A mother in the US was found by doctors (opens new window) to be causing her child to fall ill because she was taking pills made from her own placenta. A company in the US makes the pills from dried placenta, and you supply them with your placenta after your child's birth.

Supposedly the treatment relieves postpartum depression at bay, increases milk production, improves mood and energy levels and offers nutritional fortitude. However, not only is there no evidence for any of these claims, there are also risks involved.

The mother's actions resulted in the child contracting late-onset GBS (group B Streptococcus agalactiae), which was easily preventable and risked the baby's life.

This is not the only strange placenta ritual - mothers have also been told that leaving the placenta connected to their baby for as long as possible can be beneficial, again without any evidence that this practice is anything other than dangerous.