How to Take Placenta Capsules

Storing and Steaming Your Placenta

Store your placenta in a sealed bag in the fridge. If you plan to consume your placenta, it's important to remove it and store it in the fridge as soon as you give birth. Ideally, you should begin to prepare your placenta within 48 hours after the birth to get the most benefits. You can store your placenta in the freezer for up to 1 month before preparing it. After 1 month, the placenta risks getting freezer burns and may have lost most of its nutritional benefits. You can also send your placenta to an agency to have them create capsules for you. However, there are no laws or regulations involved in placenta encapsulation.Warning: Some areas have laws against removing the placenta from the hospital. Check with your healthcare provider if you are unsure.

Rinse your placenta under cool water and massage it for 5 minutes. Your placenta may have collected various bodily fluids from the birthing process. Remove these by rinsing your placenta in cold water. Massage your placenta while it is under the cold water to get rid of most of the blood inside of it before you cook it. It is not strictly necessary to remove the blood from your placenta, but it does reduce the chances that your placenta capsules will upset your stomach. Wash your sink out thoroughly after you rinse your placenta.

Cut the umbilical cord off of your placenta if it has one. Depending on your birthing process, you placenta may have part or all of the umbilical cord still attached to it. Use a sharp knife to cut the cord off of the placenta at the base. You can dispose of your umbilical cord or bank the cord blood for use at a later date.

Steam your placenta for 20 minutes. Place your placenta on the stove top and steam it for about 20 minutes, or until it feels tender. The steam helps to cook the placenta, which may make it safer for consumption. However you’d need to heat it to at least 130 °F (54 °C) for 121 minutes to significantly reduce bacterial counts. You can place a few pieces of sliced ginger into the steamer with your placenta. According to traditional Chinese medicine, ginger warms your blood and promotes good circulation.

Drying Your Placenta and Creating Capsules

Cut your placenta into ⁄4 in (0.64 cm) pieces. Lay your steamed placenta onto a cutting board and use a sharp knife to chop it into smaller pieces. This will make it easier to dehydrate. Clean your knife and cutting board thoroughly after you use them.

Dehydrate your placenta at 250 °F (121 °C) for 12 hours. Lay your pieces of placenta out on your food dehydrator sheet. Make sure the pieces do not overlap. Turn your oven or food dehydrator to 250 °F (121 °C) and leave your placenta in it for 12 hours. If the pieces are overlapped, they might not dry evenly. Once your placenta is done, it should look like tough pieces of beef jerky.

Grind up your placenta into a powder form using a food processor. Place a few pieces of dried placenta into your food processor at a time and grind them as fine as you can. Place your ground placenta into a bowl.Tip: If you don’t have a food processor, you can also use a coffee grinder or a mortar and pestle. Make sure to disinfect your food processor thoroughly after you use it.

Fill empty size 0 capsules halfway with your powdered placenta. Scoop your powdered placenta into 100 to 200 empty pill capsules and seal them tightly. Try to fill each pill capsule about halfway full. The measurement of your placenta in each pill capsule doesn’t have to be exact, since taking more or less in 1 pill won’t harm your body. You can purchase empty pill capsules from most drug stores.

Timing Your Placenta Intake

Take 2 to 4 capsules per day for the first 6 weeks. The first month and a half after giving birth is the hardest to adjust to, and you will likely feel the most benefits of placenta capsules during this time. Assess your own needs and take anywhere from 2 to 4 capsules per day. Placenta capsules are said to help with postpartum depression, energy levels, hormone balance, and overall mood. Never share your placenta capsules with anyone else. Your placenta came from your body and could spread any pathogens or diseases that it contains.

Reduce your intake if you feel any dizziness or jitteriness. Most people do not experience any negative side effects, and if they do, they are mild. You may experience dizziness or jitteriness when you first start taking the capsules. If you do, cut down your capsule intake until you stop experiencing symptoms.Warning: If you experience nausea or diarrhea, stop taking your capsules. Your placenta may have bacteria in it from your womb.

Save a few capsules for when you wean the baby off your breast. Hormonal imbalances can be caused when you stop producing breast milk. Keep a few capsules around to take during this time to help your body adjust to its new routine. Placenta capsules are not drugs, so they do not have a specific dose. Judge the needs of your body as you take your capsules.

Store your placenta capsules in a cool, dark place. You can keep your placenta capsules in a pill bottle or an airtight container. Keep them in a cool, dark place that won’t get a lot of moisture, like the kitchen cabinet. Never store your placenta capsules in the fridge, as they could collect moisture and spoil. Your bathroom is also not a great place to store your capsules, since it gets hot and humid everytime you take a shower or bath.

Keep them in the freezer to take during menopause. If you’d like to, you can save 5 to 10 capsules in your freezer to help your body adjust to menopause. For most people, menopause won’t come for another 10 to 20 years, so you can keep your placenta capsules in the freezer until then. Food kept at a constant temperature of 0 °F (−18 °C) or lower will keep in the freezer indefinitely. Placenta capsules won’t spoil in the freezer since they are both dried and frozen. Make sure to place the capsules in an air-tight container to prevent freezer burn.