastfeeding to me. Sure, it comes out of your own body, but if it's good for you...? I guess a lot of people think breastfeeding is gross too because of that. My body isn't dirty on the inside. I'd prolly make the perfect placenta for both my needs and the baby's.

I'm very susceptible to depression, and I think that I may eat my placenta when the time comes. My body doesn't gross me out at all. I touch my cervical fluid, I handle my menstrual blood, I wipe myself when I go to the bathroom... you know, it's just me, and skin washes. I find contemplating consuming human waste disgusting because it's WASTE. But a placenta doesn't seem gross to me, knowing the wonderful things it can do for you. Even just a bite can be beneficial. It can stop hemmorhaging, put back some of those hormones that were lost (which is a main cause of PPD), and helps your milk to come in. I could handle a bite of it for that! (Raw meat in general kind of grosses me out, and I'm a carnivore.)


----------



## happyhippiemama (Apr 1, 2004)

I didn't eat my placenta, although I wanted to. DD was born with a birth defect and her birth was just too chaotic to deal with forcing the hospital to let me take a big bite... LOL...


----------



## jeca (Sep 21, 2002)

I guess I just think that breastfeeding is differant than eating your placenta. Kind of like having your kidney reoved then stir frying it...why???

But, I will admit to being ignorent on the benifits so school me.WHat's it for and how is it beneficial? BTW, I wouldn't put someone down for it, but I can't help but feel a litttle pukey, sorry.


----------



## Annabel (Jul 15, 2003)

I don't think it's gross but I don't know that I could bring myself to eat it. I did check out my placenta after I gave birth, it was fascinating. I touched it, and the cord, I was so curious about what they were like.
I'm curious, though, about the people here who have eaten it. How much did you eat? Just a bite or the whole thing? I can't imagine eating the whole think, it's quite big!


----------



## ComaWhite (Mar 13, 2003)

Quote:

Wow, I'm shocked at the responses too. It seems that at the very least if you are disgusted you could keep your responses respectful for the people who did eat their placentas and who think it is not ony normal and healthy, but beneficial for postpartum health.









I was a bit insulted to read some of the responces, which were immature IMHO.


----------



## mimim (Nov 2, 2003)

I'm fascinated by this idea and I'll definitely be researching it and talking to my midwife about it when I get pg again!

And ITA with the posters who've said it's more like tasting your own breastmilk than your feces!


----------



## dentente (Aug 14, 2002)

Gosh! Sorry gals. No insult intended. I figured this was TAO and we were allowed to air our views. I would never talk down to someone for eating their placenta. Just could not do it myself. Maybe the thread should be moved to a more appropriate venue? It's a speak-your-mind area here, or so I assumed. I do think it's a stretch to compare eating the placenta to breastfeeding, tho' in terms of critical importance. Are there links to some hard research available?

Denny







:


----------



## Malama (May 11, 2002)

I'm also soooo suprised at the lack of placenta eaters here!

I ate both of my placentas-- stir fried. First time I was a hard-core vegan. I had a loooong labor and I can say with all honesty that I could have eaten 2 placentas after that birth! Seriously!

The second one we ate because, well, it was our thing.

I'm pregnant again and I want to make placenta essence- I found a recipe online and it basically entails making a tincture from your placenta. how cool is that? It's said to be great for PPD, PMS, etc.....

Placentas are cool (and can be yummy too!)


----------



## fourgrtkidos (Jan 6, 2004)

I am totally shocked at the responses about eating your placenta!!

How can anyone think this is gross. It is a placenta for God's sake, not poop, puke, boogers ??? What gives.

In many countries it is the first thing a mother eats. Helps anemia, rejuvinates energy after a hard long labor, helps prevent PPD. Why do all of you think this is gross?

I gave a mom at the hospital where I worked her placenta and her hubby cooked it for her and brought it back. I have prepared it for several homebirth mommas.

I planted all of mine under a tree for each kid. It is their tree.

Calling all crunchy mommas!!! Where are you!!!!!

I thought placenta eating would be par for the coarse here at MDC.


----------



## fourgrtkidos (Jan 6, 2004)

I have to say one more thing.

