I know that animals do this but WTF?
Disturbing nonetheless.
See "Human placentophagy". After our boy was born our doctor asked if we wanted to keep it. Said some families will either consume it or plant it in the backyard. I asked her how long it would take for a baby to grow out of the ground after we planted it. Some crickets chirped as she continued to "put an extra stitch in it"...and I politely went back to caring for the newborn screaming at my side.
At any rate, Tarheel, may I recommend the following a nice glass of cabernet:
Roast Placenta
1-3lb fresh placenta (must be no more than 3 days old)
1 onion
1 green or red pepper (green will add colour)
1 cup tomato sauce
1 sleeve saltine crackers
1 tspn bay leaves
1 tspn black pepper
1 tspn white pepper
1 clove garlic (roasted and minced)
Method
(Preheat oven to 350 degrees)
1. Chop the onion and the pepper & crush the saltines into crumbs.
2. Combine the placenta, onion, pepper, saltines, bay leaves, white and black pepper, garlic and tomato sauce.
3. Place in a loaf pan, cover then bake for one and a half hours, occasionally pouring off excess liquid mmmmmmmm.....
4. Serve and enjoy!
Feeling like Italian? This goes well with an aged chianti:
Placenta Lasagne
Ingredients:
1 fresh, ground, or minced placenta, prepared as above
2 tblspns olive oil
2 sliced cloves garlic
1/2 tspn oregano
1/2 diced onion
2 tblspns tomato paste, or 1 whole tomato
Method: use a recipe for lasagne and substitute this mixture for one layer of cheese. Quickly saut� all the ingredients in olive oil. Serve. Enjoy!
Perhaps you just like to pop pills...
Dehydrating your placenta
Instead of cooking your placenta whole, you can dehydrate it and then add it to meals! The following method is extracted from an article entitled "Thinking About Eating Your Placenta?" by Susan James, which appeared in the winter 1996 issue of "The Compleat Mother". It was discovered posted on a newsgroup noticeboard, so we cannot absolutely guarantee its authenticity, or that it is an actual verbatim account of the magazine article.
Method:
Cut off the cord and membranes. by all means, don't forget this one.
Steam the placenta, adding lemon grass, pepper and ginger to the steaming water. The placenta is "done" when no blood comes out when you pierce it with a fork.
Cut the placenta into thin slices (like making jerky) and bake in a low-heat oven (200-250 degrees F), until it is dry and crumbly (several hours).
Crush the placenta into a powder - using a food processor, blender, mortar and pestle, or by putting it in a bag and grinding it with rocks.
Put the powder into empty gel caps (available at drug and health food stores) or just add a spoonful to your cereal, blender drink, etc.
The recommended doses vary, some suggest up to 4 capsules a day, others just one. Perhaps the best advice is to take what makes you feel good
More here, if you're hungry.
http://www.mothers35plus.co.uk/plac_rec2.htm