An Unexpected Introduction
I’ll never forget sitting in Chinese Herbalism class, flipping through my textbook while the instructor lectured to us through his long white beard. . .
Cordycepts. . . gynostemma. . . eluthero ginseng. . . placenta. I stopped and did a double take. My eyes widening as I admired the drawing of this beautiful organ resembling a tree.
As quickly as my surprise came at finding a placenta in the textbook of Chinese Medicine, a sense of remembrance also washed over me.
Of course! Organs are the most nutrient dense foods there are. It’s only natural that we would eat this organ after giving so much of our energy to our baby in pregnancy and running the marathon that is birth.
I imagined how an animal might instinctively consume their placenta, allowing them to stay in the den that much longer with their vulnerable newborns. Humans are no different, we need deep replenishment after labor too.
The Placenta in Pregnancy
The placenta is your baby’s lifeline in the womb; a miraculous organ that is created by both the mother and the fetus. It is the site of nutrient and waste exchange, even while the blood of the mother and the baby never actually mix! The placenta produces glycogen, cholesterol and fatty acids for the fetus and contains about every enzyme known to man!
It is also an organ of communication, with hormones acting as the messengers across the placental walls. One example of this is when the fetus releases CRH (cortico-releasing hormone) into the amniotic fluid. This hormone sends a signal to the placenta that is then picked up by the mother and encourages the cervix to finish ripening. This is just one sign that indicates that the baby may actually initiate labor.
The Placenta After Birth
Even after the birth, the placenta remain’s a lifeline, as it continues oxygenating the baby. Only once the baby is effectively breathing air, does the pressure change trigger the placenta to begin separating from the wall of the uterus. This is why cutting the chord before baby is breathing is putting the baby at risk and into distress for absolutely no reason.
Additionally, during these first crucial minutes after birth, one third of the baby’s blood supply (which resides in the placenta and chord during the third trimester) gets returned to the baby’s body, increasing blood volume, oxygenation, stem cells and more. In this way, the miracle organ that is the placenta is a life giver both inside and outside the womb.
Placenta as a Jing Tonic
Let’s go back to the idea of eating your placenta… In China, mothers have engaged in placenta consumption for thousands of years. In Traditional Chinese Medicine the placenta is consumed for its action of increasing jing, or essence. This energy can be translated as one’s life force. It is responsible for fertility, energy levels, rate of aging and longevity. It is understood that the more jing one’s body contains, the longer they will live. This knowledge reinforces the importance of proper nourishment after the very “jing depleting” pregnancy and birth.
The benefits of ingesting your placenta may include:
-Reduced postpartum bleeding
-Reduction of stress hormones
-Encourages milk supply
-Replenishes essential nutrients such as iron and vitamin B6
-Prevention of hormonal mood swings and depression
-Increased ENERGY
This is partly because the placenta contains oxytocin, a hormone that reduces pain and increases bonding with baby. It also contains thyroid stimulating hormones, interferon and prolactin, which can boost the immune system, energy, recovery and milk supply. Follow your intuition on whether consuming the placenta is right for you, how much and for how long to take it.
Three Ways to Ingest Placenta:
Raw, cooked or encapsulated.
-Cooked would be similar to eating other organ meats such as liver or kidney.
-Encapsulation involves dehydrating, pulverizing and sometimes cooking it before placing it into capsules. This is is best option for women who find the idea of eating raw placenta unsettling.
-Drinking a placenta smoothie is quick, easy and some might argue the most beneficial preparation. The raw form retains the most nutrients, especially the more unstable enzymes, vitamins and minerals that may be depleted with heat. Depending on how much placenta and the other ingredients used, you may or may not taste any difference from a normal smoothies. If a large portion of placenta is used in a smoothie it can have an earthy or even metallic taste due to the high iron content. Another benefit to eating raw placenta is that you can drink it within minutes to hours of the birth, where as encapsulation takes days to prepare. Some women chew on the chord or put a slice of placenta under the tongue to stop bleeding immediately after the birth.
Instructions for a Placenta Smoothie:
-Refrigerate placenta after birth.
-Rinse, remove sac and cut up into 1 inch cubes. (Chord is optional but full of stem cells!)
-Set the cubes out on a cookie sheet and place in freezer for 20-30min.
-Remove from freezer and transfer cubes into a bag for later use. Freeze.
-Thaw and add a couple cubes to your normal smoothie everyday until it is gone.
Drink the smoothie as close to room temperature as you can. It’s important to stick to warming foods (soups, teas, warming spices) in the postpartum period as the body readjusts.
Alternative Rituals for Honoring the Placenta
Some women feel called to burry their placenta near the family home, the place where the child will grow up. This is a beautiful way to give back to the Earth and this tree will it will have special significance to you both throughout your lives. you can even plant it with a tree. Just be sure it is at least one foot under the ground so that no animals can get to it.
Another common option is to make art with it! Placenta prints can be made either with the blood itself or by applying paint to the placenta before stamping the image onto paper. In this way you can capture the unique story or this child, that is told by through veins and arteries.
The chord can be cut, and dried in the shape of a heart or even spelling out a word of your choice.
Whichever way you choose to honor your placenta, these rituals will remind you of your connection to the millions of women who came before you and the millions of babies who will come after you. Linking you eternally into the spiral of our shared human experience.
Know that this incredible organ was created by your body with the sole purpose of giving and sustaining the life of your baby.
The placenta not only resembles a tree of life, it truly is one.