COMMERCIAL USE OF LIVESTOCK PLACENTA EXTRACT
Since ancient times, “Placenta Extract” has always been regarded as the source of beauty and health. As early as the Qin dynasty, King Chin Shihhuang has been using Placenta Extract to sustain his youthful appearance.
Placenta Extract contains proteins, coagulation factor, erythropoietin, polysaccharide, lecithin, vitamins, enzymes, various types of amino acid and growth factor. Medically tested and proven, the skin cells become more active with the use of Placenta Extract, which in turn enhances the immunity of the skin. Consequently, Placenta Extract is extensively employed in the field of cosmetology and also health foods.
In modern times, skin-care products containing placenta is very common at the cosmetic section of most department stores. These products were sought after mainly because it is very effective in reversing the effects of aging in your skin.
When a woman becomes pregnant, the inside layer of her womb develops into a placenta which is the main gateway for the exchange of nutrients from the mother to the baby. When the woman gave birth, the placenta is no longer needed and hence it was expelled from the womb together with the baby it helps sustain with life giving nutrients.
However its usefulness does not end there. The high nutrient content of the placenta’s tissue is still intact. It is very rich in gonadotropin, yolk vitilline, malic acid, amino acids, hyracid, lecithinum, polysaccharide and Vitamins B and E. It is rich in mineral content like calcium, iron, zinc, phosphorous and copper. This is the primary reason why it is highly sought after as a cosmetic ingredient.
Placenta can slow down the effects of aging by slowing down the aging process. As we grow older, the production of collagen and elastin in the skin slows down. The detrimental effect of this is that wrinkles formed as well as fine lines. The skin also becomes thin and soggy.
Fortunately, placenta increases the production of both collagen and elastin. With the increase in collagen production, your skin becomes firmer. Enhanced elastin production makes the skin smoother and it gets more elastic. Therefore continued use of placenta rejuvenates your skin making it more vibrant. Your skin will also feel and look renewed and fresh.
Nowadays, placenta extracts are derived from pig, cow and sheep. Among these three animals, pig skin is biologically similar to human skin since humans and pigs are the only mammals that can get sunburn. However the use of pig is not widely accepted because it is not halal. Hence Muslim consumers avoided these products like a plague. Ovine placenta from sheep however is also beneficial and so the trend today is to use sheep placenta extract on skin care products.
A more recent technology is to use phyto placenta that actually come from plants. It was initially developed for scientific studies however it was very effective as a skin care product and hence it has been in use ever since.
Some seeds and buds of plant have placenta like properties similar to those found in mammals. A perfect example of that is the European beech tree. Its plant embryo contains peptides, flavonoids, hormones and several highly active elements. These important plant chemicals increase plant metabolism which in turn helps the seed to bloom from a dormant state.
EXPERTS OPINION-
• Experts say that the extract obtained from a cow’s placenta or umbilical cord is capable of regrowing hair and treating baldness. A Korean team of scientists have been experimenting on Indian cows in goshalas and their findings are quite remarkable.
Though baldness is an irreversible process, certain hormones present in the placenta of the cow can trigger hair growth on a bald head. Cow placental extract is a natural and cheap equivalent to the chemical, minoxidil, which is used by hair experts.
“The hormones and cytokins in a cow’s placenta promote hair growth not only by elongating the hair shaft but also by increasing the number of hair follicles,” said Dr L. Mira, a part of the Korean team involved in the research.
According to Dr Mira, cow placenta extract is also useful in other cosmetic applications including whitening of the skin and enhancing tone and texture.
The discovery comes close on the heels of a finding by a team of German bacteriologists that cow dung has actually been protecting Indians from outbreaks of Escherichia coli.
The E. coli strain present in cows and buffaloes is more harmful than the strains that exist in human colon.
USES OF PLACENTA EXTRACT
• The bovine placenta produces a wide variety of proteins that are structurally and functionally similar to the pituitary proteins from the GH/PR
• L gene family.
• Bovine placental lactogen (bPL) is a 200-amino acid long glycoprotein hormone that exhibits both lactogenic and somatogenic properties.
• Moreover, caruncular epithelial cells and
uninucleate trophoblast cells were the principal cells detected that were positive for the three markers.
• Placental extracts have long been used as an active ingredient for skin lightening together with ascorbic acid and its derivatives. Previously, a bovine-derived placental extract was the primary commercial source.
• However, swine-derived placental extracts are now used because of concern over mad cow disease.
• Various amino acids and minerals are at high concentrations in placental extracts, and the efficient inhibition of melanin synthesis and the enhancement of melanin removal from the skin, due to increased epidermal turnover have been reported.
• Interestingly, although placental extract has a strong history of use to decrease
hyper pigmentation, it has also been shown to increase melanogenesis. The lipid fraction of human placental extract was reported to increase melanin synthesis via the enhancement of tyrosinase gene expression.
• A growth factor found in the placenta of mammals. This factor can stimulate cellular division of blood vessels and increase the permeability of some cell layers found in blood vessels and the lymphatics.
• Placenta wrinkle cream derived from bovine placentas can slow down the appearance of visible signs of aging by moisturizing skin and combating wrinkles.
• The bovine placenta produces large amounts of steroids, mainly estrone (E1) and progesterone (P4).
• The Placenta Extract used in Hask products is from bovine placenta (cow), collected after the natural birthing process in its purest and most stable form of Lyophilized Powder. The powder is then reconstituted with deionized water or oils for use in Hask products.
• Growth factors and antimicrobial factors of bovine colostrum.
• Placenta Powder: for health and beauty a useful guide for those seeking placenta-based remedies.
• Use of the progesterone receptor antagonist aglepristone to characterize the role of P4 withdrawal for parturition and placental release in cows.
Compiled & Shared by- Team, LITD (Livestock Institute of Training & Development)
Image-Courtesy-Google
Reference-On Request.
