My Experience on the Benefits of Maca

April 5, 2022

Here is my experience on the benefits of Maca superfood. 12 years regular use behind and this is what I can tell you about the maca benefits.

What is Maca?

Maca is a root which grows in the mountains of Peru at high altitudes of 7,000 to 11,000 feet, making it the highest altitude growing plant in the world. Maca also goes by the name of Lepidium Meyenii and Lepidium Peruvianum. Also called “Peruvian Ginseng”.

If you so far haven’t heard about Maca superfood, then I suggest you to read this informative article on the maca benefits.

Here I am mostly going to focus on the maca benefits which I have seen from my experience.

I have been regular maca superfood user for many years and here I’m going to share why have I used maca and why I continue to use maca.

Real maca benefits that I have experienced

  • Faster muscle gain
    When starting to use maca I saw unorthodox fast muscle gain. I used to joke that with maca I don’t even have to workout, because my muscles seem to grow automatically… Lol, of course, you must also work out but maca use is an apparent boost on the muscle growth.
  • Faster recovery
    I have seen dramatically faster recovery times with maca, I believe it comes from the nutritional values of maca and the ability to make you adapt better to all kinds of stresses. No wonder maca has the reputation as a healthy alternative to anabolic steroids, which of course is the reason why there probably isn’t a single pro athlete who doesn’t use maca nowadays. Maca is not on the anti-doping list, so you can safely use it, completely legal.
  • More energy, stamina, and endurance
    Maca benefits on more energy are visible and one can see them in just days from starting to use maca.
  • Massive libido and sexual boost
    People joke that you shouldn’t be single when using maca… As the libido boost is REAL for man and women who use maca. This is one of the maca benefits that might not be good for everyone, but I believe that nowadays people have more problems with the loss of libido than the other way around.
  • Maca benefits healthy skin
    With maca, my skin condition is in much better shape. I get smoother healthy looking glowing skin. Skin care industry has also noticed this and lately, skin care companies have started to provide products with maca root as the key active ingredient in several new skincare brands.
  • Less stress, adapt better to hot/cold temperatures
    With the regular use of maca, I have better overall mental clarity and less stress. Also, the cool thing about adaptogen abilities of maca is that when you go out in the winter time you don’t actually feel the coldness that badly… Same goes in the hot areas like if you go out in Thailand you won’t actually feel the heat that badly.

    Your body adapts better to it and I’m always going to use good doses of maca in the winter time and also when traveling at places like Thailand where it is normally so hot but with maca it all changes to normal. This is one of the best perks maca brings, I really wish I had figured this out earlier.

Health benefits of Maca

I myself use maca mainly for its energy boosting factors. Maca offers great energy boost for those who are low in energy.

Many people use maca for the virility boost and aid. Maca is a real libido booster and for people or couples who would like enhancement on that department should start to eat maca regularly, in my opinion, there is no better natural supplement out there for virility and libido for both man & women.

Women use maca for hot flashes, PMS symptoms treatment and relieve. Maca works as a hormonal regulator, hormonal imbalance causes PMS problems and maca gives a major help on that. This also makes maca great for anyone with mood swings.

maca benefits organic maca powder from iherb
Maca root powder

Maca is said to be a great natural and healthy alternative to anabolic steroids, which is good news for everyone who wants to gain more muscle. For many professional athletes, maca is the number 1 supplement.

Good quality maca doesn’t come with any side effects, unlike steroids. Actually, maca works as a regulator, making you more balanced in hormonal activity. Making you have more mental clarity and not mood swings.

One of the best maca benefits is that its adaptogen which helps the body to adapt to different kinds of stresses. Be it just help on everyday stress or to help the body adapt better to cold or hot temperatures.

On top of all these perks, maca is a nutritional powerhouse. Amino acids, carbohydrates, and minerals including calcium, phosphorous, zinc, magnesium, iron, as well as vitamins B1, B2, B12, C and E. Rich in almost every mineral. Maca is one of the richest plant-based sources for Vitamin B12, which is great news for vegans or for people who do not eat much meat. Rich in protein as well, at least 10% of the maca root weight is protein.

With the everyday maca consuming you won’t likely be deficient in almost any mineral.

To sum it up: Energy, stamina, endurance, virility, hormonal balance, muscle gain, mental clarity, adaptogen, nutritional powerhouse and no side effects.

Maca is the #1 superfood to help with countless problems. I’m still amazed to look at these maca benefits after many years of using this, no wonder I’m still using maca and I really think it is the best superfood out there for every person.

