Benefits of Consuming Placenta: What the Research Actually Shows
The practice of consuming placenta — most commonly human placenta after childbirth, but also animal placenta in some cultural and supplement contexts — has gained attention in wellness circles over the past two decades. Claims range from faster postpartum recovery to improved mood and increased energy. But what does the science actually say, and how does it hold up?
What Is Placentophagy?
Placentophagy is the term for consuming placenta. It is common among most mammals after birth and has been practiced in some human cultures for centuries. In modern Western contexts, it typically involves encapsulating dried, cooked, or raw human placenta — a practice that became notably more popular in the early 2000s.
Animal placenta (particularly from deer, sheep, or pigs) is also used in certain dietary supplements, particularly in traditional East Asian medicine preparations and some commercial beauty or hormone-support products.
These two categories — human placental encapsulation and animal placenta supplementation — are distinct and supported by very different bodies of evidence.
What Are the Claimed Benefits?
Proponents of placentophagy commonly cite:
- Reduced postpartum fatigue
- Improved mood and reduced risk of postpartum depression
- Increased breast milk supply (galactagogue effect)
- Replenishment of iron and other nutrients lost during delivery
- Hormonal support during the postpartum period
These claims center on the idea that the placenta retains biologically active compounds — including iron, zinc, hormones like estrogen and progesterone, oxytocin, and various growth factors — that could benefit the person who consumed it.
What Does the Research Actually Show? 🔬
This is where the gap between popular claims and scientific evidence becomes significant.
The honest summary: rigorous clinical evidence supporting human placentophagy is currently very limited.
A 2018 systematic review published in Archives of Women's Mental Health examined available studies on human placentophagy and found no robust scientific evidence supporting the claimed benefits. The review noted that most supportive accounts were anecdotal or based on self-reported surveys rather than controlled clinical trials.
A small randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted by researchers at University of Nevada, Las Vegas (published in Women and Birth, 2018) found no significant difference in iron levels, fatigue, or mood between participants who consumed their encapsulated placenta and those who received a placebo.
Key limitations in current research:
| Research Gap | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Few randomized controlled trials | Harder to separate placebo effect from real outcome |
| Small sample sizes | Results less generalizable |
| Processing method variability | Cooking or drying may degrade hormones and nutrients |
| Self-selection bias in surveys | Those who believe in the practice may report benefits |
Research on animal placenta extracts — particularly in traditional medicine and cosmetic applications — is somewhat more developed but still largely preliminary, with most findings coming from cell studies or animal models rather than human clinical trials.
What Nutrients Does Placenta Actually Contain?
The placenta does contain measurable nutrients. Laboratory analyses have confirmed the presence of:
- Iron — the placenta accumulates iron, and iron depletion is a real concern postpartum
- Zinc — involved in immune function and tissue repair
- B vitamins, including B6 and B12
- Hormones — estrogen, progesterone, and others, though bioavailability after encapsulation processing is uncertain
- Protein and amino acids
The critical question is whether these compounds survive processing in quantities meaningful enough to produce physiological effects — and whether the delivery method allows for actual absorption. Current evidence does not confirm this for encapsulated human placenta. 🧪
Factors That Shape Individual Outcomes
Even if future research were to establish clearer benefits, outcomes would vary considerably based on:
- Postpartum nutritional status — someone with significant iron deficiency may respond differently than someone with adequate stores
- Processing method — raw, cooked, steamed, or dehydrated preparations likely have different nutrient and hormone profiles
- Timing — how soon postpartum placenta is consumed may matter
- Dosage and consistency — capsule quantity and duration of use vary widely in practice
- Individual hormone baseline — those with hormone-sensitive conditions face different considerations
- Existing mental health history — postpartum mood is influenced by many overlapping factors
Safety Considerations the Research Has Raised ⚠️
The CDC issued a report in 2017 documenting a case of Group B Streptococcus infection in a newborn potentially linked to the mother consuming contaminated placental capsules. This raised questions about sterilization standards in encapsulation services, which are largely unregulated.
Researchers and public health bodies have noted that without consistent processing standards, placental products could carry bacterial or viral contamination risks — a factor entirely separate from the question of efficacy.
Where the Evidence Sits Right Now
The placenta contains real biological material, and postpartum nutrient replenishment is a legitimate nutritional concern — particularly for iron and certain B vitamins. Those needs are well-documented. What remains unestablished is whether consuming placenta is an effective or safe way to address them compared to conventional dietary or supplemental approaches.
The gap between widespread anecdotal enthusiasm and the current state of controlled research is wide. Whether emerging studies will narrow that gap remains to be seen.
How any of this applies depends on an individual's postpartum health status, nutritional baseline, existing conditions, medications, and specific circumstances — variables that a healthcare provider and registered dietitian are best positioned to assess.