Consuming the placenta, also known as afterbirth, post delivery has been a common practice among new mothers. It is believed that eating your placenta helps you to recover from the birth, as well as help ward off postnatal depression. While there has been no scientific or medical evidence supporting this theory, there’s also no evidence about how safe it is to eat your placenta. However, a new study has meted out a warning, saying that new mothers who consume placenta after birth could be putting themselves and their babies at risk of infections such as sepsis.

After reviewing dozens of studies from across the globe on so-called placentophagy or placenta consumption, researchers are advising obstetricians to discourage their patients from eating the placenta in any form. "As obstetricians, it is important, to tell the truth. And the truth is it is potentially harmful and there is no evidence it is beneficial, therefore, do not do it," said Amos Grunebaum, from New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in the US.

The placenta is an organ serving as the connection between mother and developing the baby. Its job is to transport oxygen and other crucial nutrients for foetal growth, as well as filter toxins that might harm the foetus, researchers said. Human placentas have been consumed in many forms: raw, cooked, roasted, dehydrated, steamed and dehydrated in capsule form, or in smoothies or other drinks. The most common preparation appears to be in capsules, researchers said. However, the researchers found no evidence in clinical studies backing the health benefits claimed by proponents of placenta-eating. These alleged advantages include preventing postpartum depression, enhancing general mood and energy levels, improving breast-milk supply and reducing postpartum bleeding, Health Day reported.

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