Four Things To Do With Your Placenta

As placenta consumption makes headlines more and more these days, people tend to react in two ways. Either they are completely awed and taken with the idea, or they are totally turned off and don't give it a second thought. I'm happy to report to you that it doesn't have to be all or nothing when it comes to your placenta. There are several things that you can do with this wondrous organ. Let me tell you about them.

1. Placenta Encapsulation - This is the process of dehydrating and pulverizing the placenta and then putting the powder into capsules for easy ingestion. The bigger question most people have is, why would I chose to do this? The quick and dirty explanation is that the placenta holds a ton of hormones and nutrients that can help ease you into the postpartum period. Women chose to encapsulate their placentas because this is thought to help with energy levels, milk supply, and evening out hormones post-birth. Sounds good, right?
   
   
2. Placenta Burial – Historically and culturally, a lot of honor has been given to the placenta and burying the placenta is one way this can be done. Some chose to honor a special place by burying the placenta there. Others bury it beneath a new tree or plant with the expectation that the placenta will provide extra nourishment to new growth. The ritual of returning the placenta to the Earth can feel a bit like completing the life cycle of the placenta and this tends to carry a lower 'ick factor' than ingestion.
   
   
3. Donation for Placenta Encapsulation Training – I am grateful to the women (I don't know who they are) who chose to donate their placentas to my placenta encapsulation trainer so that I could have hands-on experience with encapsulation. For whatever reason these women were willing to share their placentas so that others could learn. Consider this option if you're not interested in the placenta for your own purposes.
   
   
4. Donation for Human Remains Detection by Training Dogs – Placentas are used to train dogs searching for human remains. This is another great (okay yes, and somewhat creepy) way to put your placenta to use if you're not personally looking to benefit from it.
   
   

There you have it, four things that you can do with your placenta. Isn't it amazing that this organ that mamas grow on-demand is so versatile after it's original function is completed? How about you? What would you consider doing with your placenta?

If you have questions about encapsulation or you'd like to donate your placenta, please contact me via my contact form.