Key takeaways

  • Rigorous placebo-controlled studies have not shown that eating placenta improves postpartum mood, milk supply, iron levels, energy, or bonding beyond a placebo effect.
  • Major bodies including FOGSI, ACOG, RCOG and the US CDC do NOT recommend placentophagy.
  • There is a documented case of a newborn developing Group B Strep infection traced to the mother's contaminated placenta capsules; heating during encapsulation does not reliably kill bacteria.
  • Placentophagy is not part of any traditional Indian postpartum practice; the interest is imported from Western wellness culture.
  • Evidence-based care, traditional Indian postnatal nutrition, oil massage, rest, family support, lactation help and mental-health screening, addresses the same goals far more safely.

What is placentophagy and how is it practised?

Placentophagy is eating the placenta, the organ that grows in pregnancy to nourish the baby and is delivered shortly afterwards in the third stage of labour. It takes several forms:

  • Encapsulation is the most common modern form. The placenta is steamed (sometimes with ginger or lemon), dehydrated, ground to powder and packed into capsules taken over days to weeks. It is usually done by a doula or a paid specialist, and is the focus of our detailed look at placenta encapsulation and whether the pills are healthy.
  • Raw consumption, eating raw pieces or blending them into smoothies, less common because of taste and infection risk.
  • Cooked dishes, recipes that circulate in some natural-birth communities.
  • Tinctures, small pieces preserved in alcohol and taken in drops.
  • Homeopathic preparations, highly diluted placenta remedies.

The practice is often linked to the Traditional Chinese Medicine ingredient 'zi he che'. In reality TCM uses placenta as one component of complex herbal formulas, not as the capsules or smoothies seen in Western placentophagy, so the two are not the same tradition.

Most mammals eat the placenta after birth, and supporters cite this as proof that it is natural. But biologists explain animal placentophagy by reasons that do not apply to humans, removing birth traces that attract predators, recovering scarce calories in the wild, and keeping the nest clean. Humans have food, shelter and healthcare, and almost no human culture has traditionally eaten the placenta.

In India, placentophagy is not part of any major cultural, religious or regional postpartum tradition. Indian postnatal care is rich, specific foods, herbal preparations, oil massage, rest and family support, but it does not include eating the placenta. The modern interest among some urban Indian women is essentially borrowed from Western wellness culture, amplified by celebrity endorsements and social media.

Why people try it: the claimed benefits

Families who choose placentophagy usually do so hoping to prevent or ease specific postpartum challenges. The most common claims are:

  • Better mood and less depression, the idea that placental progesterone and oestrogen offset the steep hormone drop after birth.
  • More milk, a claimed rise in prolactin or other lactation hormones.
  • Less bleeding, a claimed oxytocin-like effect on the uterus.
  • Replenished nutrients, especially iron lost at delivery.
  • More energy and faster recovery.
  • Stronger mother-baby bonding.

These claims are spread by some doulas and birth professionals, online mom communities, celebrity stories and parts of alternative and naturopathic medicine. Many women who try it do report feeling better. Those experiences are real, but the key question for evidence-based medicine is whether the benefit comes from the placenta itself or from other things, the placebo effect, the care and attention of a supportive doula, good early postnatal care overall, and symptoms that would have improved on their own anyway.

To separate a true effect from placebo, we need randomised placebo-controlled trials, where some women get real placenta capsules and others get identical-looking dummy capsules, and nobody knows which is which until outcomes are measured. Those studies exist, and the next section covers what they found.

What the scientific evidence actually shows

The research on placentophagy is limited, but the rigorous studies that exist do not support the popular claims.

Systematic reviews. A 2015 systematic review (Coyle and colleagues, Archives of Women's Mental Health) examined the available human and animal studies and concluded there were no data to support claims that placentophagy reduces postpartum depression or pain, increases energy, helps lactation, improves bonding, or replenishes iron and nutrients. It also highlighted the poor quality of existing research.

Randomised placebo-controlled trials. A 2017 trial from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Young and colleagues) compared placenta capsules with beef placebo capsules and found no significant differences in mood, bonding, fatigue or other outcomes. The hormone content of the capsules was variable and lower than expected, likely because steaming and dehydration degrade many hormones. A separate 2017 study in Women and Birth found placenta capsules did not improve iron status compared with iron supplements, meaning they are not a reliable source of iron for postpartum recovery.

