200 human placentas seized on expressway  

江西吉安截获面包车 非法运输200多只人体胎盘

(ECNS) -- More than 200 human placentas were seized Tuesday by police on an expressway in Jiangxi province.

Stored in eight foam boxes, the placentas were found in a van with a Henan province license plate.

The driver told toll station inspectors that the boxes contained seafood, but later admitted that the placentas had been bought from hospitals in Jiangxi, and that he was transporting them to Henan for processing and sales.

Police said the seized placentas will be burned at a medical waste center and that further investigation is underway.

Placenta is a vascular organ discharged shortly after birth, and believed by traditional Chinese medicine to be full of protein and nutrients.

Some people still use placenta to make soups and dumplings, even though experts warn that eating this part of the human body may lead to infections if the placenta is not properly processed, Global Times said.

China daily reported that placentas are even available on Taobao, the country's largest online marketplace. Sellers said they secretly sourced their products from staff members at hospitals and specialized maternity clinics, without the knowledge of new mothers.

According to a notice issued by the Ministry of Health, the placenta does belong to the mother. No trading and transporting of placentas by institutions or individuals is allowed, it stated.

The notice says hospitals can only dispose of the placenta, in accordance with the Regulations on the Administration of Medical Wastes, if the mother declines to keep it.