4 Placenta Is Latin For “Cake” (Really)
Ever seen a photo of a placenta? Doesn’t it just scream “cake?” No?
The placenta is an organ a woman’s body develops while pregnant. It provides nutrients to the baby and removes waste. It’s what’s at the other end of the baby’s umbilical cord.
Humans are the only mammals that don’t routinely ingest the placenta after birth. No one knows why animals do this, but it could be to clean up the nest site in an effort to discourage predators and bacteria. It’s known as placentaphagy.
While some people believe eating the placenta can help with post-partum depression, there’s no evidence it’s true, and there is also no anthropological precedent for it. Because of the risk of unknown bacteria, most medical professionals recommend you NOT treat your placenta like cake, or anything else edible.
