In many people's mind, placenta is a kind of special tonic food. After many mothers give birth to children, they take the placenta home to dry and grind it into flour, so can the placenta really be eaten? What's the advantage of eating placenta? Here's a brief introduction for you!
What is placenta?
Placenta is only available when a woman is pregnant. Its functions are mainly in two aspects: on the one hand, it transports nutrients and oxygen for the fetus; on the other hand, it transports the waste after the metabolism of the fetus.
After a woman gives birth, the placenta will be produced along with the fetus. When she leaves the uterus, it is dark red or purplish red and covered with blood vessels.
Can placenta really be eaten?
The reason why some people prefer to eat placenta is that it has high nutrient value. What nutrient value does placenta have?
A kind of food can keep healthy and nourish mainly depends on its ingredients. The main ingredients in placenta are hormones, enzymes and proteins, which are very common and have no real value.
In order to verify the value of placenta, many experts have explored, but up to now, there is no conclusion. In other words, there is no evidence that eating placenta is good for human body.
But many experts say that eating placenta is bad for human body.
Placenta is directly connected with the blood circulation system. If there is an infectious disease, the pathogen will flow into the placenta through blood fluid. Once eaten, it may become sick.
Even if there is no infectious disease, the placenta will contact with the feces and urine of the parturient and will be polluted.
Some people say that before eating placenta, you will cook in high temperature. Is it safe?
Experts say the virus in the placenta may not be killed by heat, so there is still a risk.
So, it's not advisable to take placenta and risk infection for unknown benefits.
Chinese medicine Ziheche has been kicked out of the Pharmacopoeia
Many people want to eat placenta, one of the main reasons is that traditional Chinese medicine can be used to treat a variety of diseases.
However, in 2015, there was no Ziheche in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Even the Chinese patent medicine formulated with Ziheche no longer exists.
Deng Yong, a lecturer of health law at Beijing University of traditional Chinese medicine, pointed out that Ziheche was kicked out of the pharmacopoeia for two main reasons:
On the one hand, Ziheche is a human placenta, which belongs to human organs. It is not ethical to use Ziheche as medicine;
On the other hand, placenta is the organ of material exchange between mother and child, which may cause infection. Even if made into traditional Chinese medicine, it can also contain viruses.
In addition, the function of Ziheche is not special. It can be replaced by other traditional Chinese medicine.
To sum up, we'd better not eat placenta at will.