Is Placenta Kosher?
FreiFem2011My toasted skin is coming off of my décolletage in thin transparent sheets, revealing pink splotches of raw epidermis that contrast with my brown tan, “like a cow’s spots” my husband so helpfully commented.
At the same time (yesterday, to be exact) my stomach extended beyond the normal bounds of a three course dinner and a double dessert, to unequivocally declare: baby (plus a three course dinner and a double dessert) inside!
As my body does its thing, I am amazed by its versatility and complexity. It’s quite incredible.
In other fun body news, I’ve hired someone to encapsulate my placenta after I give birth. They take the placenta after it’s expelled through the vagina, clean it, dehydrate it, and make it into little pills. The placenta is chock full of pregnancy vitamins perfectly calibrated for one’s own biology (seeing as it is actually a piece of one’s biology). Eating it is supposed to help with post-partum bleeding, recovery, depression and even menopause (the pills can be stored).
Being a good Jew I wondered what bracha one might make on placenta, and if it’s kosher. “Is placenta –“ I typed into google – and auto fill suggested “kosher” right away. Apparently this is far more common question than I imagined.
In my research I found all sorts of halachic rulings on consuming body parts and fluids, paskened by various dubious internet sources, including:
- Breast milk is pareve (some women apparently drink it to stimulate labor)
- A woman who froze her placenta, then moved it, inadvertently defrosting and forgetting about it, and had it then explode on her, dousing her in her own blood, does not become a niddah
- A mohel is allowed to suck blood off a babys penis because he spits it out
- There are no real clear answers about whether or not placenta is kosher, but it may be that the only problem is “miyus” that it’s disgusting – which, if there are obvious health benefits, can be gotten around
Phew! Glad that’s no problem!
6 Responses
That really is disgusting, regardless of how you feel about religion. Uch, if you went to the trouble of rejecting religion for what I assume are at least some intellectually honest reasons, the least you can do is look up reliable scientific evidence to back up the claims that eating placenta is “healthy”. You will find practically none.
Salon, I believe, had a piece about a woman who actually just brought it home, broiled it, and ate it. Yum!
Hi All,
I am an acupuncturist and placenta encapsulation provider in Brooklyn (flatbush really). Someone contacted me about encapsulating her placenta, she is due next week and lives in Monsey. We are having a hard time figuring out how to get the placenta to me in Brooklyn. Does anyone know of someone who does placenta encapsulation in Monsey?
Shcoiach
-Esther Hornstein, L.Ac.
Placenta encapsulation is not gross. Most mammals eat their placenta post birth. I keep kosher, and I’m contacting placenta encapsulators now. I am just going to ask (and pay) for the person to use all new materials. (I assume that’s the usual case anyhow.)
Animals eat their own placenta because there is no one around to bring them a sandwich. You can’t go hunt or graze right after giving birth and you need to keep up your energy. It has some iron and vitamins but not anything special you can’t get from a well balanced meal. It’s just a myth.
Liora: “….because there’s no one around to bring them a sandwich”
OMG thank you for the laugh!!!! I agree completely. That was perfect comic relief plus the laugh helped me pick up my jaw from the floor.