Grass-Fed Placenta - 180 capsules

The placenta is the organ that nourishes and protects the calf during gestation and supplies it with hormones and growth factors; in many traditional cultures the placenta was eaten after birth as recovery food. Ancestral Grass Fed Placenta contains 1,500 mg of freeze-dried bovine placenta and 1,500 mg of liver per daily dose and, according to the 'like supports like' principle, is chosen by women around their cycle, after childbirth or during the menopause, and by people who want to nourish their skin and their capacity to recover. Traditional cultures all over the world ate animals nose to tail and regarded the organs as the most nourishing part: liver, heart, kidney, spleen and glands contain more vitamins, minerals, peptides and cofactors per gram than muscle meat. The 'like supports like' principle from those traditions holds that by eating an organ you take in the same building blocks that the corresponding organ in your own body uses. Ancestral Supplements delivers that nourishment in capsule form, for anyone who does not like the taste of organ meat, cannot get hold of it or does not want to prepare it every day. So it is not an isolated extract or a medicine, but freeze-dried food. Ancestral Supplements uses only organs from cattle (and, for the thymus, sheep) that graze outdoors all year round in New Zealand and Australia: grass-fed and grass-finished, with no added hormones, antibiotics, pesticides or GMOs. The organs are freeze-dried raw (not heated, not defatted), so the heat-sensitive vitamins, enzymes and fat-soluble nutrients are preserved. There are no fillers, flow agents, stearates or anti-caking agents; the only addition is the bovine gelatin capsule. Every batch is tested by an independent laboratory and the company operates under GMP certification.

Per 6 capsules, 1,500 mg of freeze-dried placenta with placental peptides, growth factors, collagen, haem iron, vitamin B12 and cofactors, plus 1,500 mg of liver with vitamin A, B12, folate and copper. The placenta contains traces of natural hormones, but not a pharmacological amount. Levels are not standardised.

The standard dose is 6 capsules a day (3,000 mg), taken all at once or spread over the day, with or without food. Start with 1 to 2 capsules for the first few days and add one capsule every couple of days until you reach 6, so your body can get used to it. At 6 a day, a jar of 180 capsules lasts 30 days. Because this is freeze-dried food, you can also open the capsules and mix the powder into a smoothie, yoghurt or (not too hot) food; expect a pronounced meaty taste.

Most people notice nothing in particular when they start. Around 5 to 10 percent, especially people with a sensitive immune system or an autoimmune condition, experience mild complaints in the first week such as nausea, headache, fatigue or an unsettled stomach. This is usually temporary. If so, build up more slowly (1 capsule a day, adding one every 3 days), take the capsules with food and a large glass of water, and lower the dose if it persists. If the complaints do not disappear within a few days of lowering the dose, stop and consult your doctor or therapist.

FEM contains ovary, uterus and fallopian tube (1,200 mg) with liver and bone marrow and is the cycle and fertility formula. Placenta contains the gestational organ itself with liver and is more often chosen after childbirth, during the menopause and for skin and recovery. Some women combine them: 3 capsules of FEM and 3 capsules of Placenta.

Yes, liver from healthy animals is safe. A common misconception is that the liver 'stores' toxins; in fact the liver filters and processes them so they can be eliminated via bile and urine, and what it mainly stores is vitamins (A, B12, folate, copper, iron) and glycogen. Liver from healthy, grass-fed animals in New Zealand, where no growth hormones and hardly any antibiotics are used, is one of the most nutrient-dense foods there is. Liver does, however, contain a lot of natural vitamin A (retinol): 3,000 mg of freeze-dried liver provides roughly 1,500 to 3,500 µg, so around or slightly above the daily reference intake. For that reason, do not combine it with other high-dose vitamin A supplements or several liver-containing products at full dose at the same time, and if you are pregnant, discuss your total vitamin A intake with your midwife.

Adults and children can use these products; after all, it is food. For children the dose is adjusted to body weight: a child of 20 to 30 kg, for example, takes 1 to 2 capsules a day (open them into food if you like). During pregnancy and breastfeeding there is no objection to organ meat as such, but keep an eye on your total vitamin A intake from liver and consult your midwife. If you take medication or have an autoimmune condition, consult your doctor first. Yes. Ancestral products are food and can be used alongside each other and alongside other supplements. Two things to keep in mind: many products contain liver, so add up the total amount of liver and keep an eye on your vitamin A intake (see the question about liver); and hormone-containing glands (thyroid, adrenal, testicle) are best not all taken at full dose at the same time. A popular base is Beef Liver or Beef Organs plus Beef Bone Marrow; to that you add a specific organ for your goal.

The product contains beef (and bovine gelatin as the capsule) and is therefore not suitable for vegetarians, vegans or people with a beef allergy (alpha-gal). Beyond that it contains no gluten, dairy, soy, nuts, egg, fish, shellfish, sugar, colourings, preservatives or fillers. New Zealand and Australia are officially free of BSE (mad cow disease). Store the jar closed in a cool, dry and dark place, such as a kitchen cupboard; the fridge is not necessary. Freeze-dried organ powder attracts moisture, so close the jar straight after use and leave the silica gel sachet inside. Unopened and sealed, the product keeps until the date on the label; once opened, preferably use it up within 3 months.