The Beijing Health and Family Planning Commission launched on Monday an investigation into maternity wards and obstetric hospitals around the city following media reports that they are supplying human placentas for sale.
The practice of eating one's placenta after birth, dates back over 2,000 years in China and is believed to have anti-ageing benefits, among other medical advantages for women.
In a report published by Beijing News on Sunday, traders of human placentas claimed they could obtain fresh placenta from Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital for merely 400 yuan (58 US dollars) a piece. The price would double to 800 yuan (116 US dollars) after processing and packaging the placenta. Placenta pills are also available for 10 yuan (1.5 US dollars) a capsule.
A seller, Li Ping, said she is able to get her hands on two to three placentas per day, adding that her monthly income can easily reach 100,000 yuan (14,500 US dollars).
Traffickers have their own designated hospitals for supply, Li noted, and can turn to other connections to other hospitals if need be.
The hospital mentioned in the news report was swift to respond, stating on Sunday that preliminary investigation showed no involvement of its staff in the trade of human placentas. The management also noted that they are cooperating with the police to address the issue.
According to a 2005 regulation released by the national health authorities, human placentas could only be given to the puerperae. Should they choose to forsake or donate it, the hospital has the responsibility of keeping the organ, and ensuring that individuals or entities are not trading it.
Chinese Pharmacopoeia excluded human placenta, called Ziheche by practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine, in its latest version published in December 2015. Yet, medicine with Ziheche as an ingredient from a registered pharmacy is legal, Feng Ji, a doctor with No. 2 Hospital attached to Nanchang University, told Beijing News.
Feng has stressed that there are many health concerns surrounding ingesting a placenta of unknown source, as it might carry viruses of diseases including hepatitis B, HIV and syphilis.
