RESEARCH
Placenta as a Lactagogon- Study on placenta and increased milk production
Soykova-Pachnerova E, et. al.(1954). Gynaecologia 138(6):617-627.
Placentophagia- A Biobehavioral Enigma
MARK B. KRISTAL, Received 2 February 1980. Neuroscience & Biohehavioral Reviews, Vol. 4, pp. 141–150.
Wound Healing Activity of Human Placental Extract in Rats
Acta Pharmacol Sin, 22 Dec 2001
Finding human placental extract has potent power of inducing collagenous growth indicating its proficiency in wound healing.
Effects of placentophagy on serum prolactin and progesterone concentrations in rats after parturition or superovulation
Blank MS, Friesen HG.: J Reprod Fertil. 1980 Nov;60(2):273-8.
Enhancement of opioid-mediated analgesia: A solution to the enigma of placentophagia
Mark B. Kristal
Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA
Received 4 January 1991.
Placenta and Pain Relief
Jean M. DiPirro*, Mark B. Kristal
Hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing hormone suppression during the postpartum period: implications for the increase in psychiatric manifestations at this time – Study showing low CRH Hormone levels post-birth – CRH (stress reducer hormone – found in high levels in the placenta)
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Vol 81, 1912-1917, Copyright © 1996 by Endocrine Society
Maternal Iron Deficiency Anemia Affects Postpartum Emotions and Cognition
John L. Beard,2 Michael K. Hendricks,* Eva M. Perez,* Laura E. Murray-Kolb, Astrid Berg,*
Lynne Vernon-Feagans,† James Irlam,* Washiefa Isaacs,* Alan Sive,* and Mark Tomlinson*
Department of Nutritional Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802; *School of
Child and Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; and †School of Education,
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
Have we forgotten the significance of postpartum iron deficiency?
Lisa M. Bodnar, PhD, MPH, RD,a,* Mary E. Cogswell, DrPH, RN,b
Thad McDonald, MDc
The Impact of Fatigue on the Development of Postpartum Depression
Elizabeth J. Corwin, Jean Brownstead, Nichole Barton,
Starlet Heckard, and Karen Morin
Iron supplementation for unexplained fatigue in non-anaemic women: double blind randomised placebo controlled trial F Verdon, general practitioner1, B Burnand, senior lecturer2, C-L Fallab Stubi, pharmacist3, C Bonard, general practitioner1, M
Graff, general practitioner1, A Michaud, general practitioner1, T Bischoff, general practitioner1, M de Vevey, general practitioner1,
J-P Studer, general practitioner1, L Herzig, general practitioner1, C Chapuis, general practitioner1, J Tissot, general practitioner1,
A Pécoud, professor3, B Favrat, consultant of internal medicine3
BMJ 2003;326:1124 (24 May), doi:10.1136/bmj.326.7399.1124
The Bridge of Life: Options for Placentas Written by British midwife Kelly Graff; Published by Midwifery Today 2008
Placentophagia: Benefits of Eating the Placenta
Published June 28, 2007
by:Amy Weekley
Placenta consumption
Written for BabyCenter Singapore Approved by the BabyCenter Medical Advisory Board
Medicinal Uses of the Placenta
The gentlebirth.org website is provided courtesy of
Ronnie Falcao, LM MS, a homebirth midwife in Mountain View, CA
Placenta: The Gift of Life The Tree of Life
Hollywood Birth Centre Newsletter August 2009
The Amazing Placenta By Robin Elise Weiss, LCCE, About.com Guide
Placentophagy and Lactation
According to the article “Placenta as a Lactagogon” scientific research supports the lactation principle of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In a study of 210 women 86% of those women showed positive results upon lactation after ingesting the dried placenta. The article states there “was considerable increase, both subjective and objective in size and tenderness of breasts, and in secretion of milk, the milk also flowed by itself” (Soykova-Pachnerova, Brutar, Golova, Zvolska, 619) The women that ingested the placenta were women who were thought to have issues nursing. Of the 86% who had a positive lactation responses included women who had trouble breastfeeding prior children. None of the women reported any negative side effects to the ingestion of dried placenta. The article defined negative side effects as not being able to identify an increase in milk production.
