Placenta

Gross (but useful!) Hask Henna 'n' Placenta ($2) for hair has been around forever, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that now there are placenta facials.

Placentas, also known as afterbirth, are full of protein, iron, and tons of vitamins and minerals, which, I will allow, make them excellent for the health of hair, skin, and nails. People have been using the placentas of sheep and horses as beauty aids for time immemorial, in fact. But guess what?  We have a lot of nice ways to synthesize this stuff now, and you could also just use wheat protein and run-of-the-mill vitamins to get the same effect. I guess treatments like this are more natural, but to me, they're also gross. I used a placenta hair treatment once, and although it worked well, it was no better than some hot oil and a deep conditioner, and it smelled pretty funky. If you were offered a placenta facial, would you take it in all its "natural" glory?

Often called the "tree of life," placentas are known to have special healing powers for postpartum moms and some even believe they have a way with spirits. Taye Diggs's wife Irina had hers turned into pills while Camila Alves and Matthew McConaughey had plans to plant theirs under a tree. Some, like myself, told the doctors to take it to a place never to be seen again. Perhaps I should have saved mine and sold it as they seem to be a hot commodity among the elite these days. Hollywood's hotshots are partaking in placenta beauty treatments and famous athletes are turning to the often trashed organ for healing powers. Soccer star Robin Van Persie is hoping that a horse's placenta will work magic on his ankle ligament injury. Physiotherapist Mariana Kovacevic is known for her mystical techniques, one which will have her massaging liquid from a horse's placenta into the player's affected area.

It seems the placenta is the wonder organ that keeps on giving. Would you partake in any of these special treatments?

Chitchat about mucous plugs and episiotomies doesn't make most moms squeamish, but as a lady near the end of my third pregnancy, I just reached my limit in learning about the placenta teddy bear! Our friends over at Inhabitots are polling their green readers as to whether the toy made from the disposable organ to commemorate the birth is cute or creepy.

While some women believe in lotus birth and create a pouch in which to store the placenta until their child naturally separates from it, others like Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves follow the Aboriginal tradition of planting their babe's placenta in an orchard. Then, there are parents who indulge in placentophagia, the eating of the placenta, which is rumored to curb postpartum depression and hemorrhage. Preoccupied with my new bundles of joy, I don't even remember delivering the afterbirth and never gave any thought to taking it home, perhaps because at the time, I was ignorant of all these options.  Were you?