Dried placental tissue, either from sheep and deer in cosmetic and anti-ageing products, or from the person's own birth, encapsulated after delivery. The two are different practices with different risks.
There are two distinct products here and neither has supporting evidence. Ovine and deer placenta extracts are sold across Asia and increasingly elsewhere for skin and vitality, on the strength of growth factor content that, like all peptide claims, does not survive digestion. Human placenta encapsulation after birth is promoted for postpartum mood, energy and lactation; the controlled trials that exist are very small and found no difference from placebo, and public health authorities have issued warnings after a newborn developed group B streptococcal sepsis traced to the mother's contaminated placenta capsules. Placenta is also the organ that filters what crosses to a fetus, which makes it a poor candidate for concentrating and eating.
Sold as
Ovine placenta capsule, Deer placenta extract, Encapsulated human placenta, Topical and injectable cosmetic preparations
Standardised to
None; no meaningful characterisation exists for any placenta product — a product without this marker may not resemble what was studied.
Regulation: Sold as dietary supplements or cosmetics in various jurisdictions with no pre-market efficacy review. US public health authorities have advised against human placenta encapsulation following a documented case of neonatal infection, and some countries restrict placental products in cosmetics.
What the research used
The amounts, forms and durations published trials of Placenta supplements actually administered.
These are the amounts published trials administered — not a recommendation, and not a dose to copy. Trial participants were screened, supervised and given a characterised preparation. What is in a retail bottle is frequently not what was studied, and the amount that suits one person is not general advice.
Studied for Commercial products
100–1000 mg
Not enough
Placenta extract capsule, daily
What products contain. There is no trial establishing any dose of any placenta preparation for any outcome.
This is general information about food, not medical advice. It cannot diagnose, treat or replace guidance from a clinician who knows your history.
When it was taken
Each window says whether a trial compared it against an alternative, or whether it is convention and pharmacology. Most timing advice is the second kind.
None of the timings below were directly compared in a trial. They reflect how the research happened to dose, or what the pharmacology implies — which is not the same as a timing being better.
🕐Any time
Not enough
No timing research exists for any placenta preparation.
Timing was not directly compared. This reflects convention or how the compound behaves in the body, not a trial showing this window works better.
The evidence in depth
Best supported: Not enough
What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how promising the supplement sounds. How we rate evidence.
Placenta capsules are sometimes recommended for postpartum iron replacement. Analyses have found the iron content too low to meaningfully affect iron status, and no trial supports it.
Not enough evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.
Small randomised trials of encapsulated human placenta after birth found no difference from placebo in mood, fatigue or bonding measures. The practice is popular and the evidence does not support it.
Not enough evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.
Ovine and deer placenta extracts are sold for skin on growth factor content. Peptide growth factors are digested when swallowed, and no controlled trial supports an oral skin effect.
Not enough evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.
Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.
Things to know
Interactions, contraindications and dose limits, most serious first. Concentrated extracts interact with medication in ways the whole plant does not, so this section carries more weight here than it does on a food page.
Worth knowing
Documented infection risk
A newborn developed recurrent group B streptococcal sepsis after the mother took placenta capsules found to contain the organism, prompting a public health advisory. Home and commercial encapsulation processes do not reliably eliminate bacteria or viruses, and there are no processing standards.
Worth knowing
No evidence for any claimed benefit
The controlled trials that exist for postpartum placenta consumption found no benefit over placebo for mood, energy or bonding. Animal placenta products have no controlled human evidence at all.
Worth knowing
It is a filtering organ
The placenta accumulates what it screens from the fetal circulation, including metals such as cadmium. Concentrating and eating it inverts the logic of what the organ is for.
Avoid
Hormonal and sourcing concerns with animal placenta
Ovine and deer placenta preparations may carry hormonal activity, are unsuitable in hormone-sensitive conditions, and involve animal tissue sourcing with no traceability or disease-control assurance. Chronic wasting disease is a specific concern for cervid tissue.