Remarkable shifts happen in a women’s body after giving birth. Hormones that played a crucial role during pregnancy still play a crucial role after childbirth especially with lactation. Hormones that promote lactation (prolactin), and iron that helps to replenish energy loss after giving birth are present in the placenta. Many women seek herbal supplements to help with lactation, but nature has already provided the supplement: your placenta. It may not contain fenugreek but it has all the other goodies. The placenta assists women in transitioning from prenatal to postnatal period emotionally and physically with an ingredient list that was uniquely designed for the recipient.
The body knows the pregnancy is over when the placenta is delivered. At this point hormones like estrogen go into hyper-drive to prep the mammary glands for lactation. A retained placenta—all or part of the placenta is left behind in the uterus—may prohibit lactation because the body is not fully aware the child has been born. The signaling system does not respond accordingly and lactation issues may result. Retained placenta may be detrimental to lactation but placenta used in Traditional Chinese Medicine is, indeed, beneficial to women and babies to help boost lactation.
Remarkable shifts happen in a women’s body after giving birth. Hormones that played a crucial role during pregnancy still play a crucial role after childbirth especially with lactation. Hormones that promote lactation (prolactin), and iron that helps to replenish energy loss after giving birth are present in the placenta. Many women seek herbal supplements to help with lactation, but nature has already provided the supplement: your placenta. It may not contain fenugreek but it has all the other goodies. The placenta assists women in transitioning from prenatal to postnatal period emotionally and physically with an ingredient list that was uniquely designed for the recipient.
The body knows the pregnancy is over when the placenta is delivered. At this point hormones like estrogen go into hyper-drive to prep the mammary glands for lactation. A retained placenta—all or part of the placenta is left behind in the uterus—may prohibit lactation because the body is not fully aware the child has been born. The signaling system does not respond accordingly and lactation issues may result. Retained placenta may be detrimental to lactation but placenta used in Traditional Chinese Medicine is, indeed, beneficial to women and babies to help boost lactation.
Iron Deficiency and Postpartum Depression
Iron deficiency affects nearly 50% of the population it can lead to fatigue, mood swings, decreased performance at work or school and decreased immune function. Iron is required for oxygen and carbon dioxide transport between the tissues and lungs, as well as the muscles. Post-partum women who are iron deficient hold the same risks plus developing post-partum depression specifically due to fatigue.
JOGNN Clinical Research has demonstrated a correlation between iron deficiency and women developing post-partum depression. The studies suggest that fatigue, mood swings, and decreased performance in the first two weeks of the infants life can be a precursor to developing post-partum depression due to iron deficiency. Other considerations are the infants demeanor, the presence and/or spouse’s contribution to child rearing and socioeconomic status.
During pregnancy the women’s body creates an organ called the placenta. It is developed for the protection and growth of the fetus. After the birth of the fetus the women’s body births her placenta. According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition the iron in the placenta can account for 9-33.4% of the wet weight of the organ. The women’s placenta is an epicenter for iron-- the natural combatant to fatigue.
What does this mean? After child birth the placenta can be dried and encapsulated. The women’s placenta can be ingested in capsule form. The iron that would normally be thrown to the curb with the placenta can be utilized to help the mother regulate and balance out her hormones after child birth. The large amount of iron found in the placenta is carried onto the dried placenta helping the mother fight fatigue, regulate mood and increase performance.
JOGNN Clinical Research has demonstrated a correlation between iron deficiency and women developing post-partum depression. The studies suggest that fatigue, mood swings, and decreased performance in the first two weeks of the infants life can be a precursor to developing post-partum depression due to iron deficiency. Other considerations are the infants demeanor, the presence and/or spouse’s contribution to child rearing and socioeconomic status.
