In this episode, Hannah & Victoria are joined by now-regular podcast guest Sara Russell, PhD, to discuss placentophagy, aka the practice of eating the placenta after birth.
A couple of notes before the show notes:
* We had some tech difficulties, so this episode is audio-only and has some wonky edits near the end. We still think it’s worth publishing b/c Sara is a wealth of knowledge, and this topic is wild AF
* We recorded this in January 2026, so some of our references are now a bit dated. We’ll be releasing new episodes as we can between Hannah’s school schedule and Victoria’s owning two businesses schedule
On to the episode:
* Quick opening discussion about rosacea and integrative ways to address it
* Placentophagy might seem like a crunchy hippy throwback to how humans used to live, but based on what we know, traditional cultures didn’t eat placenta
* What is the placenta, exactly? Sara explains.
* Sara’s personal experience with placentophagy and why she stopped eating it after a short time
* What are the dangers of placentophagy?
* If you’d like, you can supplement with grass-fed beef placenta. 🤷♀️
* We clarify Brian Johnson (Liver King) versus Bryan Johnson (famous biohacker venture capitalist who doesn’t want to die)
* Sara explains the importance of screening for and addressing group B strep in pregnancy and birth
* Do other animals eat their placenta?
* Quick discussion of the new dietary guidelines (published in January 2026)
* Placenta research
* Traditional history of placentophagy and another study here
* Placenta: Worth trying?
* A 2020 review summarizes the controversy: “On the one hand, researchers attribute benefits like increased breast milk, weight gain in newborns, decreased postpartum depression and fatigue, and improved mothers’ mood. In contrast, bacterial or viral infections, hormonal, or trace elements that could become toxic for both the mother and baby are reported as possible health risks. Other reports argue a lack of scientific rigor to support the self-reported benefits of placentophagia. Also, the way the placenta is prepared (raw, cooked, dehydrated, processed, or encapsulated) alters its components, and thus the desired effects.”
* Does placenta consumption happen in nature? Is it natural?
* Placentophagy may be a safety measure to keep the mother and infant safe
* But that hypothesis doesn’t hold water based on other observations. There are situations where mothers retrieve the placenta in spite of the fact that it would be safer to discard it, and situations where mothers consume the placenta even when they could just as easily abandon it and move with their young to a safe location far from where the placenta’s odor might attract the attention of predators.
* Other species actively avoid the placenta altogether
* Possible benefits of placentophagy are discussed here and here
* Read about the forces that drive placentophagy such as genetics, nutrition, and hormones here, here, and here
If you have a specific question, send us an email at [email protected]. Sara has eight full pages of citations.
If you’d like to learn more about Sara’s work with pregnancy-specific blood work analysis, click here.
Or visit her website here.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit influencedtodeath.substack.com
