How To: Encapsulate Your Placenta

Warning: The rest of this post contains pictures of actual placenta, blood, etc. and may not be agreeable to all readers. You have been warned...

Okay, okay. I know what you're thinking. Why would anyone encapsulate their placenta? Gross, right?


Yeah. That was my first reaction, too. In fact, it took me three pregnancies to even open my mind enough to research the process.

Once I started researching it, though, my interest was piqued. Women who had done it reported amazing benefits, including decrease in  postpartum depression (PPD), increased milk supply, shorter amd easier recovery, more even moods, increased energy, and more.

The placenta provides an incredible wealth of hormones, all specially manufactured and tailored to the woman who created it. Some of the known components that give the placenta its healing properties are:

• Cortisone: Combats stress and unlocks energy stores.
• Gammaglobulin: Immune booster that helps protect against postpartum infections.
• Gonadotrophin: The precursor to estrogen, progesterone and testosterone.
• Hemoglobin: Replenishes iron deficiency and anemia, (a common postpartum malady).
• Interferon: Stimulates the immune system to protect against infections.
  Oxytocin: Provides pain relief and facilitates bonding. Oxytocin is produced during breastfeeding to help with bonding of mother and infant.
• Prolactin: Promotes good milk production.
• Prostaglandins: Anti-inflammatory.
• Thyroid stimulating hormone: Boosts energy levels and helps with recovery from stressful events.
• Urokinase Inhibiting Factor and Factor XIII: Stops bleeding and enables faster wound healing.

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Being thoroughly intrigued and a previous sufferer of PPD desperate to avoid a repeat experience, I decided I would try it. What could it hurt, right?

Well, apparently, my pocketbook. To have someone encapsulate my placenta would run me between $175 and $250. For someone who is meticulous about keeping a tight budget, that price tag made me cringe. So, I decided to do it myself and now, for your reading pleasure, I will show you how I did it.

Note that there are two methods of preparing a placenta for encapsulation: the Traditional Chinese Method (placenta is steamed and herbs, then dried and ground) and the Raw Method (placenta is not steamed and is dried and ground). I opted for the Raw Method because I wanted to get it done as soon as possible and didn't have fresh ginger or the other recommended herbs for the Chinese Method on hand.

Materials Needed:

• Placenta (store in fridge or freezer)
• Gloves
• Colander
• Plastic Garbage Bag
• Plastic Cutting Board (do not use wood)
• Sharp Knife
• Tin Foil (if using oven)
• Cookie Sheet (if using oven)
• Size 00 Capsules, at least 150
• Dehydrator or Oven
• Food Processor
• Bleach

Directions:

Thaw placenta if frozen. Lay down large plastic bag to protect work surface.

Using a colander, thoroughly rinse the placenta in lukewarm water. Remove any blood clots.

Put cutting board on plastic bag covering. Place placenta on cutting board and, using a sharp knife, remove the cord and any remaining membrane. Once cord and membrane is removed, slice the placenta into thin slices (about 1/8" - 1/4" thick). Remove any remaining blood clots that you find.

Place slices back into the colander and rinse with cool water to remove remaining blood/small clots.

Pat placenta slices dry with a paper towel. If using a dehydrator, place slices into dehydrator and use lowest setting to dry them. If you don't have a dehydrator (as I don't), heat your oven to the lowest possible setting (mine was 170). Line a cookie sheet with tin foil.

Lay the slices on foil and place in the warm oven, keeping the door slightly ajar. Dry the slices for 6-8 hours, until completely dry. Think very dry "placenta jerky."

Put dried strips into food processor and pulse until ground into a fine powder.

Fill 00 capsules with the placenta powder, either by hand or with a capsule filler like Cap-M-Quik. Most placentas yield anywhere from 85-150 capsules. Mine made 145.

Store placenta pills in the freezer. Take 1-2 pills in the morning and then as needed through the day (when you're feeling overly emotional, tired, overwhelmed, etc.)

Thoroughly sanitize all your equipment using a hot water and bleach solution once you're done.

It's been amazing to me the difference I feel when I take my placenta pills. They have leveled my postpartum mood swings, quelled my anxiety (a huge issue for me postpartum), boosted my energy. In fact,  when I can feel my emotions starting to spiral out of control, I take a pill or two, and can feel a marked difference within 15-20 minutes. It's pretty astonishing.