During pregnancy the women’s body creates an organ called the placenta. It is developed for the protection and growth of the fetus. After the birth of the fetus the women’s body births her placenta. According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition the iron in the placenta can account for 9-33.4% of the wet weight of the organ. The women’s placenta is an epicenter for iron-- the natural combatant to fatigue.
What does this mean? After child birth the placenta can be dried and encapsulated. The women’s placenta can be ingested in capsule form. The iron that would normally be thrown to the curb with the placenta can be utilized to help the mother regulate and balance out her hormones after child birth. The large amount of iron found in the placenta is carried onto the dried placenta helping the mother fight fatigue, regulate mood and increase performance.
Cleaning the Nest Theory Debunked
It is easy to generalize that all animals that eat the
afterbirth are doing so to protect themselves and specifically their young from
predators referred to as “cleaning the nest” this is not generally true. When
studying the behavior, place of birth and position in the food chain it is
evident that the “cleaning the nest” theory is oversimplified and in fact
placentophagy is considerably more complex. Although research has not yet
scientifically proven the physical and health benefits behind placentophagy
anecdotally the evidence against the over simplification of “clearing the nest”
has been documented.
First, the animals that do consume the afterbirth are not doing so in a hurry taking 1-2 hours to finish consumption. Second, animals that give birth in trees do not drop the afterbirth to the ground but instead consume the afterbirth. Third, animals who are positioned high in the food chain that have few predators also take the time to eat the afterbirth and fourth, the fluids that are secreted from the afterbirth are not cleaned up after consumption. If the “cleaning the nest” theory was generally true the assumption could be made that the mother would move away from her young or nest to deliver the placenta, immediately walk away from the afterbirth, quickly eat the afterbirth or if birthing high in tree tops, drop the placenta to the ground.
Another evolutionary theory discussed by Dr. Mark Kristal as to why 70% of mammals consume the afterbirth is to protect themselves and their subsequent offspring from terminal consequences of having opposing RH antigens. If human mother and child carry opposing RH antigens, the mother is given a vaccine to prohibit the production of too many RH antibodies. This vaccine protects the womb child from the mother’s body recognizing the child as an abnormality or disease which may lead to the body aborting the womb child. As other animals do not get vaccinated Kristal speculates that the consumption of the afterbirth is nature’s remedy for opposing RH antigens helping to ensure the reproduction and evolution of the species.
As a woman about to give birth and increasingly becoming more involved in the birthing community I can attest that mothers who consume the afterbirth fare better during postpartum. Their moods are stable and the cases of postpartum depression significantly decrease. Mothers have used the afterbirth as a natural anecdote to hemorrhaging which may also be the case in mammalian’s consuming the afterbirth after all they are not privy to a shot of Pitocin or a bag of blood if their blood loss is significant.
First, the animals that do consume the afterbirth are not doing so in a hurry taking 1-2 hours to finish consumption. Second, animals that give birth in trees do not drop the afterbirth to the ground but instead consume the afterbirth. Third, animals who are positioned high in the food chain that have few predators also take the time to eat the afterbirth and fourth, the fluids that are secreted from the afterbirth are not cleaned up after consumption. If the “cleaning the nest” theory was generally true the assumption could be made that the mother would move away from her young or nest to deliver the placenta, immediately walk away from the afterbirth, quickly eat the afterbirth or if birthing high in tree tops, drop the placenta to the ground.
Another evolutionary theory discussed by Dr. Mark Kristal as to why 70% of mammals consume the afterbirth is to protect themselves and their subsequent offspring from terminal consequences of having opposing RH antigens. If human mother and child carry opposing RH antigens, the mother is given a vaccine to prohibit the production of too many RH antibodies. This vaccine protects the womb child from the mother’s body recognizing the child as an abnormality or disease which may lead to the body aborting the womb child. As other animals do not get vaccinated Kristal speculates that the consumption of the afterbirth is nature’s remedy for opposing RH antigens helping to ensure the reproduction and evolution of the species.
