Human Placental Extract is effective in CFS.

[Remy]

Who's getting pregnant first to supply us with some good extract??? ​

Korean research...full text here:

Biol Pharm Bull. 2016 Feb 25. [Epub ahead of print]
Human Placental Extract as a Subcutaneous Injection is effective in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Park SB1, Kim KN, Sung E, Lee SY, Shin HC.
Author information

Abstract
Chronic Fatigue (CF) is a common reason for consulting a physician due to affecting quality of life, but only a few effective treatments are available. The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of subcutaneous injection of the human placental extract (HPE) on medically indescribable cases of CF and safety in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. A total of seventy eight subjects with CF were randomly assigned to either a HPE group or a placebo group. Subjects in the HPE group were treated with HPE three times a week subcutaneously for 6 weeks, whereas those in the placebo group with normal saline. Then, the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI) were measured in both CF group and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and idiopathic chronic fatigue (ICF) subgroup. The FSS, VAS and MFI score at baseline were not different between the HPE and placebo group in total subjects with CF. In CFS group, the FSS (p= 0.0242), VAS (p =0.0009) and MFI (p= 0.0159) scores measured at the end of the study period decreased more in the HPE group than in the placebo group when compared with those at the baseline. There were no significant differences between the HPE group and placebo group in the mean change from baseline in FSS, VAS, and MFI in subjects with ICF during the study period. The subcutaneous injection of HPE was effective in the improvement of CFS.

 

[Seanko]

ME Research UK have given their skeptical low down on the claims
Human placenta extract

Human Placenta Extract (HPE) is extracted from human placentas collected at full-term delivery, using heat and acid hydrolysis, and is said to consist of proteins, minerals, amino acids, and steroid hormones.

The rationale for its use seems to lie in traditional Chinese medicine, and in the belief that dysfunction in a part of the body can be treated by eating the equivalent part of the body of animal, for example, eating animal kidneys as a treatment for kidney disease. In illnesses of unknown cause associated with a range of symptoms, however, it can be difficult to identify an appropriate animal part to consume, and it seems that extracts of placenta are suitable in these cases, on the basis that they may include basic nutrients.

A new paper in the Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin (read more) reports on a randomised clinical trial of HPE – manufactured by GCJBP Corporation of Korea which also provided funding for the study – in patients with chronic fatigue, some fulfilling the Fukuda criteria for CFS (ME/CFS group) and some not (idiopathic chronic fatigue group; ICF).

In total, 78 patients with fatigue were recruited; 40 with ME/CFS and 38 with ICF. All were randomly assigned to receive a subcutaneous injection of either HPE or normal saline (placebo) three times a week for 6 weeks. The patients had a variety of clinical outcomes measured, including three different measures of fatigue (Fatigue Severity Scale; Visual Analog Scale; and Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory).

The results can be simply stated. Compared with the start of the study, the ME/CFS patients’ fatigue scores were reduced in both the HPE and placebo groups after 6 weeks, but the reduction in fatigue (on all three measures) was significantly greater (albeit modest; around 10% more) after HPE than after placebo.

They suggest that the anti-inflammatory properties of HPE may be improving the chronic inflammation underlying ME/CFS, and/or that cytokines present in HPE may be improving the immune function.

The same researchers at Ajou University have previously reported health improvements after subcutaneous injections of HPE in elderly Koreans (read more) and in in middle-aged Korean women with menopausal symptoms (read more), so they have something of a track record in studying the effect of HPE within a Korean culture that accepts placental products.

 

[Seanko]

ME Research UK conclude

ME Research UK sometimes gets phone calls from patients asking what to make of smallish, one-off and often unusual reports, like this one from Korea. Sadly, very little can be concluded about effectiveness from any single study, particularly as the scientific literature is replete with one-off smallish studies that overwhelmingly report positive outcomes for various interventions in various illnesses.

For instance, a quick look at the ME/CFS literature on complementary and alternative therapies (see review) alone reveals small studies showing ‘beneficial’ outcomes for qigong plus meditation (fatigue); massage (fatigue, pain and insomnia); tuina and tai chi (general symptoms); NADH (various symptoms); acetyl-L-carnitine (fatigue, pain and concentration); essential fatty acids (symptoms and general heath), and so on….

Are they all reporting true therapeutic effects? Were they published because their outcomes were positive, while the ‘negative’ studies were kept in a file drawer? No-one will ever know unless other researchers try to replicate the findings. Independent replication by other groups at other institutions is where the rubber meets the road; it’s a vital part of the scientific process, and without it the meaning of an isolated finding is anyone’s guess, particularly where the ‘treatment’ is unusual.

 

[Remy]

ME Research UK have given their skeptical low down on the claims

They're pretty skeptical in general, aren't they though, of anything "alternative"?

I mean, I agree, it's kind of out there to use placenta and this is probably not THE CURE, but a lot of the other things they mentioned have been pretty helpful to me at managing symptoms. I'd hate to throw the baby out with the bathwater.