Great comment but rather than providing additional opiates, placentophagy (at least in experiments on rodents) seems to enhance the analgesic effects of the opiates that the body produces.

Hi Rich. My new book “Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History” (Algonquin, 2/14/2017) has a chapter on placenta eating. My take on your question is that it’s certainly not vegetarian and should more correctly be classified as a form of medicinal cannibalism. PS. I did try it (that’s in the book too) and as prepared…