Holistic Wellness

The placenta is the only organ your body grows and then releases. For many cultures and many women, it carries meaning, ceremony, and postpartum care. This guide gently walks through the most common ways women choose to honor or use their placenta after birth, with honest information about benefits, risks, and what the science currently says.

Natural remedies & approaches

• What the placenta is

  A temporary organ that grew alongside your baby to deliver oxygen, nutrients, and hormones. It is rich in iron, B vitamins, and pregnancy hormones like estrogen and progesterone. After birth it is delivered as the 'afterbirth,' usually within 5 to 30 minutes.

• Placenta encapsulation

  The placenta is steamed (or left raw), dehydrated, ground into powder, and placed into capsules taken in the days and weeks postpartum. Women who choose it most often report improved mood, more energy, better milk supply, and a gentler transition through hormone shifts. Scientific evidence is still limited and mostly anecdotal.

• Reported benefits

  Common anecdotal reports include reduced postpartum blues, increased milk supply, more steady energy, faster healing, and a smoother return of postpartum hormones. Not every woman feels a difference, and that is also fine.

• Tinctures, smoothies & salves

  A small piece of raw placenta can be blended into a postpartum smoothie within the first days for a hormonal boost. A tincture can be made from a small piece preserved in high-proof alcohol and saved for months or years to support future hormonal transitions like weaning or menopause. Salves can be made for perineal or nipple healing.

• Ceremony & burial

  Across many cultures, the placenta is buried beneath a tree, planted in the garden, or returned to the earth in ceremony. This is a beautiful, free option that honors the organ without ingesting it. Some families plant a placenta tree the baby grows up with.

• Lotus birth

  Some families choose to leave the placenta attached to the baby until the cord naturally separates, usually within 3 to 10 days. This is a personal, spiritual choice. Speak with your provider and midwife about safe handling, salt curing, and signs of infection if you are considering it.

• Choosing a specialist

  If you choose encapsulation, work with a trained, certified specialist who follows OSHA bloodborne pathogen standards, uses dedicated equipment, and prepares the placenta in your home or in a fully sanitized facility. Ask for credentials and references.

• When encapsulation is not safe

  Skip placenta consumption if you had chorioamnionitis or any uterine infection, a fever in labor, certain group B strep situations, smoked or used substances heavily, or if your placenta was sent to pathology. Your provider and specialist can help you decide.

• Storage matters

  After birth, the placenta should be placed on ice within an hour and refrigerated within four hours. If it will not be processed within 3 days, it should be frozen. Always tell your birth team in advance that you want to keep your placenta.