I wanted to keep an open mind so did a bit of research to find out what the benefits of eating your own insides once out are. Those who believe in its powers claim that it helps prevents postpartum depression and that the placenta contains high levels of prostaglandin which stimulates a shrinking or return to a former size of the uterus, in effect cleaning the uterus out. The placenta also contains small amounts of oxytocin, a hormone which is naturally released after childbirth and breastfeeding. Sounds great but what do the medical professionals have to say about this? Obstetrician and spokeswoman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Maggie Blott is quoted in this BBC article stating that there is no medical justification at all."Animals eat their placenta to get nutrition - but when people are already well-nourished, there is no benefit, there is no reason to do it," she says.
So there you have it, maybe Human Placentophagy is a magic power source for some but for me it's a definite "no thank you!". Personally, I can't say I suffered because of not eating it so I am definitely not convinced but for those of you interested, here is a collection of Placenta Recipes which range from Placenta Cocktail to Placenta Pizza.