Putting it together: rigorous studies show no consistent benefit beyond placebo; the most glowing reports come from uncontrolled testimonials prone to bias; and processed placenta delivers variable, often low hormone levels unlikely to have a meaningful biological effect.

This is why guidance is consistent worldwide:

  • ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) finds no evidence of health benefit and warns of possible infection risk to infants.
  • The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine and the American Academy of Pediatrics likewise do not endorse it, citing the lack of benefit and infection concerns.
  • FOGSI (Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India) does not include placentophagy in postnatal care; it emphasises nutrition, rest, breastfeeding support, mental-health screening and management of complications.
  • RCOG and NICE in the UK and the WHO also do not recommend it.

When scientific bodies across multiple regions independently reach the same conclusion, it is a strong signal. Women considering placentophagy deserve to weigh this evidence as part of an informed decision about their postpartum recovery.

Documented risks and safety concerns

  • Discuss the decision with your doctor and tell your paediatrician so the baby can be monitored.
  • Understand that medical organisations do not recommend it.
  • Choose only a service with documented, verifiable sterilisation procedures.
  • Stop immediately if any sign of infection appears in mother or baby and seek care.

Evidence-based and traditional Indian alternatives

India already has deep postnatal traditions that target the very goals, recovery, mood, milk, energy, bonding, that drive interest in placentophagy. Many align well with modern evidence.

The traditional postpartum period (the 'sutika' or 'jaapa' period) is usually 40 to 45 days, with structured care:

Nutrition. Postnatal foods such as gond ke laddoo (edible-gum laddoos with ghee and nuts), methi (fenugreek), drumstick and moringa leaves, ragi, jeera and ajwain water, saunf, and iron-rich foods like leafy greens, dates and jaggery support recovery and milk production. Fenugreek and moringa in particular have some galactagogue evidence. Our guide to postpartum nutrition recovery in India covers this in detail.

Maalish (oil massage). Daily warm-oil massage of mother and baby is near-universal in Indian tradition and is linked in research to better mood, sleep, less muscle pain and bonding. Pairing it with skin-to-skin and kangaroo care supports oxytocin release and mother-baby bonding.

Rest and reduced workload. The traditional practice of relieving the new mother of housework for the first 40 days is strongly supported by evidence on physical recovery, mental health and establishing breastfeeding.

Family support. Returning to one's parents' home, or having one's mother come to help, provides intensive support. Strong social support is one of the most protective factors against postpartum depression.

Modern medical care to add on top. FOGSI recommends postnatal visits around 1 to 2 weeks and 6 weeks; routine iron supplementation given high anaemia rates in Indian women; calcium and vitamin D for breastfeeding mothers; mental-health screening; and updated vaccinations where needed. Combining traditional wisdom with this evidence-based care is the recommended Indian approach, no unproven practice required.

If your real worry is postpartum depression

Preventing or treating postpartum depression (PPD) is one of the top reasons women try placentophagy, yet placentophagy has no evidence for it. Here is what actually works.

PPD affects roughly 15 to 20 percent of women in the first year after birth. It is more than the 'baby blues', which affect 50 to 80 percent of new mothers, peak around days 3 to 5 and resolve within two weeks. PPD brings persistent low mood, loss of interest, sleep and energy disturbance, guilt or worthlessness, difficulty bonding, and sometimes thoughts of self-harm or harming the baby. Our guide on baby blues versus depression helps tell them apart.

Risk factors include a prior history of depression or anxiety, weak social support, relationship or financial stress, a difficult birth or breastfeeding, and sleep deprivation. In India, moving to a new household after marriage, joint-family dynamics, gender-related stress when the baby is a girl, and pressure to resume household duties can add to the risk.

What the evidence supports:

  • Screening using validated tools such as the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale at postnatal and well-baby visits.
  • Psychotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and interpersonal therapy (IPT), increasingly available via teletherapy in India.
  • Medication when needed, SSRIs such as sertraline are first-line for moderate to severe PPD and many are compatible with breastfeeding (sertraline has the most safety data). Brexanolone, a standardised pharmaceutical based on a progesterone-derived neurosteroid, exists for severe PPD in some countries, notably a regulated medicine, unlike unregulated placenta capsules.
  • Peer support, sleep protection, nutrition, gentle exercise once cleared, and partner and family involvement.

