Yes, the placenta, according to the folklore of many countries and cultures holds immense importance, and one of them states that it can also assist with birth control. However, in case the couple does not wish to have any more babies for a while, the placenta is buried under an ant pit for green ants. No evidence eating placenta after giving birth provides health The placenta is typically consumed by processing it into capsules – but some have been known to actually cook it and eat it. For this reason, the umbilical cord and the placenta are not thrown away considering that it tends to influence the future life and employment of the new born baby. Heck, even high profile ladies and celebrities have ingested their placenta in pill form, thereby bringing all the more attention towards this crucial pregnancy organ. Even Aboriginal tribes, such as the Maori of New Zealand previously mentioned, believe that if a couple is done with having babies, they should bury the placenta under an ant pit for green ants. In current times, the Hmong people typically live in Northern Thailand, Southern China, Northern Lao, North West Vietnam and Burma. While this is very true if people other than the mother consume the placenta, normally it is only the mother partaking of the placenta. One’s a beautiful baby, and the other is a, well, gross-looking placenta. Chinese medicine has advocated it for centuries. However, it appears that not all parents out there are interested in disposing it off – there are some that choose to eat it and do a whole lot of other things that just might gross you out. In our modern world, this may seem barbaric and some have even said that this could spread HIV/AIDS or Hepatitis. Some families will take the placentas and bury them in the ground to celebrate the new life given to them. This organ grows from the time of conception to eventually take over the production of hormones needed to sustain the pregnancy at around 12 weeks gestation (from your last menstrual period). This means that the placenta and umbilical cord need to be buried following Malayr traditions. That’s right. These must be ordered separately. For example, in some cultures, it is commonplace to leave the baby attached to the placenta, rather than clamp the cord, until the cord dries up and falls off. For males, it is necessary for the placenta to be buried right below the main post of the house. Well, the Hmong people believe that in such a case, the soul will remain in a state of unease and wander for eternity – that too all alone and naked as it could not collect its placenta jacket. In other words, they found no human culture that includes eating placenta after birth. It is believed that it was Qin Shihuang, the first emperor of unified China who initially made extensive claims about the health properties of the placenta and why it should be consumed. To them, an individual continues to maintain a deep connection with his/her placenta all through life for which reason it should not be discarded. Does not include mycoplasma, ureaplasma, viral or chlamydia detection. Eating the placenta is also an accepted ritual in certain cultures. Then comes the practice of placentophagia, eating the placenta, is also practiced in some parts of the world. Human moms do it, too, including tribal women and glamorous celebrities. The practice of eating placenta, or “placentophagy,” is common in the animal kingdom. For this reason, several cultures tend to bury the placenta instead of just wasting it. For this reason, it is necessary for it to be buried in the right place. It joins the mother to the baby, and forms a link between the two by supplying blood through the umbilical cord to the developing child. [Epub ahead of print]. Eating your placenta after giving birth (placentophagy) can pose harm to both you and your baby. Effects of Human Maternal Placentophagy on Maternal Postpartum Iron Status: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study. Why so? There are even ceremonies and beliefs held about the placenta that are completely foreign to us. The Maori of New Zealand hold a strict belief that the adequate burial of the placenta on tribal land assist in the establishment of a lifelong connection between the new born baby and his/her ancestral land. In Chinese Medicine, the placenta is known as a great life force and is highly respected in terms of its medicinal value. The burial needs to be performed by the father of the baby strictly. Here goes: What appears to be waste to some holds immense importance for others – this is how the placenta’s worth can be defined. Also, it is vital for the father to make sure that the placenta is not buried too deep as burying it deep within the ground will delay the child’s acquisition of his/her speech abilities. The word used by the Hmong people for the placenta actually means ‘jacket’ and they believe that the soul of an individual actually goes back to the place where his/her placenta was buried in order to collect its ‘placenta jacket’. This particular tradition is also followed by the Igbo of Nigeria. In recent years, more and more people, mainly mothers, have been consuming their afterbirth . The theories behind this are that it helps slow the new family down and offers them more seclusion in the first few days when a getting to know you period is in order. Get diet and wellness tips to help your kids stay healthy and happy. However, if a father wants his baby to grow up to be a devout individual, he must bury the umbilical cord in the courtyard of a mosque. Make Jewelry. So technically, wouldn’t eating the placenta fit the definition of cannibalism: eating the flesh of another individual of your own species? The practice