Tori Spelling and other celebrities who ate their own placentas

Placenta consumption: a celebrity trend
Health impacts and controversies
Mayo Clinic and CDC do not recommend it
Alicia Silverstone
January Jones
Kim Kardashian
Kourtney Kardashian
Hilary Duff
Chrissy Teigen
Gaby Hoffman
Mayim Bialik
Katherine Heigl
Kim Zolciak
Mandy Moore
Padma Lakshmi
Blac Chyna
Samantha Bee
Placenta consumption: a celebrity trend

Consuming the placenta post-birth, a practice known as placentophagy, has gained popularity for its supposed health benefits. There are many ways to eat it, whether turning it into pills or gummies, freezing it as ice cubes, or frying it with some fava beans and a nice chianti. Some companies or doulas do this for a price, and it is not regulated.

Health impacts and controversies

While some claim that placentophagy can prevent postpartum depression; improve mood, energy, and milk supply; and provide important micronutrients, such as iron, the Mayo Clinic states that there is no evidence that eating the placenta provides health benefits.

Mayo Clinic and CDC do not recommend it

The CDC even issued a warning against it after a mother passed strep to her baby through this practice. Indeed, placentas are teeming with bacteria. But despite the controversy, here are some celebs who swear by it.

Alicia Silverstone

After giving birth, Silverstone swallowed her placenta in pill form, with her husband even calling them her "happy pills" due to their effect on her mood. She shared her positive experience in her book 'Kind Mama', highlighting its benefits without insisting it's for everyone.

January Jones

The 'Mad Men' actress credits eating her placenta for preventing postpartum depression, emphasizing that it's a common practice among mammals and shouldn't be viewed as taboo. "It's not witch-crafty or anything! I suggest it to all moms!” she said, according to US Magazine.

Kim Kardashian

Known for her openness about health and beauty routines, Kardashian took placenta pills to combat postpartum depression and fatigue. “Every time I take a pill, I feel a surge of energy and feel really healthy and good,” she shared on her blog in 2015.

Kourtney Kardashian

Not one to shy away from unconventional practices, Kourtney raved about her experience with placenta pills on Instagram, claiming they were life-changing. “Yummy...PLACENTA pills! No joke...I will be sad when my placenta pills run out. They are life changing! #benefits #lookitup”

Hilary Duff

Duff described her placenta smoothie as the "most delightful smoothie " she'd ever had, on 'Dr. Berlin’s Informed Pregnancy Podcast.' Her take on placenta consumption showcases the variety of ways it can be ingested.

Chrissy Teigen

On 'CBS Sunday Morning,' the model and wife of John Legend said she was happier after having her second child thanks to eating her placenta. When the host expressed skepticism, she joked: Really? That's not a normal thing? I'm in L.A., it's very normal. They grill it here. You can try some of mine after."

Gaby Hoffman

The actress took a more direct approach by freezing her placenta into ice cubes and blending it into smoothies, citing the natural and beneficial properties of the practice. “Every day, I put it in a blender with strawberries and blueberries and guava juice and a banana," she said in an interview, according to US Magazine.

Mayim Bialik

The 'Big Bang Theory' star advocated for the nutritional and health benefits of placenta consumption, in a 2012 blog post. “Human beings are the only mammals that have chosen to not routinely ingest their placenta,” she wrote.

Katherine Heigl

The 'Grey's Anatomy' star told People magazine that after the birth of her son in 2016, she had the placenta encapsulated. "They told me that another mother down the hall had a company that freeze-dries pills. This guy came, he was a total cowboy: Cowboy hat, cowboy boots … and a bag of placenta! He took it to his wife who freeze-dried it and turned it into pills."

Kim Zolciak

On the season 3 premiere of 'Don't Be Tardy,' Zolciak and her husband, Kroy Biermann, drank a placenta smoothie. She attributed the move to her doctor "really scaring the s----t outta me with this whole postpartum depression, especially with twins because your levels are through the roof and my friend told me eating your placenta can help with that," she said on the show.

Mandy Moore

Moore also discussed her decision to encapsulate her placenta on the 'Dr. Berlin’s Informed Pregnancy Podcast' in 2021, highlighting the trend’s growing acceptance among new mothers seeking natural recovery methods. She did it again in 2022, posting her placenta pill bottle on Instagram.

Padma Lakshmi

The 'Top Chef' host also encapsulated her placenta to ward off postpartum depression, sharing in her memoir, 'Love, Loss, and What We Ate', that she was afraid of "collapsing from stress and fatigue and succumbing to the postpartum depression."

Blac Chyna

During her pregnancy, Chyna expressed her intention to eat her placenta to enhance her and her baby's health, citing the natural instinct seen in animals like cats and dogs as her inspiration on the 'Loveline with Amber Rose' podcast in 2016.

Samantha Bee

The comedian and host shared her experience with placenta capsules in an interview with Babble, likening it to a natural iron supplement. “For me, it was like taking a megadose of iron,” she said, adding that they comforted her despite making her feel "ever-so-slightly jittery."

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