Why Would You Want to Eat Your Placenta?

What is placentophagy? No it is not a made up word. It is the practice of eating one's own placenta! What? I know I suppose I am one of the last people on the planet that has not heard of this practice. Evidently Anderson Cooper hadn't heard of it either at least before he did his new television show on it. Actually the program was about conjoined twins. I don't know how they got on the topic of placentophagy.

I really like Anderson Cooper's new show. He is replacing Oprah's time slot. He doesn't try to teach or counsel people. He asks them questions, shares some of his own experiences and is very likeable. He has had many different topics, from FLDS to abandoned babies. He has also had different celebrities on last week.
I know this has nothing to do with placentophagy. The purpose of eating one's own placenta has been practiced for centuries in China. One of the arguments is that the FDA doesn't approve of it. That is actually pretty amusing to me. I am not saying there should not be restrictions on drugs and all by the FDA. I am saying that many times the very drugs that the FDA has approved later prove to be very damaging to humans. You know, the "If you have taken the drug Paxil and have had a child born with a heart defect, call, 1-800, blah blah blah.

This is years after the FDA has approved the drug. I am just saying. Once again I digress. I personally can't imagine eating my own placenta. There are many midwives that believe that this practice is very beneficial as a means of warding off postpartum depression as the organ is rich in nutrients and hormones.

You may ask how one would go about preparing this organ for ingesting. The midwife on Anderson's program said that it could be dried and used in capsules. It can also be used in a smoothie. Oh God say it isn't so. It could also be sautéed in lemon and garlic. Double yuk.
A lady in the audience with her midwife said that she felt much better after ingesting her own placenta. She did not suffer from postpartum depression and attributes it to having eaten her own placenta.

If I were ever to eat my own placenta it would have to be dried and in a gel cap. I am so glad that I am not ever having any more children. I would never want to have to even think about considering this practice.

Back to Anderson. He is very funny. He told the audience with great flourish that they would find placenta under their seats, is if they were winning some kind of prize. You really need to watch his television show. He has a very warm and humble personality. He had his mother Gloria Vanderbilt on this week. It was very touching. It was obvious that he really loves his mother. She shared a lot of her life stories, the painful as well as the triumphs. One of the biggest joys in her life is her son Anderson.

If you would like to read more about this practice you can find an article here. If you really want to puke you can find a photo of placenta here.