Postpartum psychosis (about 1 to 2 per 1,000 births) is a psychiatric emergency, see postpartum psychosis and seek immediate help for any thoughts of self-harm or of harming the baby. For the full treatment pathway, see postpartum depression treatment. Indian resources include NIMHANS perinatal services in Bengaluru, FOGSI-affiliated gynaecologists, and helplines iCALL (9152987821), Vandrevala (1860 2662 345), AASRA (9820466726) and KIRAN (1800-599-0019).

If your real worry is milk supply

Improved milk supply is another common reason for placentophagy, but the evidence does not support it. What truly drives supply is well established.

Lactation depends mainly on early initiation (ideally within the first hour, now standard in Baby-Friendly hospitals), frequent effective feeding (8 to 12 times a day in early weeks, supply follows demand), a good latch, skin-to-skin contact, adequate maternal nutrition, hydration and rest, and addressing specific issues like tongue-tie or mastitis.

Galactagogues with some evidence include fenugreek (methi), moringa (drumstick leaves), oats, garlic and shatavari; the evidence on lactation teas is mixed, as our lactation tea guide explains. When indicated, doctors sometimes prescribe domperidone. Professional support, IBCLC lactation consultants, La Leche League India and BPNI, makes a real difference.

If you are genuinely concerned about supply, start by checking whether it is perceived or real with our guide to low milk supply in Indian mothers, and explore evidence-based ways to increase breast milk. Placenta capsules are not on that list.

Honouring the placenta without eating it

If you want a meaningful connection with the placenta without the risks of eating it, many cultures use rituals that do not involve consumption:

  • Burial, often in a meaningful spot, sometimes with a tree planted over it as a living memorial the child can visit.
  • Return to nature, releasing it into a river or burying it on land considered sacred.
  • Placenta prints or art, an ink or pigment print of the placenta's tree-like vein pattern, framed as a keepsake.
  • Religious or spiritual ceremonies, observed in various Hindu and other regional traditions.

Lotus birth (leaving the cord and placenta attached until the cord separates naturally) is uncommon and is not recommended by ACOG and others, because placental tissue starts decomposing immediately after delivery and prolonged retention carries infection risk.

In hospital births, the standard is safe medical-waste handling under the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, which needs no decision from you. If you wish to take the placenta home for ritual purposes (not consumption), ask the hospital in advance, policies vary widely in India. The cultural and spiritual meaning of the placenta can be honoured fully through burial, ceremony or art, with none of the medical risk of placentophagy.

Myths vs facts

Frequently asked questions

Does eating the placenta really help with postpartum depression?

No. Randomised placebo-controlled trials found no benefit over placebo for mood, and the hormone content of processed capsules is variable and probably too low to matter. For postpartum depression, screening, therapy, medication when needed, sleep protection and family support are what work.

Can placenta capsules increase my milk supply?

There is no reliable evidence that they do. Milk supply responds to early, frequent and effective feeding, a good latch, skin-to-skin contact, rest and nutrition. Some foods like fenugreek and moringa have modest galactagogue evidence; placenta capsules do not.

Is placentophagy safe if the placenta is my own?

Not necessarily. A documented CDC case linked a newborn's Group B Strep infection to contaminated placenta capsules. Heating during encapsulation may not kill bacteria, and the placenta can also carry other pathogens, heavy metals and drug residues. Major medical bodies advise against the practice.

Is eating the placenta part of Ayurveda or Indian tradition?

No. No major Indian cultural, religious or regional tradition includes eating the placenta. Indian postnatal care focuses on specific foods, oil massage, rest and family support. The current interest is borrowed from Western wellness culture, not Indian tradition.

Can I take my placenta home from an Indian hospital?

Policies vary. Many hospitals follow the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules and do not release placentas; some allow it with paperwork if requested in advance. Ask your hospital early if you wish to take it home for a ritual such as burial, never for consumption.

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