i use a standard sized (8 or 9 inches - i cant remember) stock pot and a separate colander/potato ricer that fits in the top. it sits 3 inches above the bottom so that it is steamed rather than boiled in the water/herbs. the colander has feet and i can use it in the sink when i rinse and drain the blood from the placenta. then i can just transfer the colander with the placenta into the pot for steaming.
the colander is bowl shaped so the placenta lays kind of concave but during the steaming they usually turn slightly convex. there is usually plenty of room for the placenta and i've never had to smoosh or fold a placenta to get it to fit (but then i've not had an enormous one like bri posted about - although that size would be pretty rare). i lay it fetal side down and wrap or cover the maternal side with the membranes. it shrinks a lot during the steaming process.
it is traditional to put certain herbs in the steaming water to help "fix" the placenta essence but a TCM teacher that i talked to the other day said it was just adding more of a medicinally warming property to the placenta. it definitely makes it smell nicer as some placentas have a very strong smell while steaming. the herbs traditionally used most are a thumb sized nub of fresh ginger (although dried powdered ginger is also good and even more medicinally warming), a pepper (traditionally a chinese red pepper would be used - i forget its name - but you can substitute a jalapeno pepper), and an organic lemon (peel and all). all of this is diced up and added to the water before steaming and is discarded with the water after. alternatively, i was taught that if the mom had more than normal bleeding or clotting then using a tsp of myrrh powder would be beneficial. if she had excessive tearing then frankincense and myrrh would be recommended. some people add these aromatic powders to the other herbs and others use them alone in the steam water. |
Quote:
While the great sage Choni HaMagel was walking along a road, he saw a man planting a carob tree. Choni asked him: "How long will it take for this tree to bear fruit?" "Seventy years," replied the man. Choni then asked: "Are you so healthy a man that you expect to live that length of time and eat its fruit?" The man answered: "I found a fruitful world because my ancestors planted for me, so therefore I plant for my children." - Ta'anis 23b
