# Why do people eat placentas? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 2, 2004, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-eat-placentas/243118 "2004-05-02T06:14:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-eat-placentas/243118/1 "2004-05-02T06:14:32Z")
I assume it’s for nutritional/traditional value, but that’s not enough for me. Why in the hell would someone want to eat afterbirth? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-eat-placentas/243118/2 "2004-05-02T06:18:04Z")
Most mammals do so naturally. Why should we be any different? It’s a good hunk of nutritious protein, something which a mother that’s just gone through the effort of giving birth needs. It’s only culturally that it’s disgusting. ---
**Author:** ![LadyMack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4491bb/32.png) [@LadyMack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LadyMack)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-eat-placentas/243118/3 "2004-05-02T06:23:01Z")
Oops. Too late now… I had 2 kids, and nobody told me I should do this. All I got was chocolate milkshakes. ---
**Author:** ![caligynephobia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7feea3/32.png) [@caligynephobia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligynephobia)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-eat-placentas/243118/4 "2004-05-02T06:30:38Z")
[Cecil](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_104.html) had an article on this (I was trying to remember where I’d read about it before). Mmmm, placenta . . . Actually, yuck.