As a woman about to give birth and increasingly becoming more involved in the birthing community I can attest that mothers who consume the afterbirth fare better during postpartum. Their moods are stable and the cases of postpartum depression significantly decrease. Mothers have used the afterbirth as a natural anecdote to hemorrhaging which may also be the case in mammalian’s consuming the afterbirth after all they are not privy to a shot of Pitocin or a bag of blood if their blood loss is significant.
Hormones, Hormones, Hormones
As a woman’s body grows her child over 9 months changes in her body gradually take place to keep the child and mother safe. Changes are physical, mental and hormonal. Some changes are obvious while others are less conspicuous. However, changes are happening and many of these changes are managed and instigated by the placenta—the temporary organ that creates a hormonal balance between mama and babe keeping both lives safe and healthy throughout pregnancy and beyond, if the mama so chooses.
The placenta secretes and filters hormonal, environmental, and organic elements to keep mother and child safe throughout pregnancy. For example, the placenta does a stellar job of screening for infectious agents like HIV and Rubella. It exchanges gases and nutrients between mother and child and it does an equally stellar job of making and secreting many hormones some of which include Estrogen, Progesterone, Human Placental Lactogen, and Human Chorionic Gonadotropin. Dr. Michael Roizen co-author with Dr. Mehmet C. Oz of You Having a Baby writes on sharecare.com about the aforementioned hormones:
“Estrogen: In pregnancy, estrogen stimulates the growth of the uterus and improves blood flow between the uterus and placenta. It also preps the breasts to prepare for milk production by enlarging a woman's milk ducts. Peak estrogen secretion happens right before birth.
Progesterone: This hormone helps maintain the inner layer of the uterus to provide support for the developing embryo. It also serves the very important role of quieting the uterine muscle, so the blastocyst can have a safe landing while implanting.
Human Placental Lactogen: Besides helping with milk preparation, this hormone also increases a mom's metabolism during pregnancy (she needs more energy caring for another human, after all).
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin: This hormone stimulates the corpus luteum (the part of the follicle left behind in the ovary) to produce estrogen and progesterone in the first 10 weeks after conception, until the placental cells can do so by themselves. (For this reason, it is also the hormone we check in your urine or blood to determine whether you're pregnant.) Levels of hCG, which have been associated with morning sickness, typically peak toward the end of the first trimester, then decline and level off for the rest of the pregnancy.” (http://www.sharecare.com/question/what-hormones-does-placenta-make)
Out of the four hormones mentioned above two of those are extremely helpful in regards to placentophagy—ingestion of the placenta in capsule form. Estrogen and Human Placental Lactogen both contributing to milk preparation and mama’s energy level. But, wait! There are more ways, more hormones, that the placenta carries that can help mama after child birth.
Cortisol, is a hormone created by the body to help people keep their cool under stress. Cortisol is typically regulated by the hypothalamus that secretes a hormone called corticotrophin (CRH) which regulates the amount of cortisol in the blood stream. In pregnant women, however, the CRH is regulated by the placenta which triples the amount of cortisol in the blood stream the third-trimester of pregnancy. Presumably to help the woman handle the stressors that come at the end of pregnancy, with the birth, and the anticipation of care for a newborn.
George Chrousos, the endocrinologist who led the National Institues of Health study observing the relationship between cortisol and post-partum depression presents the question: what happens after the placenta is gone? Chrosus and his team studied the CRH level in 17 women from the third-trimester to a year after birth and discovered that the women with the lowest levels of CRH also felt the most depressed. (Chrousos, 1995) The abrupt hit in the levels of CRH that women experience can be less severe when the woman chooses to encapsulate her placenta. Instead of the abrupt hit the woman will be gradually decreasing the levels of CRH in her blood stream given her body time to adjust and her hypothalamus time to receive the signal that it is time, once again, to begin producing CRH.