Maca side effects

None to report personally, 12 years experience and no negative maca side effects. I’ve only seen the maca benefits described above. No stomach ache or anything like that…

Also in the studies there isn’t discovered any maca side effects or toxics.

Of course like anything does not eat maca too much, personally maximum that I ever take is 2 tablespoons a day. But for starters take 1-2 teaspoon per day and then you can build it towards little more. On maca dosage, nobody advises to take maca more than 2 tablespoons per day so I call it the maximum.

Use maca for certain periods and then keeping a short break is advised. For example 1 month on 1 week off. Or 3 months on and 1 month off. I like the 1 month on 1 week off the best. As its adaptogen its good to keep a break from it once in a while. Also, you see and feel the maca benefits better when you keep a short break once in a while.

Where to buy Maca?

I order maca from Amazon.com.

There is many forms of maca available… Pills, extracts, powder, etc. Personally, for me, the powder is the best and also works the best. Extracts are great also, pills I won’t recommend to anyone.

Best Maca products

Maca powders:
Gelatinized Red Maca Root Powder (most effective red maca powder, large bag)
Navitas Naturals Maca Gelatinized Powder (gelatinized maca powder, better for the stomach.)

I listed the powders as best first. Better quality products are first on the list, but for someone, the cheaper product might work just as well as the pricier…

You might actually get the same maca benefits from the cheapest product. But everyone is not the same so you might need to experiment with different maca products until you find the best one that suits and works for you.

Maca extracts:
This is my favorite maca product and perhaps the best product for starters. Easy to take and no need to hassle with powders and pills, just take some drops to your mouth.

Very powerful red maca extract from Amazon.com

maca velvet best maca product
My favorite maca product Maca Magic- 1 bottle left, time to reorder

How to use maca?

People do not eat maca for its taste, but rather for maca benefits. It doesn’t taste heavenly for most… So how to get it down?

I mix maca in smoothies, salads, yogurt and sometimes also into drinks and tea which isn’t too hot anymore. You can mix maca into cooked foods and heat it also, but with like almost everything – heating might destroy some of the nutrients.

This way you won’t notice or taste the rather strong taste of maca. For some maca taste is strong and for some, it’s not that strong… Personally, for me, it’s not that strong anymore, its OK taste after many years. But when I first times tasted maca it was strong and I was like “how to eat this stuff?”…

But the benefits of maca are too good to pass on just a taste issue which goes by when you eat it more. Mix into smoothie/yogurt is my best suggestion for starters. Actually, maca is delicious in smoothies and yogurt.

Here is some of my personal experiences on maca benefits. Try it for yourself, I recommend any of those products I listed on Amazon. You might want to start with this gelatinized version and then move on to the better (more high quality and expensive) products and also the extract might work better for some people.

49 thoughts on “My Experience on the Benefits of Maca”

    1. I believe the pills can be as good as maca powder/extract but I myself haven’t tried maca in a pill form yet so I cannot recommend it too strongly. I only recommend the products which I’ve tested myself and seen them working.

       
      High quality maca powder has been the best for me so far. Powder is best for them who do smoothies daily. If you don’t do smoothies often then powder is not a good choice – then its best to get either pills or extract.
       
      If I would get maca pills I would consider this product, its the cleanest quality product without some questionable additives.
       
      Lately I’ve seen big benefits from maca extracts like Maca Velvet and Maca Magic Woman and these I recommend the most now as they are very effective & easiest to take.
       
      Maca Velvet is basically for the males as it has testosterone hormone amplifying ingredients(New Zealand Deer Antler Velvet and Tongkat Ali) with maca.
       
      Read a study on Deer Antler Velvet:
      Deer Antler Velvet Sales On The Rise, Does It Really Work?
       
      Maca Magic Woman is a great supporting mix for women with maca, Clavo Huasca and Damiana.
       
      I included Wikipedia links to the additional ingredients so you can see what benefits they can give.
       
      Maca Velvet is my top recommendation for all males who are into bodybuilding, one of the best products ever invented for bodybuilders and for getting more testosterone in this estrogen filled modern world. Note for all women: if your man isnt virile in the bedroom department, get the Maca Velvet for him. I’m sure it will spice things up.
       
      Maca Velvet is available at iHerb.com.

    2. I’ve started using the pills, suggested 3 pills a day, and started feeling pretty good after 3 days so far.
      The pills are just eh powered in a pill to swallow. I will say it’s easy to swallow, and have read how the powder taste is one to be acquired.

      Honestly, you could go either way and probably get the same results.