*Anyone who ever has eaten, even once, at McDonald's or any other fast food restaurant has eaten something more nasty and disgusting than they really imagine - And shouldn't be saying one negative thing about eating a placenta.*


----------



## tea olive (Apr 15, 2002)

i ate ruby's, and made a big jar of tincture. i also cut pieces and swallowed. i was terrified of getting ppd again, and i tend to be anemic and bleed alot. i feel terrific when i'm pg so one evening during the pg i decided that this was the missing link since i have a great diet and very decent natural births (though i'm still hoping for my unassisted...) (and of course it would be nice to have no responsibilities and more money......)

anyway, it was a very strong drug, my body would almost hum and vibrate after i ate some, after feeling like a limp dishrag. i just ate when i felt i needed it. with no placentophagy 2nd baby i bled for about five weeks. with 3rd, and this is when i also had to take care of my dh along with 2 kids since he was down with a hurt back for over a year, i bled for less than two weeks. i highly recommend it, and feel a special sisterly love towards those that have done it. i guard my tincture jealously. every now and then i'll talk to someone about wacked out hormones and i'll consider giving them a bottle, but i've only given one to my best friend.

as for the human milk, i'm surprised that more isn't done with it. there was a point where dh was drinking some when i was engorged. i cannot get my eldest to drink it which is a pity. i think in a different culture ill and elderly would be given human milk. it is the only perfect food.


----------



## Persephone (Apr 8, 2004)

I don't think placenta eating is as vitally important as breastfeeding, that's not what I meant when I compared the two. But, just as I don't feel it's gross to consume breastmilk, I also don't feel it's gross to eat a placenta. I think it's an amazing provision for mothers. They get to take back a little of what they put in to that pregnancy.

I didn't think I'd be able to eat mine, though I had considered it... but the more I hear about it, the more I'm convinced.

Casina... how long after the birth did you consume it? And how did you preserve it? I'm very curious. I know of a mama who ate her placenta to curb PPD, and she blended it into smoothies. Having never seen a placenta I don't know what it's texture is like. Is it like liver? The pictures make it seem really jello-y.


----------



## tea olive (Apr 15, 2002)

from paula bear at mothering magazine commune forum

Placenta Powder
Can be used to enhance your immune system, aid lactation, increase endurance, and as hormone replacement during perimenopause. Take 1-6 capsules per day as needed.
~ Placenta
~ Half a lemon
~ Fresh ginger root
~ Chili pepper
~ Steamer and baking sheet
~ Coffee grinder, blender or food processor
1. Rinse placenta with water.
2. Place in a steamer with fresh ginger root, chili pepper and half lemon.
3. Steam for 15 minutes on each side, until no juice runs when pricked with fork.
4. Slice thinly like "jerky."
5. Bake in oven on lowest setting (220-250 F) for several hours or dry in food dehydrator.
6. Grind to a powder in coffee grinder, blender or food processor.
7. Put powder in gelatin caps or spoon over your food.
8. Freeze for long-term storage.

Placenta Essence
This is like a tincture or Bach Flower essence. Take seven drops under the tongue twice a day for up to three months postpartum. Also can be given to baby as his/her own "Rescue Remedy."
~ Placenta
~ Vodka
~ Spring or distilled water
~ Glass bowl or jar with lid
~ 1-2 oz. bottle with dropper
1. While placenta is still vital, cut off a small piece and put it in a jar of water, cover with lid.
2. Leave in direct sunlight for 4 hours. The water absorbs the vibrational properties of the placenta.
3. Remove and discard the piece of placenta. The water may look like herbal tea, which is normal.
4. Add alcohol to preserve the water: 50% alcohol to 50% water.
5. Store it in a glass mason jar. This is now the "Mother Essence."
6. To use: fill the dropper bottle with half water and half alcohol. Add 7 drops of Mother Essence.

The first recipe can be used for your frozen placentas, whereas the second needs to be done soon after the birth, while the placenta is still vital. My placenta got left behind in a friends freezer when we moved. Soon I'll retrieve it and do the former as this will most likely be my last child. I'd like a natural alternative to hormone replacement further on down the road...


