Placenta encapsulation is a two-day process that converts afterbirth into pills.

The growing practice of women consuming their placenta has caught the attention of two UNLV researchers, who this week published the first experiential study on human placentophagia.

When Lisa Stark gave birth to her second son in January, she decided to save her placenta. In most cases, this organ that nourishes the fetus is discarded after childbirth. In some cultures, the placenta is considered sacred and is buried under a tree. Stark had something else in mind for her placenta. She wanted to eat it.