Other hormones that may contribute to curbing post-partum depression that can be proactively, and safely, reintroduced into the body with placentophagy hours after birthing the child are: progesterone, endorphins and estradiol (Selander, 2012).
Traditional Chinese Medicine has been practicing placentophagy for centuries and most mammals consume the placenta after child birth. It is now being scientifically scrutinized for human consumption and while there are many more studies that can be conducted research is pointing to, and proving, the benefits of placenta encapsulation.
The placenta secretes and filters hormonal, environmental, and organic elements to keep mother and child safe throughout pregnancy. For example, the placenta does a stellar job of screening for infectious agents like HIV and Rubella. It exchanges gases and nutrients between mother and child and it does an equally stellar job of making and secreting many hormones some of which include Estrogen, Progesterone, Human Placental Lactogen, and Human Chorionic Gonadotropin. Dr. Michael Roizen co-author with Dr. Mehmet C. Oz of You Having a Baby writes on sharecare.com about the aforementioned hormones:
“Estrogen: In pregnancy, estrogen stimulates the growth of the uterus and improves blood flow between the uterus and placenta. It also preps the breasts to prepare for milk production by enlarging a woman's milk ducts. Peak estrogen secretion happens right before birth.
Progesterone: This hormone helps maintain the inner layer of the uterus to provide support for the developing embryo. It also serves the very important role of quieting the uterine muscle, so the blastocyst can have a safe landing while implanting.
Human Placental Lactogen: Besides helping with milk preparation, this hormone also increases a mom's metabolism during pregnancy (she needs more energy caring for another human, after all).
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin: This hormone stimulates the corpus luteum (the part of the follicle left behind in the ovary) to produce estrogen and progesterone in the first 10 weeks after conception, until the placental cells can do so by themselves. (For this reason, it is also the hormone we check in your urine or blood to determine whether you're pregnant.) Levels of hCG, which have been associated with morning sickness, typically peak toward the end of the first trimester, then decline and level off for the rest of the pregnancy.” (http://www.sharecare.com/question/what-hormones-does-placenta-make)
Out of the four hormones mentioned above two of those are extremely helpful in regards to placentophagy—ingestion of the placenta in capsule form. Estrogen and Human Placental Lactogen both contributing to milk preparation and mama’s energy level. But, wait! There are more ways, more hormones, that the placenta carries that can help mama after child birth.
Cortisol, is a hormone created by the body to help people keep their cool under stress. Cortisol is typically regulated by the hypothalamus that secretes a hormone called corticotrophin (CRH) which regulates the amount of cortisol in the blood stream. In pregnant women, however, the CRH is regulated by the placenta which triples the amount of cortisol in the blood stream the third-trimester of pregnancy. Presumably to help the woman handle the stressors that come at the end of pregnancy, with the birth, and the anticipation of care for a newborn.
George Chrousos, the endocrinologist who led the National Institues of Health study observing the relationship between cortisol and post-partum depression presents the question: what happens after the placenta is gone? Chrosus and his team studied the CRH level in 17 women from the third-trimester to a year after birth and discovered that the women with the lowest levels of CRH also felt the most depressed. (Chrousos, 1995) The abrupt hit in the levels of CRH that women experience can be less severe when the woman chooses to encapsulate her placenta. Instead of the abrupt hit the woman will be gradually decreasing the levels of CRH in her blood stream given her body time to adjust and her hypothalamus time to receive the signal that it is time, once again, to begin producing CRH.
Other hormones that may contribute to curbing post-partum depression that can be proactively, and safely, reintroduced into the body with placentophagy hours after birthing the child are: progesterone, endorphins and estradiol (Selander, 2012).
Traditional Chinese Medicine has been practicing placentophagy for centuries and most mammals consume the placenta after child birth. It is now being scientifically scrutinized for human consumption and while there are many more studies that can be conducted research is pointing to, and proving, the benefits of placenta encapsulation.
