What are the benefits ?
What the placenta holds:
For thousands of years, across different cultures, women have turned to the placenta after birth. The Maori bury it and plant a tree. Native American traditions include it in ceremony. Traditional Chinese medicine has used it for centuries. The organ that sustained your baby for nine months holds something after birth too.
Milk production:
Mothers consistently report increased milk supply within hours of taking placenta capsules, particularly in the first days when establishing breastfeeding. The placenta contains prolactin and oxytocin - the same hormones involved in milk production and letdown.
Energy and recovery:
During birth you lose roughly an eighth of your blood supply. The placenta is concentrated with iron - the same iron your body stored there during pregnancy to support your baby's development. It also contains B vitamins and hormones that help regulate the drop in estrogen and progesterone that happens after delivery.
Mothers who take placenta capsules report steadier energy levels in those first weeks. Not artificial energy, but a more sustainable ability to meet the demands of postpartum recovery and newborn care.
Mood:
The hormonal shift after birth is significant. Estrogen and progesterone levels that were elevated throughout pregnancy drop sharply within hours of delivery. Mothers who take placenta capsules often report feeling more emotionally steady during this transition - better able to handle the normal intensity of the postpartum period.
Physical healing:
The placenta contains stem cells and growth factors. Mothers frequently report postpartum bleeding reducing from the typical 4-6 weeks to 5-10 days, and faster overall physical recovery.
Why women continue this practice:
Your body made this organ to sustain life. After birth, when your body needs support - iron, hormones, cellular repair - the placenta holds those same resources. Women have observed this working for generations.