    1. helllooo thanks for sharing your info i was just wondering does it really help increase your bootttty ?
      if so would you recommend i take the pill form or powder ?

  4. Hi, I’m using now Navitas Naturals Gelatinized Maca Powder. and it’s works! but you know not everyday! I’m using it mainly to increase my libido, it’s works but every once.
    I’m planning to try Macaforce! what do you think is it better than gelatinized one from Navitas Naturals for increasing libido?
    I’m undecided to buy Macaforce because of the ingredients!! in Navitas Naturals it’s so clear. it’s just maca and organic. but in Macaforce it’s hidden under the macaforce formula!! and something i can’t understand it called TruGanic! May you please explain it for us and is macaforce contain all natural ingredients?

    1. Hello, thanks for the comment!
       
      I would like to recommend Maca Velvet for libido increase, whether you’re woman or man. It has the very best classic adaptogen herbs for libido boost like Deer Antler Velvet and Tongkat Ali. Both are outstanding for libido increasing as they both can raise testosterone levels, which basically gives better libido for both male and female.
       
      Gelatinized maca powder is more concentrated and from it there has been removed the starch and fiber content of maca so its more powerful maca. Gelatinized is best suited for those who have stomach/digestion problems with normal maca.
       
      About the MacaForce product:
       
      The TruGanic means basically that its better than organic, beyond organic, more pure than organic.
       
      “TruGanicâ„¢ products must pass actual tests to verify that they are: 100% pesticide, insecticide, and herbicide free. Defined as ZERO detectable. 100% GMO free. Defined as ZERO GMO detectable. 100% irradiation free. Defined as ZERO detectable.”
      Learn more: http://healthforce.com/truganic
       
      MacaForce has completely natural ingredients, they have added probiotic synergists, enzymes and also energetic compounds such as Shilajit to make the most powerful maca product which has more than just maca. Shilajit in maca is great addition for the libido boost as according to Wikipedia Shilajit is very popular due to its assumed effect on male impotence and premature ejaculation.
       
      With these additional herbs HealthForce maca is supposed to be more bio-available maca that will absorb better and will have other therapeutical effects on top of it.

      1. Maca and Shilagit are not incom patible, are tey? Do you think we can take them toghether?

      2. Maca and Shilagit are not incompatible, are they? Do you think we can take both at the same time?

  5. just purchased maca in naturals outlet store but in a pill how many should i take and can i continue using fish oil pill

  6. hey i found this very helpful 😀
    i was just wondering before i order this product which maca powder would you order ,or are they all the same ?
    because i saw an organic one and then the other one said lipidium something…….
    I also i read somewhere this enhances your hips and gluteus is this true ?
    thanks so much for the info …….

  8. I’m wondering which you recommend for hot flashes and weight lose? I’ve had a hysterectomy and so tired of the estrogen medication and the continued weight loose. I also have a real problem with sleeping. Which would work best for me??

  9. I meant to say so tired of the estrogen medication and the continued weight gain. Please help me to find the right product!

  10. Hi! Thanks for all the great info on Maca, just started it today at 1/2 teaspoon in my morning smoothie. Is Maca compatible to take if take oral meds for pre-diabetes and low dose of high blood pressure meds. Currently on a lifestyle change to lose fat and become much healthier. Also have had a few menopausal symptoms( hot flashes) only 47 yrs. old but these are new to me. My doctor says its possible that I am pre- menopausal. Hoping for GREAT results!!

  11. Maca does not “work for everything.” No supplement does.
    I took maca in capsule form for about a month, and I experienced stomach aches, something totally unusual for me. Because I had an ulcer a couple of years ago, my gastroenterologist wanted to do an endoscopy. Found “moderate inflammation.” The only thing I had been doing differently was taking maca. Something to keep in mind, any time you try a new supplement. Start slowly and pay attention to your body.

  12. as a beginer, what type should i start with firstly because am so confused now after reading a lot about kinds of maca, i work as topless dancer in a nite club & i just want smthing ok for both skin & figuer besides am diabetics wt bit hbpressure;can i also combine aguaje to maca?

  14. As for starter or first time maca user I would test Navitas Naturals Maca Powder, 16 oz.
     
    If you have had problems with maca products I would try out gelatinized maca powder Navitas Naturals Maca Gelatinized Powder.
     
    Navitas Naturals, Maca Power, Gelatinized Maca Capsules For those who prefer capsule form.
     
    Another great product for starters which I would try out is Amazon Therapeutics, Maca Magic, Maca Velvet(iHerb). Maca extract combined with tongkat ali and antler velvet.
     
