Eating placenta has recently gained popularity among women as part of their childbirth experience.
Expecting significant health benefits such as the prevention or reduction of postpartum depression, many are drawn to this practice. The mention of placenta consumption by some celebrities has thrown placentophagia into the limelight. What is happening here?
The term “placentophagia” refers to the act of mothers consuming placenta, fluids, and tissues during delivery. While almost all nonhuman mammals engage in this behavior (with whales and dolphins being notable exceptions), it is largely absent in human cultures, both historically and currently. Although some individuals or groups partake in it, they represent an exception rather than the norm. There will always be someone who attempts the most unusual of acts; for example, searching online for “man eats airplane.”
Human societies have consistently demonstrated a strong aversion to placentophagia, with some even instituting taboos against the practice. Nevertheless, during the hippie movement, reports emerged of certain nature-focused communes preparing and consuming placentas.
Currently, we find ourselves in another wave of interest surrounding placentophagia. Encouraged by midwives and influenced by unverified online information, women are choosing to consume placenta during delivery. They may eat it raw, cook it, blend it into smoothies, or dehydrate and encapsulate it in hopes of alleviating adverse childbirth effects such as postpartum depression, “baby blues,” fatigue, lactational insufficiency, and hormone imbalances.
Regrettably, there is a lack of evidence to support that human placentophagia provides medical or physiological relief for these issues. Nonetheless, various doula, midwife, and commercial placenta encapsulation websites frequently claim that consumption at delivery is beneficial, citing the historical use of dried human placenta in Chinese herbal medicine. In fact, Zi He Che, as it is referred to, is occasionally utilized to treat a range of conditions, including impotence, infertility, tinnitus, and chronic cough. However, its effects, if they exist, cannot be isolated as it is typically combined with numerous other herbs or medicinal substances. Furthermore, there is a lack of scientific studies verifying its efficacy. Similar claims could be made about folk remedies like hornet nests or turtle shells for cancer, Chinese dates for ADD/ADHD, and pearl, antelope horn, or earthworm for epilepsy.
Research shows that placentophagia in animals primarily benefits them by enhancing pain relief during labor and delivery, as well as triggering immediate maternal behavior due to the mother’s attraction to afterbirth materials around her offspring. Nonhuman mothers find afterbirth universally appealing at delivery, unlike human mothers, who do not exhibit the same attraction. Moreover, the methods used to prepare and consume afterbirth materials are crucial in the animal kingdom, while these factors lack relevance for women who engage in placentophagia. Anecdotes, urban legends, and testimonials suggest positive outcomes, regardless of how the placenta is prepared, when it is consumed relative to birth, or how much is ingested. What seems to be significant is the expectation of effectiveness prior to consumption. This scenario aligns with a classic placebo effect, where perceived improvement is based on anticipation rather than pharmacological action.
Although human afterbirth contains similar analgesia-enhancing components found in other species, it is still unclear if these components, or others, have an impact on human issues.
Interestingly, placebo effects can manifest even when beneficial components are present. Approximately a century ago, Brown-Sequard introduced a treatment for impotence involving injections of extracts from ground testes of other species; French surgeon Serge Voronoff created a technique for grafting pieces from testicular tissues onto patients.Testes from various species were transplanted onto the testicles of impotent patients. Both approaches yielded success; a significant number of patients regained their potency. At that time, it was not known that testes produce testosterone. Nonetheless, the extract from Brown-Sequard lacked testosterone, and Voronoff’s grafts were rejected, meaning they could not produce testosterone. So, what accounted for the improvement in potency experienced by so many patients? The answer lies in their expectations.
Are placebos inherently detrimental? Many authorities argue that they are not, provided the placebo does no harm and does not impede or substitute for necessary, evidence-based medical treatment. This leads to the question: Can placentophagia pose risks to humans? The stark difference in the prevalence of placentophagia among humans compared to its near ubiquity in other mammals warrants serious consideration. This disparity implies that placentophagia may have occasionally posed risks or been evolutionarily disadvantageous for humans. Afterbirth has the potential to be contaminated by pathogens, may contain toxins that were filtered from the blood, and could also lead to adverse immunological responses in the mother.
Over thousands of generations, even a minor adaptive disadvantage can wield significant evolutionary implications.
by David Livingstone
