Placenta – Worth Trying? Human Maternal Placentophagy: Possible Benefit and Potential Risks

Abstract

The use of placenta preparations as an individual puerperal remedy can be traced back to historical, traditional practices in Western and Asian medicine. To evaluate the ingestion of processed placenta as a puerperal remedy, the potential risks (trace elements, microorganisms) and possible benefit (hormones in the placental tissue) of such a practice are discussed in this article based on a literature review.

Key words

placenta - puerperium - postpartum - parturition - placentophagy

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