----------



## tea olive (Apr 15, 2002)

that's from two years ago.......i did not make the capsules, and i've been told that a dehydrator placed outside might be a better bet. my midwives for ruby were curious about the placentophagy as well, and one of them pointed out that if squeamish, we could just cut a raw piece and stuff it in a capsule.

i started on it the evening i had the baby. alot easier with a homebirth of course. my previous two never made it anywhere since i could never really arrange the storage and transport. but then i was pretty stoic after having ppd twice. i had bought a heart shaped casserole and put it on the top shelf of my refrigerator. smoothies are a good idea, i just didn't have the energy to do all that. i would just cut a little piece like half of a centimeter cube, put it at the back of my mouth and swallow and repeat if needed. it was just soft and very cold. it did not bother me like if i was trying to eat raw meat due to where it came from and packaging and bactieria and such. i knew it was mine, and i make very pretty and healthy placentas i've been told due to my diet. i did try to cook some later, and i'm a good cook, but i was not interested in eating it. i made the mother essence a few days later. i have a really good fridge. unfortunately, my child left the door open a week postpartum and the last third of it had gone bad, which i buried.

i found eating placenta much less horrifying than thinking about where all my regular intake comes from in one day. think of all the factories and agricultural craziness. we are animals after all. and maybe if one thinks of it as medicine or a supplement it is not so scary. sheez, i found the alfalfa tablets almost impossible to swallow.
imagine you hear about a fantastic something you could take in small amounts as needed with no commitment after having a baby that would decrease your flow, improve your energy with a lean protein and tons of other nutrients, help your immune system, possibly prevent ppd (i'm not making guarantees here), that was totally natural in that you would be okay with absolutely everything (the diet you had while pg) that was used to make it, that would be already the perfect balance of hormones for you and your baby nursing, that would help you feel beautiful and wonderful, that costed nothing with no side effects or addictiveness, all in one item. maybe if i made lots of propaganda and offered to come over and serve it as a smoothie to postpartum women and charge obscene amounts of money it would become more popular? now there's a business idea.....

i guess i also figured i spent four months exhausted making the durned thing, i might as well do something with it.....i was going to make a print but didn't want to wrestle the thing before i hacked into it.....and i think it was actually more taboo for me to be shopping for a fifth of premium vodka while hugely pregnant!


----------



## corysmilk (Jan 2, 2004)

If I ever have another baby. I will eat my placenta.
I 'll eat ya'll placenta's ,if It will help me not get ppd.

BUT I get ppd after about 8 months with all 3 children, would eating it at the birth save me from ppd at 8 months or would i have to save some and eat it FOr 8 months? anyone know? anyone want to speculate?


----------



## lunchbox (May 14, 2003)

I apologize if my post came across as "immature" and "ignorant". Chow down if you want - I was expressing my OPINION. I think some of you need to lighten up. I keep forgetting that you guys don't know me like some of my other online friends so you don't know that I am joking about 90% of the time.

I had planned to bury mine under a Chickasaw Plum tree that I planted for dd's birth but it was taken to pathology because of some complications I had during pg. I was majorly bummed.

And according to my DH, who has his master's in wildlife biology, animals do not routinely eat their placentas.


----------



## BelovedBird (Apr 5, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Emilie*
Can not help you here. No desire- don't eat meat as it is...let alone my own- curious to see what is posted here tho!
Hope you get some answers!
Emilie

Wen I was growing up my Mom had a great, hippie birthing book. In the back were placenta recipes. I remember either reading in the book or my Mom telling me that placenta is the only unkilled meat you can eat- many hppies that are veg will eat no meat but placenta. It harms nooone and is very healthy.


----------



## NaturalMommie (Feb 27, 2004)

I too was only giving my opinion, I could personally not eat it. However if it helps with PPD then those who suffer from it could definalty benifit. I think if I had ppd then I would put it capsuls.


----------



## aprildawn (Apr 1, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *lunchbox*
Well, I ain't running to the store for Placenta Helper....

that's too funny.







:


----------



## aprildawn (Apr 1, 2004)

apologies, ladies. i made a faux pas and responded to something i found humorous before i read the whole thread.







:

i'm new here and still trying to figure out the rules...


----------



## ComaWhite (Mar 13, 2003)

Quote:

And according to my DH, who has his master's in wildlife biology, animals do not routinely eat their placentas.
I'm sorry, but no matter where his credibilities lie, he is incorrect.

