Planting The Placenta

Planting The Placenta

Childbirth and pregnancy has always been a magical and miraculous process. Traditions and different cultural practices have sprung up surrounding this time. Planting the placenta is just one. In cultures across the globe this burial is an essential part of their birth rituals. Many Navajo in America, Maori in New Zealand and Indonesians see the placenta as an essential part of the child that has been born. Some believe it is like an older sibling or twin of the baby and should be treated with great respect. The placenta is often buried in traditional land to connect the child to that land forever. In modern western adaptations of this ancient custom the placenta is buried in the garden and a tree is planted over it. The tree becomes a symbol of new life and hope for the child. I know quite a few couples who have decided to do this as a symbol of new life and new beginnings. Placenta is also a wonderful fertilizer almost guaranteed to help the tree flourish.

And what about placentophagy the eating of the placenta in mammals? Many mammals eat the placenta, it is thought to restore strength to the mother as well as hide evidence of the birth from predators.

In humans placentophagy is not common. But some people believe in the consumption of placenta to help the new mother regain her strength more quickly. Placenta can be prepared as a stew, fried, or cooked with other ingredients. I have read one recipe, which combined the placenta with onions, garlic and red wine. Dried placenta is also an important medicine in Chinese herbalism. How frequently placentophagy occurs is not well documented, but a friend of mine had her placenta dried and then had it ground into a powder and placed in capsules. She had six a day for the first six weeks after the birth of her child.

The placenta does contain oxytocin that helps the uterus go back into place and initiates the production of milk and prostaglandin, which helps the uterus “clean out