Eat human placenta for beauty?
Barbie Xu or Da S (å¾ç†™åª›) who said recently that she is keen on eating her sister’s placenta to enhance her beauty had apparently caused a media stir. Though she later clarified that she had meant it as a joke, I believe she might have been really keen on the idea because I had learnt last year that eating placenta can indeed improve one’s complexion and give one glowing skin.
And this is definitely human placenta we’re talking about, not plant placenta or sheep placenta.
In fact, it has been reported that many women, especially the celebrities are said to be keen on eating placenta to regain a youthful complexion. The following news excerpt for example, was featured in my personal blog before and goes to prove that there are women who consume placenta for beauty sake:
Cassandra See, 35, a part-time TCS actress believes that eating her placenta after giving birth to her only son, Lukas, played a part in her speedy recovery from casesarian childbirth as well as giving her a glowing complexion.
She had apparently baked it in her oven like a roast beef until it was dry and crisp, pounded it and put into capsules which she then swallowed every morning on an empty stomach. (Less yucky if you compare to Tom Cruise’s idea of vowing to eat his wife’s placenta and cord upon the birth of their baby.)
Surprised? Well, there is even a term Placentophagy to describe this practice because the placenta is apparently rich in minerals and vitamins, especially B6 and said to delay aging.
According to this article, Placenta of Attraction, which discusses eating placenta in the name of beauty, human placenta which is readily available from China can even be found as a dried form from Chinese medical halls in Singapore.
But before anyone dash out to grab some, you might want to read this recent news report in which a doctor warned against consuming placenta extract.
There has been no scientific proof that placenta extract is effective in bringing back one’s youth or improving skin quality, Fung said. There is generally no thorough sterilization during the process of refining human or animal placenta and viruses like HIV or hepatitis B could grow in it.
So the question to myself is: would I have wanted to eat my own placenta five years ago had I knew about all these?
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I still finds it yucky because “ewww, placenta stuck with blood and all those tissue”. Like the placenta cannot be immidiately be consumed after it is discarded along the birth of the baby, like the thing become some dead corpse kept in the fridge for a long time.
Anyway maybe the one eating the placenta is the one belong to their next of kins or their own one and they would feel less yucky. I don’t think its the most hot selling item for the one selling at the Singapore Chinese Medicine Hall.
Lily: I share your sentiments. Even if it’s my own, I’m not sure if I dare to take it. And no way I’m going to buy those from the medical hall. Don’t even know their source… ?
Oh… I don’t think I want my breakfast anymore. Ick.
Thanks for sharing though. I had heard about this, but I can’t really imagine “eating” your own tissue.
BB: Yes, the ICK factor is very high. To think about it, this maybe able to go into the program “Fear Factor”!
That just sounds disgusting, on so many levels. I was very close to vomiting while reading about how women are willing to eat human placenta just to be youthful and pretty.
But thank you for bringing that to my attention.
Julie: Yeah, I know it’s almost unthinkable but I was surprised to learn that this has been happening for centuries apparently. But it was more for health reasons. To eat it for beauty well…I guess some women are very brave when it comes to enhancing their beauty.
Yucks! I can’t imagine myself doing that – so eeee…
Doris: Haha…I know…
That is so gross! Though, it will make for a great plot for a horror movie: crazy woman going to extreme lengths to maintain her youth. Maybe cast Barbie Xu in the movie? LOL.
Amelia: There is a Chinese movie “Three Extremes” with placenta eating as the plot. Chinese actress Bai Ling played an unlicensed midwife who makes dumplings out of aborted foetus and placentas. She sold them to rich women who believed that consuming them would reverse the signs of aging.
how to do the process for human placenta when it detatch from mother and baby to use
thank you
Tracy: Geez…I really don’t know. But I know the gynae asks during each delivery so if you want to keep yours, I’m sure they will get it clean up for you to take home. After that, what I heard is some pple bake it, then pound it into powder form.
whew!!is dat 4 real??.. i wont do such a thing!..even though i want my skin to look clearer and younger.
I hear about (superstitious) Asians eating human placenta all the time.
When I told it to my ethnic southern Chinese friend, she said: “Yeah…didn’t you know? It’s good for you.”
And she wasn’t being sarcastic.
I hope they know that they’re eating human flesh, human DNA, or human whatever…I don’t know. It’s just gross.
Kym: I know what you mean…even if you ask me to eat my own, I would have to think a 100th times…
when i gave birth to my first child, i really keep my placenta in the hope that it will be useful if my son gets ill, as a health supplements etc..but after keeping it so long, i dare not even open the package , in the end handed back to my gynae who send it to blood processing centre..haha…its too eerie to me even to hv a look at it…
anyhow anyone consume sheep placenta, effective not?
Anonymous: Oh wow, you kept it? I thought it was gross and asked my gynae to junk it. ?
Think taking your own placent ais fine but never ever take other other placenta.
You never know what diseases they do have.
Better to take Ovine Placenta Plus from specially breed sheep where is no possibility of diseases transmission.