Mammals normally eat the placenta and afterbirth. Have you ever witnessed your cat or dog having a litter? All rodents eat the placents as well. I bred mice to feed my reptiles for 2 years, and it sure is a sight to see a momma mouse eating all 15 placentas!!!! Although there are some exceptions... Horses and llamas do not routinely eat the afterbirth, although this may have to do more with domestication/captive behaviour.


----------



## Evergreen (Nov 6, 2002)

nak

not sure if i will eat the placenta or have a lotus birth next time

i thought most mdcers either did one or the other! :LOL


----------



## stafl (Jul 1, 2002)

texture is more like a thick pudding than meat. Really tender and juicy.
I ate mine raw, since I heard that the heat from cooking or drying can take away some of the beneficial properties.
one of my midwives suggested putting it in a blender with vodka and drinking it, but I don't do alcohol.


----------



## Attila the Honey (Mar 15, 2003)

I am so sorry, I forgot who has the dh with a master's in wildlife bio.. but I have a question for him:

If animals do not routinely eat their placentas, what DO they do with it? Leave it to rot alongside their young? Bury it?

To me, it just makes total logical sense that they would eat it. The smell of the rotting meat would attract scavengers to their young if they didn't, right? I am sure they eat it and benefit greatly from it.


----------



## Changed (Mar 14, 2004)

I'm not sure yet but I'd like to make a tincture out of mine. I'm going to have to have a hospital birth though. Can I keep it in the fridge for a few days? Dh would NEVER make the tincture fresh for me. I don;t have a problem with swallowing chunks but doubt I'd chew or cook it. Seems like a tincture would keep better and taste less offensive. Right? I need to find a good jar to use. Any ideas? Do you make a large amount? Like a gallon pickle jar or a little like a jelly jar? I need some good instructions in detail for this. I didn't get the alst part of the recipe already lasted on how to use. Anyone who knows PM me please. BTW< this change of heart has come recently after my best friend had her baby this weekend and hemmoraged badly (nearly died) while her pacenta was useless as her dh had already taken it home from the hospital.


----------



## Greaseball (Feb 1, 2002)

I tried mine. It wasn't very good, probably because it sat in the fridge for 2 weeks. The raw bite made me gag. The cooked piece wasn't as bad, but it's just not my thing, I guess.

My dad says it's the only kind of meat you can eat without having to kill something.


----------



## Malama (May 11, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *my~hearts~light*
I'm not sure yet but I'd like to make a tincture out of mine. I'm going to have to have a hospital birth though. Can I keep it in the fridge for a few days?

This is the recipe I've found for making the essence.... I plan on using it myself unless I hear about anything better:
http://www.unhinderedliving.com/placentaessence.html

If your dh isn't into dealing with it- maybe you could have a friend do it? I would think that fresher is better, though I'm sure it's still worth it if it's been refridgerated. Seems like from this recipe, that you only need a piece of it to make quite a bit of tincture. So just imagine you deliver the placenta and have a friend ask the doctor for a big chunk of it right then and there to place in the mason jar with distilled water-- I'm sure it happens ALL the time in hospitals, LOL!

Good luck!


----------



## Truvie (May 4, 2004)

Regarding the domesticated animal question, here's my 2 cents. My goats tend to eat their placentas, but my sheep never do. I wish my sheep ate theirs because I have to always go dispose of them -- we have predators galore around here. Goats *are* smarter than sheep, don't know if that has anything to do with it!


----------



## dentente (Aug 14, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Truvie*
Goats *are* smarter than sheep, don't know if that has anything to do with it!

They are but then I had one eat a vinyl shower curtain one time. :LOL

If they could somehow make a pizza and sneak it in as a topping, MAYBE. just MAYBE...


----------



## 2BMamaof3 (Oct 13, 2003)

Well, I'll stand up and be counted. I ate my placenta...1/4 of it, a couple of hours after I gave birth. It was prepared stir fried with onions, garlic, green pepper and garlic black bean sauce all over rice. And you know, I hadn't slept all night...ate it at about 5:45 in the a.m. I had transferred to the hospital (came home 2 hours after we arrived) and my house smelled SO GOOD when I got home and I was SOO hungry!! My doula cleaned and prepared the placenta for me. It was chewy...sort of spongy and the flavour was somewhat like organ meat (though not nearly as strong as liver). The texture bothered me the most, so I just sort of chomped it a couple times and swallowed.

