Creative Ways To Eat Your Placenta

The old adage, “you are what you eat,” has taken on a whole new literal meaning in recent years with more women – specifically new celebrity moms – choosing to eat their placenta after giving birth.

The placenta is an organ that develops on the wall of the uterus during pregnancy and acts like a filter, protecting the baby from and getting rid of harmful waste. It also carries nutrients and oxygen to the unborn baby via the umbilical cord.

Placenta eating, known as placentophagy, is far from new. Chinese herbalists have used dried placenta as medicine for centuries. Midwives and doulas also swear by it for its alleged benefits of fighting off postpartum depression, helping women heal from delivery faster and boosting energy levels to name a few.

One midwife featured in a recent U.S. News & World Report story makes the process of taking your placenta home convenient.

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Home birth midwife Claudia Booker can convert your placenta into vitamin-sized pills by the time you leave the hospital after giving birth.​ She also can distill it into an alcohol-based solution​ for you to take in drop form, or give you a piece to blend into a smoothie. On occasion, moms will request to eat silver-dollar sized pieces of their placenta right after labor.

Although there is no scientific research that proves eating your placenta has any real benefits, many are curious to try it. If you are pregnant and thinking you are up for the challenge, try any of these edible placenta recipes.

Placenta Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1 placenta
• 1 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
• ½ cup plain organic whole-milk yogurt
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• Gloves

Directions

1. Put your disposable pair of gloves on.
2. Put your placenta on cleanable tray and cut out about a half dollar sized piece.
3. Blend the placenta piece along with a 1/2 cup of orange juice.
4. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes before adding the remaining 1/2 cup of orange juice along with the yogurt and strawberries.
5. Continue to blend until smooth.
6. Make sure you serve yourself this treat in a pretty glass, it might  distract you from what you are about to ingest.

Placenta Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp butter
• ½ lb placenta
• 1 lb ground beef or turkey
• 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano, basil, and thyme
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• ½ cup red wine
• ½ cup broth
• ¼ cup broth
• ½ cup whole milk

Directions 

1. Sauté onions and garlic butter in a skillet for about 5-8 minutes.
2. Chop placenta into small pieces on a cleanable tray.
3. Add placenta pieces and ground beef or turkey to the pan with the onion and garlic, and cook until browned.
4. Add tomatoes, dried spices, salt, pepper, and wine, simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the wine is reduced.
5. In a large pan about 9″x13″, begin making your layers starting off the first layer with about 1/4 cup of the broth filling then covering with lasagna noodles.
6. Top noodles with half of the meat/tomato mixture and half of the ricotta cheese.
7. Add another layer of noodles.
8. Continue this sequence until entire pan is full.
9. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top.
10. Drizzle the milk on top of the cheese.
11. Bake at 350° F for about 30-45 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and brown.

Placenta Chili

Ingredients 

• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp butter
• ½ lb ground beef/turkey
• ½ lb placenta
• 1 Tbsp each of dried cumin, dried oregano, dried turmeric, dried basil, chili powder, and salt
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 3 large tomatoes, diced
• 16 ounces cooked kidney beans

Directions

1. Sauté onion, bell pepper, and garlic with butter for about 8- 10 minutes.
2. Cut placenta into small pieces on a cleanable tray.
3. Add placenta pieces and ground beef/turkey to pan with the onion and garlic.
4. Cook until browned.
5. Add spices, and mix well.
6.  Add red wine vinegar, and cook for 5 minutes.
7. Add tomatoes, and let simmer for 30 minutes.
8. Add beans, be sure to not over cook.
9. When serving garnish with sour cream, shredded cheese and green onions.