    Start with low doses like half teaspoon per day and see how your body reacts. Remember you should keep breaks while taking maca, example 1 month on and 1 week off.

  16. Stephanie, I think it does increase the booty size because it has worked for me, within 2 weeks of consumption my booty began to grow fast that it was so obvious that my boyfriend started singing it in my ear “baby your ass is shooting out”. I have been taken the powder itself, I jst add a teaspoon to my chocolate drink which is usually warm. This incoporates the sometimes awful taste of the maca powder. Try it!

    1. It’s possible to gain weight using maca. Actually many skinny people use it to gain more weight.

      But there are also many people reporting weight loss when using maca.

      Everyone is different and might experience different results with maca root.

      I will do more research on this topic and post it here if I find something.

  18. Pingback: The benefits of Maca in a juice or smoothie

    1. It’s for maximum effectiveness (prevents body from becoming used to a specific herbal adaptogen).
       
      Benefits of maca can become less noticeable if you take it every day.
       
      You should keep breaks with every adaptogen you take. (holy basil, ashwagandha, rhodiola, asian ginseng, eleuthero and so on..)
       
      For examples:
      5 days on – 2 days off
      3 weeks on – 1 week off
      3 months on – 1 month off
       

  20. Hi Lifetwink,

    is Maca Velvet meant for bodybuilder or anyone can who like to improve sexual health can take it? I saw that on your link that you recommended Now Foods, TestoJack 200, 120 Veggie Caps as well. What is the difference between the two?

    1. Yes, anyone can take maca velvet. Testojack has more male libido boosting herbs than maca velvet(Tongkat Ali, Maca, Epimedium, Tribulus terrestris, American Ginseng Root, Panax Ginseng, Muira Puama) = Rock hard erections.
       

      1. Hi lifetwink,

        If you are taking testojack, do you still consume maca powder at the same time? Or take either one? How long does it take to see an effect with testojack? Immediate?

        1. There is already maca root in testojack, so it’s not necessary to take maca same time as testojack. I personally would not take maca same time with testojack, but if you want you can test it.

          Effects what I noticed with using testojack was: increased sex drive and higher energy did come in 1-2 days from starting… But everyone is different and might experience different results with supplements.

  21. Hi, very informative post! I was wondering if you could answer some questions for me.

    I have a past family history of breast cancer and I’ve read that maca powder can actually be harmful, as it is a hormone regulator. Although the cancer link is two generations away, would it still be safe for me to consume maca (or should I ask my doctor as well)?

    Do you know if this will also cause weight gain? I’ve noticed that some people commented on larger breast and butt sizes, but I honestly would rather shrink those areas for me.

    Also, was your muscle gain that evident? I’m very tiny (about 5 feet) and on the sporty side already, so I really don’t need to bulk up.

    Thanks!!!

    1. “Breast cancer patients taking tamoxifen or other estrogen blockers and women who have had breast cancer must not use maca, because it raises estrogen levels. Women in a family with a strong history of breast cancer should discuss maca use with their doctors first. ” from here.

      Effects of a maca on the body shape is explained good in this article: Maca root powder for bigger booty and hips Fact or Myth

      Hard and deep scientifical data from maca and it’s effects here.

  22. Pingback: Avocado With Arctic Superberries - Stunning Smoothie Recipe (including legendary superfood) | Super Nutrition Life

  23. Hi,
    I just discovered Maca Root and its benefits, I’m in my mid 30’s with some hot flashes. I always try to go the natural healing route instead of meds with numerous side effects so I take a Tbs of raw organic coconut oil 3 times a day. I bought Nuestra Salud brand of Maca powder and will add it to smoothies once a week, my question is is the company brand good? the only ingredient is the Maca Root(its scientific name is listed as well on package) but there is zero anything in the nutrition section of the package. Is Maca powder safe with green veggies, any interaction with vitamin supplements? Researching this I can’t find any warnings.

    1. Maca is safe with veggies. There is no known side effects with maca and supplements. I have not tested Nuestra Salud brand, cannot really say anything about it. There is alot good maca brands recommended in this article, try them out if you dont see result with basic cheap brands.

    1. I personally prefer powders, they are easier to use in smoothes and so on… Pill can be better for someone who doesnt do smoothies and just want to swallow maca easiest way.

  25. HI..
    i want to use maca to increase size of my breast and booty and hips and to gain weight and also to get energy..so what type of maca should use..

    1. You can try to take them same time, but if you don’t get any results you may try taking them separately.

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