I heard about people eating placenta soup way back when I was a teenager...my friends mom was very earthy...and at the time, I was apalled.

However, the idea grew on me, and when I realised it was the only thing I hadn't really tried to prevent PPD, I was all for it.

When I told my mom, she nearly vomited, and my husband swears the reason I'm not full of the blues is "all in my head."

But whatever...SO FAR, it has worked. It is a personal decision, that is for sure.

I had thought about drying it, but our friend borrowed our dehydrator, and I wasn't sure I could handle the smell as it dried. Eating it in a stirfry was ok. I'm sure any stir fry recipe would yield a palatable placenta dish.

Abby


----------



## momsgotmilk4two (Sep 24, 2002)

So how much of it do you have to eat raw right after the birth for it to have any effect? I think the most I could stomach would be a very small piece that I could swallow. And I know dh wouldn't deal well with it, so the most I can hope for would be for him to take it home and stick it in the fridge for me to make the capsules and tincture later.


----------



## Malama (May 11, 2002)

You know what one of my favorite parts about having eaten placenta are? Telling mainstream people that we did it. The looks I have gotten and the comments I've received have been priceless. People who believed we are weird felt like we went up a whole new level!


----------



## Greaseball (Feb 1, 2002)

I used to have gerbils that were constantly reproducing and I never saw any little tiny placentas in the cage, so the mother must have eaten them.

I wonder what other primates do with theirs?


----------



## tea olive (Apr 15, 2002)

a little piece is still beneficial. after i had consumed a few pieces, i became more open to the idea of having more since i felt so good.


----------



## CryPixie83 (Jan 27, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mamaofthree*
Has anyone actually eaten their own placenta or eaten someone elses? Was it nasty?


I can't help on the taste, as I'm still baking with my first, however Before talking to our midwives we were going to make lasagna. Now however the midwives will be drying and encapsulating my placenta for me to take in pill form to help combat ppd.

Never seemed all that gross to me







Especially when you think of all the nutrients in it. Chinese medicine has been using placenta for quite some time...expensive stuff too!


----------



## momsgotmilk4two (Sep 24, 2002)

Well, my dh has refused to even take the placenta home with him







So I guess mine gets thrown away:cry


----------



## CryPixie83 (Jan 27, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Malama*
You know what one of my favorite parts about having eaten placenta are? Telling mainstream people that we did it.

















: You should have seen the look on my FMIL's face when we told her about the "placenta pills"!!! Priceless!


----------



## Evergreen (Nov 6, 2002)

Exactly!









We had a "Placenta Planting Ceremony" with Dylan's and MIL was surprisingly well-behaved. She already thinks I am nuts, so it will just reinforce her beleif when I either
A. Send her a picture of the baby with the cord and placenta still attached
or
B. Ask her for her favorite stir-fry recipe and tell her I will use it when we eat the placenta!


----------



## Alexander (Nov 22, 2001)

Squeemish or what!

http://www.mothering.com/discussion...ead.php?t=61009

Eating the placenta is good for you! Don't be so , er , anal!

a


----------



## mamaofthree (Jun 5, 2002)

I like the idea of a tinture. I am very sure I could handle that. I am not a raw meat person, and if it is like j-ello OH, not so sure I could handle that. Although I am tempted to try and make a hunk of it into the "Placenta roast" for myself. Or maybe a stew like thing?
I ahve been a bit worried about PPD this time around. I am pretty sure that was my problem with my third one. (I have been reading over a journal I wrote) I don't want that to happen ever again.
I was alos wondering, this may sound weird, but what if anything did it do for your labito? While I am pregnant I really love sex a lot. But after birth I am a non-sexual being for sometimes up to a year. Occationally I will have sex with my dh just out of guilt because it has been like 4 months. Do the hormone levels in the placenta help with that? Anyone know?
Also back to the tinture, how long can the main bottle of water, placenta essence and alcohol? If all you need is 7 drops, it seems like it would go bad before you need to make another bottle. How much water do you need to make the first "tea"?

