Jenny is in the early stages of labour and she is having a bit of a snack. An apple is a nice healthy sort of thing to eat. Within the next few hours, just after the birth of her child, she will be much more hungry and there will be something available for her to eat that will be potentially even better for her than the apple. However many mothers would find it challenging to eat, to say the least. It is her babies afterbirth and it is best eaten raw. This is called placentophagy and nearly all non-human mammalian mothers practice it.

It was presumed until recently that the only benefit that was gained was simply that it was a valuable source of nutrient that most animal mothers could not afford to waste. New research however has shown that there are far more complex and compelling reasons for mothers, including human mothers, to consume the afterbirth of the new babies.

Dr Mark Kristal who is a behavioral neuroscientist at the University at Buffalo has been researching this particular phenonemon and believes that consuming the afterbirth reduces post-partum pain, helps prevent post-natal depression, and operates on two specific brain centers to influence the subsequent emergence of maternal behavior.

It is believed that chemicals in placenta interact directly with the mothers body when ingested. No matter how therapeutic it may be it, many western women would find the practice too gross to even contemplate. Particularly, you would imagine, if you were a vegitarian. Not withstanding that there are women who have tried it. Interestingly the word for placenta in German (Mutterkuchen) literally means "mother cake". The word "placenta" itself comes from the latin word for cake. Mary Field, a nurse and midwife was determined to give it a go but cultural taboos meant that she did not speak to anyone of her intention and waited until she was alone.

After trying cooking a piece, not a great success taste or texture wise, she plucked up the courage to try some raw, which would be better anyway since none of the beneficial chemicals would be destroyed. Her verdict was that raw was the way to go. Apparently human placenta tastes very similar to beef, with a springy texture similar to the heart

It is anecdotal of course but Mary, who tried eating the placenta on her second pregnancy, was overwhelmed with the improvement in her physical and psychological wellbeing following this birth as compared to her first. She says

The best results were to be seen in my skin and hair, it retained the bloom of pregnancy over the first postpartum week, and even the skin of my belly seemed supple, not dry as with Sarah, my first child . . . My milk supply was abundant by the second day. Postnatal euphoria set in - I was so strong and felt as though I could do anything. . . I continued to eat bits of raw placenta out of the bowl in the fridge, eventually perfecting a technique for eating it: cutting off a small square each time that could be placed at the back of the mouth and swallowed whole without tasting it. Every time I began to feel at all tearful during these days I ate a small chunk of raw placenta and found it to be an instant anti-depressant.

So will Jenny give it a go, well probably not, most women seem grossed out by the whole concept however if she does a bit of raw placenta chopped up and blended with tomato juice is apparently quite delicious.

Read more about Dr Marks research here.
Read Mary's personal account here.
Find some interesting placenta recipes here.