I recently added the option of choosing the Raw Method to the placenta encapsulation services at Tyo Birth Care.  I tried this myself after the birth of my last baby, and was so pleased with the results!

The Raw Method of placenta encapsulation is appealing to people for different reasons.  Here are three reasons why YOU might choose to use the raw method when having your placenta encapsulated:

1. You enjoy a high-raw (or all-raw!)  diet.  This typically means that the food you eat is never heated above 115-118 degrees.  It's important to you to maintain the integrity of this in all the supplements you take, including your placenta pills.

2. You prefer to avoid as much processing as possible.  While the steaming process used in a TCM (Traditional Chinese Method) encapsulation is still quite minimal, you would prefer to not risk losing some of the nutrients and hormones that are suspected to diminish during contact with the high heat.  As a result, some women report more intense benefits (more energy, more milk, etc...) from taking their placenta pills.  On the flip side, occasionally women will feel the benefits 'too much' - they might liken it to feeling jittery from too much caffeine.  This can often be tempered by lowering the amount of pills you are taking.

3.  You want more pills!  The number of pills that your placenta will yield is affected by many things including its original size, how fine the placenta is ground, and the steaming process.  The placenta does shrink significantly during the steaming process, so you are practically guaranteed more pills if you go the raw route.  (That said, most women have more pills than they end up needing, and running out of pills isn't typically an issue for short-term usage.  For long-term usage, say for menopause or for your child's teen years, I would recommend a tincture as the better option.) 

These reasons aside, both methods of encapsulation are wonderful and beneficial and the choice is truly a personal one.  Do you have experience with raw encapsulation?  I'd love to hear about it in the comments! 

It's a bit of a stretch to say that encapsulating one's placenta has fully entered the mainstream pipeline for new mothers (though, it's getting there!).  And, it's a downright lie to say that using a mother tincture (or, placenta tincture) is commonplace.

I'd like to change that.

First, an explanation.

A tincture is simply an extract of plant or animal matter - in this case, it would be from your placenta.  It is usually alcohol-based (I use single ingredient potato vodka in order to serve those that avoid gluten), which means that it lasts and lasts and last and... you get the idea.

The placenta is added to the vodka and agitated frequently over a period of time.  In the case of my Mother Tincture (or Placenta Tincture), it is ready to use after six weeks.

As a placenta product that's ingested, the Mother Tincture works much like the pills do.  It's thought to regulate and balance out hormones, which in turn can affect our emotional state.  

So why would someone want pills and a Mother Tincture?

Since the tincture takes about six weeks to become useful, having the pills in the immediate postpartum period is definitely going to yield the most benefit in the short-term.  Most encapsulators work to get the pills into the hands of their clients by two or three days postpartum. (Day four is typically when new moms experience the greatest hormonal shift after birth.)  Assuming there are not timing obstacles, I get pills back to my clients before they even leave the hospital.  The tincture, on the other hand, is a great option for accessing long-term benefits.  Not only does its shelf-life extend an exceptionally long time, but the dosage - typically 1-3 drops at a time - means that the quantity lasts and lasts as well. I provide my clients with four ounces of tincture, along with a smaller bottle and dropper to keep handy.

Now, here's the thing that I LOVE about the tincture (and, I'm so glad that when I found out about tincture, I still had some of my last batch of placenta pills to make my own).  Mother Tincture is a great remedy to have in your cabinet for those times in the months and years to come when you or your child experience hormonal and emotional shifts.  

Some uses for you:
Return of your first cycle after birth
General PMS
Emotional Times: leaving child at daycare, life changes, etc.
Menopause

Some uses for your child:
Your daughter's first cycle
First day of school
Puberty
Other times of emotional or hormonal challenge

While I am not qualified to make medical claims (and the suggestions for tincture use should not be taken as such) more and more research is being done on the benefits found within the placenta.  I'm excited to see what is discovered regarding the benefits of the placenta in the coming years.

So, how about a nice placenta tincture to round out your next postpartum experience?