of placentophagy, or eating one’s own placenta, is rather common in China, and actually has a history of over 2000 years associated with it. Chinese traditional medicine uses it dried. With the placenta already buried, the umbilical cord receives similar treatment. Is there any validity to the arguments that claim doing so has benefits? So what if the placenta is not adequately buried and the soul is unable to reunite with it? This basically goes on to signify that the male child will, in times to come, become the main strength of the family, and serve as the performer of rituals and spiritual carrier of the household. The most common placenta preparation — creating a … It is for this reason that the placenta, according to Malay traditions, must be handled with proper care. The second reason is that placentas are very rich nutrients. Upon doing so, he will supposedly become infertile, thereby deeming it impossible for the couple to have more children – I am left to wonder if this ritual actually works! On the whole, traditional Ukrainian people are of the notion that the placenta is associated with a mother’s future fertility. There are other cultures that consider the placenta as the twin sibling of the baby. In fact, there are certain rituals that must be performed before the burial and the placenta is treated with utmost respect and regard. Amongst the countless beliefs pertaining to the placenta held by people and their cultures worldwide, this one sure comes as a surprise. So it is not really clear why we've jumped from, okay, animals eat their placenta, there is some use of the placenta for treatment of ailments in other cultures, and how that translated then to moms should eat their placenta postpartum for postpartum complications such as postpartum depression or postpartum anemia. However, women who have done this say Most common way to consume the placenta after birth: Simply the World’s Most Interesting Travel Site. In the traditional Hmong culture, the placenta holds extreme importance, and is highly regarded to the point that it needs to be buried inside the family home where the birth takes place. Not only that, it also plays a vital role in the secretion of hormones that are required for a smooth pregnancy and to prepare the body for breastfeeding. The act of eating the placenta after you give birth, called placentophagy, isn't just something animals do. For those who don’t know, the Hmong people are largely considered as being part of one of the oldest known civilizations in the entire world. All of this is basically done in order to make sure that the child grows up to be a hardworking individual and a very intelligent student. For this, both the placenta and the umbilical cord need to be cleansed as meticulously as possible. For the people of Indonesia, the placenta is actually considered as the elder sibling or the twin of the baby being born. No matter what you choose to do with your placenta, remember to value the life it has helped you nurture and bring forth. This is called a Lotus birth and is not practiced often in the United States. As per the Maori belief, upon the consumption of the placenta by the green ants, the couple will not have any more babies for some time – quite a means of birth control, right? If truth be told, if it weren’t for the placenta, babies would not have their very own life support system. J Midwifery Women's Health. 'Placentophagia' In two decades of medical practice, she says only a handful of women have taken home their placenta to eat, while others have used them in … The nutrients in the placenta replenish some of the energy lost during the birthing process. As I researched this, I found the assertion that the placenta is part of the woman’s body. To dry a placenta you would simply dehydrate it in the oven, then using a mortar and pestle, grind it up. As it is more so a ‘part’ of the child, it is extremely important for the placenta to be given utmost respect and reverence. For this reason, it is packed full of nutrition and when take on a long-term basis, it has the potential to help one achieve longevity. UPDATE: Alex Reid's Fiancé Nikki Manashe Confirms She's Pregnant With Twins! Sixth Edition. Although a majority of Maori women these days deliver their babies in a proper hospital and live fairly far away from their ancestral lands, they have continued to make sure that the said tradition is not forsaken in any manner whatsoever. Through the burial, they believe that the Whenua is being gifted to Papa Tua Nuku or Mother Earth. Yes, you can make art out of it. Although the tradition has now vanished, women also used to eat their placenta in the form of a pate or a pasta dish. However, in this field it is not cooked, but rather usually dried. A year later a tree or flower is then planted in the same spot to allow the placenta to nourish its growth. One thing you see here is that there are many families who will hold ceremonies with the placenta after birth. “For many Indigenous cultures, the placenta is a living being.” Some other cultures believe in a sort of twinning of child and placenta. Upon the delivery of the baby, they place the placenta in the specially-prepared basket, which is then carried home by the father or a grandparent of the new born baby. Actually, this is inaccurate. While eating your placenta, called placentophagy, isn't a new idea, it’s been getting a lot of buzz in recent years. Giving birth to several kittens takes a toll on a cat’s body. After the burning part of the ritual is done, the father of the new born baby is required to drink the ashes. There are even meal-like recipes for cooking placentas, including placenta stew, placenta lasagna, power drinks with blended placenta and others. Do they all ingest it via pill or eat it in its raw form, plant it, or do something totally different? After that, the placenta is taken back to their ancestral lands for the burial to take place. For this reason, the expectant mother or a close relative of hers prepares a special basket in which the placenta is to be brought back home. Some people have categorical philo… These day’s it is becoming a common practice in the dominant culture for women to eat their placenta’s. It was back in the 60s and 70s that the practice of eating placenta took hold on back-to-nature communes. This is the only disposable organ ever made. The placenta is typically planted with a tree on the ancestral land as trees signify ongoing life. As a labor and delivery nurse, I can tell you that I have witnessed this practice twice in 30 years. Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. In the Maori language, the word ‘Whenua’ is used to for both land and placenta, thereby signifying the connection established between the two. To dry a placenta you would simply dehydrate it in the oven, then using a mortar and pestle, grind it up. 7 Placenta tradition in Indonesia. Upon the birth of a child, it is necessary for the placenta and the umbilical cord to the buried properly in the  doorway of the child’s house. In a 1979 volume of the Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, William Ober's article "Notes on Placentophagy" evaluates the possibility that certain ancient cultures that practiced human sacrifice may also have practiced human placentophagy, including Egyptians, Tasians, Badarians, Amrateans, Gerzeans, Semainians. After the birth, you take a piece of paper and lay the placenta on it. Apart from the basics, the placenta additionally provides the developing baby with all of the antibodies that s/he needs for ample protection in the first few months of his/her precious life. See, the fact of the matter is that the placenta, while the baby is in the womb, is responsible for nourishing and protecting it. To be honest, the Turkish people believe that the relationship between a child, the umbilical cord and the placenta is similar to that of their belief that the people and animals that a pregnant woman sees, and the food that she consumes will impact the baby in his/her mother’s womb. To them, the placenta creates a connection between the new born baby and his/her land or tribe. Gabbe, S, Niebyl, J, Simpson, JL. This is a general culture for Listeria, Beta Strep and enteric GNB. To be honest, discussing the placenta and settling on what one would want to do with it after having the baby has become pretty common place now. But their data suggest that, if anything, many cultures avoid eating the placenta. Eat the placenta raw. Similarly: However, all of this needs to be done after carefully washing and wrapping up the umbilical cord as a mark of respect to not just the umbilical cord and the placenta, but to the relationship they hold with the baby as well. Not only the carnivores mammals like lions, leopards, etc. Also, it is only after collecting the placenta jacket and traveling to the spirit world that the soul will be reincarnated and sent back to the world as a new baby. The placenta is an intricate organ that nourishes the growing fetus by exchanging nutrients and oxygen and filtering waste products via the umbilical cord. 2016 Nov 3. doi: 10.1111/jmwh.12549. Well, for the simple reason that it would not be possible for the couple to have any more children if the placenta gets buried in a doorway. The Ibo of Nigeria and Ghana treat the placenta as the dead twin of the live child and give it full burial rites. As weird as these traditions might sound to us, these just go on to show how highly regarded the placenta is to people across the world – something that has just dawned on us in the recent past. After the delivery, this substantial blood loss can lead the mother to being blood deficient. Placenta traditions from around the world – different cultures, different beliefs. These are inclusive of salt and tamarind together with onions and a whole lot more. Joseph R, Giovinazzo M, Brown M. A Literature Review on the Practice of Placentophagia. For certain Arab tribes, the placenta should be disposed of very carefully, as if something unpleasant happens to it, the mother will not be able to conceive a baby again. Other cultures have come to see the placenta in a completely different light. However, before the burial, it is necessary for the placenta (supposed dead twin of the baby) to be placed in a clean bowl and properly washed. Moms in and out of the limelight have reported trying the practice in the hopes that eating the placenta will help avoid the baby blues and boost … The different elements that traditional Chinese medicine believes the consumption of placenta can help with are inclusive of: It is further believed in China that the consumption of a placenta can help with things like excessive fatigue and infertility. Now there are certain restrictions in the Malaysian culture that must be complied with in terms of the burial of the placenta and umbilical cord. After that, it is placed in a piece of cloth together with several spices. Specify if C-section or vaginally delivered placenta. Others want to plant it with a tree to commemorate the birth. As we all know, delivery takes a serious toll at the mother’s blood toll (believe it or not, women lose up to about 750ML of blood during labor!). Historically, eating placentas have been associated with curing infertility, hastening labor, aiding in lactation, preventing afterpains, removing birthmarks and scars, curing epilepsy and as a form of birth control.