Human placentophagy

Human placentophagy, or consumption of the placenta, is defined as, “The ingestion of a human placenta postpartum, at any time, by any person, either in raw or altered (e.g., cooked, dried, steeped in liquid) form.” Numerous historical occurrences of placentophagy have been recorded throughout the world, whereas modern occurrences of placentophagy are rare since most contemporary societies do not promote its practice. Since the 1970s, however, consumption of the placenta believing that it has health benefits has been a growing practice among clients of midwives and alternative-health advocates in the U.S. and Mexico. Human placentography is undergoing a small revival in Western cultures, fostered by celebrities like January Jones. Human placentophagy after childbirth is touted by some as a treatment for postpartum depression and fatigue, among other health benefits. However, scientific research provides no evidence that consuming the placenta prevents or treats postpartum depression, and there is inconclusive evidence that it has any health benefits whatsoever. The risks of human placentophagy are also still unclear.

Placentophagy can be divided into two categories, maternal placentophagy and non-maternal placentophagy.

Maternal placentophagy is defined as, “a mother’s ingestion of her own placenta postpartum, in any form, at any time.” Maternal placentophagy most frequently occurs among placental mammals, although it is becoming more common amongst humans in Western cultures. Of the more than 4000 species of placental mammals, there are only a handful that do not regularly engage in maternal placentophagy, including most modern humans.

Non-maternal placentophagy is defined as, “the ingestion of the placenta by any person other than the mother, at any time.” Such instances of placentophagy have been attributed to the following: a shift toward carnivorousness at parturition, specific hunger, and general hunger. With most Eutherian mammals, the placenta is consumed postpartum by the mother. Historically, humans more commonly consume the placenta of another woman under special circumstances.

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.

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Wikipedia