Thanks

H


----------



## Malama (May 11, 2002)

mamaofthree,
I HOPE that taking placenta tincture could help with libido. After a baby I find myself in the exact situation as you- and it SUCKS!

I think that tinctures keep for a loooong time, if they are in a dark bottle or place. The alcohol preserves them.
As far as water for the beginning, it says to make sure the piece of placenta is covered. I've never made it, so it'll be an experiment for me.

I'll let you know sometime after next january!


----------



## tea olive (Apr 15, 2002)

an ice chest full of ice with the placenta in a few ziplocs with sliders could go a long way if you are not birthing at home.

i dunno about libido. i think the whole point with not feeling so sexy is so that you don't procreate so quickly, and especially if you are nursing.


----------



## momsgotmilk4two (Sep 24, 2002)

Ha! Thanks for the ice chest idea







That way I can just deal with it myself at the hospital and dh won't get a choice


----------



## Persephone (Apr 8, 2004)

I don't think hospitals let you keep it. They consider it a "biohazard". Doesn't that sound like toxic waste? How depressing.


----------



## veganmamma (Sep 10, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Persephone*
I don't think hospitals let you keep it. They consider it a "biohazard". Doesn't that sound like toxic waste? How depressing. 

The hospitals absolutely let you keep it. It is illegal for them to not let you keep it.


----------



## Electra375 (Oct 2, 2002)

Mine is in my freezer. It is suppose to be good rose bush fertilizer, but I don't have a rose bush.

Eat it, I'm getting gaggy just thinking about it.


----------



## Ms. Frizzle (Jan 9, 2004)

It's very good for PPD. I have not eaten mine, but I know someone who swallowed a dime sized peice to help with heavy bleeding after childbirth.
I'm not against doing that.

I think feeding formula is grosser than this is, actually.


----------



## Ms. Frizzle (Jan 9, 2004)

BTW, mine is in my freezer too


----------



## stafl (Jul 1, 2002)

every time I started getting moody after DD2 was born, DH would ask me if I'd eaten any placenta that day








I'll say it again, and again if I have to.
After my first was born, I had pretty bad depression and trauma and my milk didn't come in for *six* days! Yeah, that's mostly because of the nature of her birth, but if eating the placenta might mean that wouldn't happen again after my second DD was born, it wouldn't matter to me how gross I thought it was, I was going to give it a try. (It wasn't gross at all though, not near as bad as brussel sprouts IMO)
FWIW, my milk came in on day two and I never had anything remotely resembling ppd. I only had red lochia for one or two days, too. that may or may not be due to eating the placenta, but I think it really helped me in so many ways. Every time I ate a little of it, I immediately felt energized, more healthy, clear-headed, and better able to handle being a mom to a new baby. That in contrast to feeling totally overwhelmed and unable to cope after DD1 was born.


----------



## tracymom (Mar 11, 2002)

This is absolutely amazing. I am about to







: just sitting here thinking what a difference mine might have made for me and kept me from going through my PPD hell twice.







:
These stories are so neat.


----------



## fourgrtkidos (Jan 6, 2004)

I worked as a mother/baby nurse for 4 yrs and I think the hospital has to let you keep the placenta if you ask to. You may have to wait until sfter it hasbeen inspected.
Also, you may have to claim it is for a religious ceremony.? I am not sure. I have helped several pagan women with the ceremony of eating it afterwards at the hospital in our town...... but I am not sure what you would have to say to be allowed to take it home in your individual hospitals. I just know that you should be able to.
Hopefully everyone will be able to homebirth and then it won't be a problem.


----------



## Greaseball (Feb 1, 2002)

My first birth was in a hospital and I was asked if I wanted to keep the placenta. It had never occurred to me; I said "I can't imagine what I'd do with it!" They said, "Well, it's yours, so you can have it if you want."


----------



## Persephone (Apr 8, 2004)

Wow, I'm so glad I was wrong! I've just heard stories about women not being able to keep their placentas.


----------



## veganmamma (Sep 10, 2002)

If women are ever denied their placentas, the hospital is acting against the law. It is yours, it comes from your body and you are entitled to keep it. Period, the end. If I have my spleen removed I get to keep that too.


----------



## darsmama (Jul 23, 2004)

thanks gals. I'm definetly going to make the essence this time. What a waste I didn't with Darlene....


----------

