Tell me about maca

[Blazin'Jane]

What is it? What is it good for? Is it hard to come by or sually available in hf stores?

[Veganforlife]

I've never seen it in my HFS. Alissa sells it. Here's a description:

Description:


Maca is a great way of remineralizing your body. Maca is full of vitamins and minerals in the right combination and proportion that the body needs, so that the body can actually use them.

Maca (Organic, Raw) 1 lb bag

Ingredients: Our whole raw organic maca powder contains all of the plant spirit, minerals and fiber. It is the way ancient cultures consumed their maca. Raw organic maca is the ancient super food of South America.

Suggested uses:
Use Raw, Organic Maca regularly in smoothies and other recipes.

Nutritional Benefits:
Maca is a vegetable root or tuber that grows ONLY in the high Andean plateaus of Peru at altitudes as high as 14,500 ft above sea level; where the local inhabitants who consume Maca as part of their daily diet are known to be very fertile and have tremendous amounts of energy. Rich in nutritional content (potassium, and higher levels of calcium than in milk), maca is a natural hormonal balancer which provides great health benefits for both, men and women.

Maca has amazing properties and is becoming more well known of for its effectiveness in health c hallenges, including osteoporosis, male impotence, menopause, menstrual difficulties, chronic fatigue, and depression. Maca is an adaptogen, and therefore adapts to your body's metabolism. It works syergystically with your body to repair what needs to be repaired so that an optimal and ideal level of health and energy is maintained at all times.

Benefits for women
Maca enhances overall energy. It is a non-toxic energetic supplement with no downside effects offering women the chance for a natural hormonal rejuvenation. Maca encourages human glands to produce estrogen, progesterone and testosterone hormones. It eliminates hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms in women and restores testosterone levels in women for a natural increase in strength and sexual drive.

Benefits for men
Maca is a non-toxic energetic supplement with no downside effects offering enhancmen to overall energy. Maca induces testosterone production in men to increase libido and boost their sexual drive.

[Shell]

I live in Canada, I don't know if that makes any difference, but I get my maca (organic, raw powder) at my health food store. I have even seen it in the grocery store! Although, I doubt it's raw. The brand I get is Navitas Naturalshttp://www.navitasnaturals.com/ (http://www.navitasnaturals.com)

[StudentforLife]

I just bought maca for the first time at the organic garden cafe in Beverly, MA. I have wanted to try it for a while now because it's such a powerful superfood. Tomarrow I will put it in my morning green smoothie.

[Little Mango]

Ya, me too! I just got mine from lovely Shazzie!

I only got a small amount coz I want to try it out first. Looking forward to trying something new (as always!)

[Zella Juice]

love it!

helps balance out my hormones. makes my moods better. I feel like crap..have a maca smoothie and everything seems to get better. also helps lessen my migranes.

[iamacranberry]

The only problem with maca is that it tastes perfectly awful...be prepared to put it in capsules in necessary

[belle]

this is very interesting! Ive considered it myself. Would anyone mind sharing more of their personal experiences with it? Thanks! :)

[GlimR]

I make rawveganmom's super best coffee ever drink, modified a little...I put roughly a T. (maca pwdr)in there and it tastes fine...no weird taste at all.
I also put mesquite, lucuma and fo-ti in it....the banana and chocolate cover any funny taste...gives me energy, increased libido, sleeping better......love it!!
The libido is the biggest perk...yes indeedy~:p

[belle]

what is the recommended serving & times per day?

[Shell]

On the back of my package of maca, it says to mix 1/2 to 1 tsp. of maca into smoothies or food one or more times per day.....a little vague, but I usually use 2 tsp. per day....one in a smoothie in the morn, another in the aft.

[Zella Juice]

i mix one tablespoon in my smoothies. at first I didn't like the taste. now I like it and even crave it. it gives me that full feeling too.

[rawOrchid]

Maca's an awesome Superfood very much valued by Shazzie, David Wolfe...

Increased libido...

Hormone balancer.. etc..

Since I introduced it to my sis and friends, they luuv it

:) Yum

[GlimR]

Any ideas on what to mix it with other than cacao in smoothies....would like to have it in the afternoon and can't do cacao that late in the day....something that tempers the flavor of the maca???

[Shell]

Bananas seem to mask a number of flavours.....maybe mix it into a banana pudding, or banana ice cream?

[iamacranberry]

I had some success making a dehydrated bread of sorts using rye, carrots, maca, fennel, cumin, nama shoyu, and a bit of celery. If anyone is interested in exact amounts, I can attempt to recreate it and measure the amounts.

[Little Mango]

Ok guys I need some advice! My friend who is my age (26) had a baby last year and since then she has really been struggling with body temperature. No matter how cold it is she is always feeling really hot. Does anyone think that Maca could help her??

Oh and I got mine today, just had my green smoothie with it.....I shall keep you updated on any Strange changes!! :D

[iamacranberry]

Yes, let us know how it goes...also spicy foods and regular physical activity help keep the body warm...although if your friend is breastfeeding I'm not sure the spicy foods idea is the best one.

Strange as it sounds, I started teaching myself to love eating spoonfuls of cayenne pepper on a regular basis after reading about the health benefits of it. Now I've always had poor blood circulation, and this problem came to an end when I started taking cayenne daily. I also was never cold. But as I said, if she's breastfeeding that's probably not the wisest choice.

[Raw Jewelrylady]

I order maca & cacao from Alissa. In fact I order all my Raw supplies that I can from Alissa.

I love maca in smoothies esp in combo with cacao. I feel a great energy lift & feelings of bliss, etc. Could be my attitude & surroundings~etc...but I truly believe that maca is worth the investment.:)

Lana

[Little Mango]

Whether this was the maca or not I don't know but, last night I had the worst night sweats!!! It was my first time using it....:(

Thanks for the advice Cranberry!!

Yes, I have really bad circulation as well. I cannot tolerate spicy food coz of my skin! Darn!!! Which is a shame coz as a kid I used to eat whole green chillies like they were sweets!!! hehehe

[iamacranberry]

Maca, like any other herb or plant or food, will affect different people in different ways. I personally have tried daily doses even as high as 1 tablespoon and not felt even a bit different as far as energy levels, etc. go. Thus, it's still sitting around in my kitchen and being used slowly but surely. I paid enough for it; that stuff's not going to waste!

[Day Kaz]

would taking Maca reduce the effectiveness of birth control pills?

[Little Mango]

Maca, like any other herb or plant or food, will affect different people in different ways. I personally have tried daily doses even as high as 1 tablespoon and not felt even a bit different as far as energy levels, etc. go. Thus, it's still sitting around in my kitchen and being used slowly but surely. I paid enough for it; that stuff's not going to waste!

Oh me too. I have only about 200grams worth but it cost a few bob so I will definately still use it. I think I will start again but put a little less in this time!

[cheech]

I was taking maca pills, however they made me very nasesous when I swallowed them. Any similar experiences with the powder? My local co-op sells it in powder form. I think I'll definitely try putting it in a smoothie.