You won’t find placenta encapsulation on your local juice bar menu, but you will find it trending in the postpartum care world!  Affectionately referred to as the Tree of Life, the placenta is a temporary endocrine organ that develops in the uterus during pregnancy. It plays many roles during pregnancy from nutrient delivery and waste management to hormone production. So, when people hear ‘placenta encapsulation’ they fall into one of two camps: either they’re granola and never bat an eye or they gag.  If you’re anything like me though, curiosity got the better of me and I followed the little brown pills down the rabbit hole into the world of placenta encapsulation.

There are two methods for encapsulation: the Traditional method based on Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine (TCM) and Raw encapsulation based on the raw foods diet. With TCM, the placenta is drained of blood and steamed with fresh ginger and lemon. Then it’s dehydrated before grinding into a coarse powder and placed into capsules for consumption.  With the raw method, the placenta is NOT steamed before being dehydrated and ground down into a powder for consumption.  

So, why are moms consuming their placentas?  While research has been limited, a study from 2013(¹) found that mothers had improved postpartum mood, restored and better-balanced post-birth hormones, improved lactation, and experienced a better recovery from birth.  Another study in 2018 even noted a decrease in depressive symptoms (²).  For moms, we face quite a few challenges when we enter our postpartum era.  In the US, moms are sent home from the hospital within 24-48 hours after pushing out a 7lb 6oz squalling baby with zero complications.  If your baby decided to make their grand entrance via the sunroof (C-section), Mama’s may get 2-4 days, but let’s be honest: not a lot of sleep and recovery is happening in the hospital. 

If my OBGYN told 2015 Me that my placenta could be turned into my very own personalized postpartum vitamin to improve my postpartum mood and reduce the severity in hormonal swings, I would’ve said ‘Say less; sign me up!’ My body felt like it was hit by a Mack truck. I was still waddling around, but instead of my comfort cotton undies, I traded it in for an adult diaper.  My boobs leaked any time my son cried, and don’t even get me started of the emotional toll my raging hormones waged on me daily.  So, if taking your very own homegrown placenta and converting it into capsules can help alleviate even a few of these postpartum symptoms, it might be worth looking into.  Of course with all things postpartum, it’s highly encouraged to do your own research and talk with your healthcare provider to determine if this is a viable option for you. 

If you’re considering placenta encapsulation and you want to know more, here’s just a few of the more frequently asked questions I found when I looked into the process myself:

Does it taste weird? No! The placenta is dehydrated (like jerky) and ground down into a powder and placed in veggie capsules.

Is it safe? Placenta pills must be prepared by a trained professional that follows strict sanitation and safety standards such as a Postpartum Placenta Specialist certified by ProDoula©.

How many pills do you get?  Typically, placentas make between 100-200 capsules.  The number of pills varies based on the size of mom’s placenta. 

How do you take placenta pills? ProDoula’s Postpartum Placenta Specialist© recommends waiting to consume your capsules until postpartum day 3 or 4.  After that, Mom can take 2 capsules 3x per day for the first 3 days, 1 capsule 3x per day for the next 7-10 days and then 1-2 capsules per day until gone.