How To Use Maca
How Much Maca To Take
Before giving you our complete Maca serving recommendations here are a few things to understand about Maca.
Maca is a food – Maca, whether gelatinized or raw is considered a food. And it has been consumed for 1000s of years as a food.
You really can’t take too much, but… Since Maca is a food and not a drug or supplement, you really can’t take too much of it. But some people have reporded increased heart rate or nervous energy when taking large amounts. We recommend starting with no more than our recommendations below and then increase slowly if you like.
Body weight – The more you weigh, the more Maca you can take daily. The levels below are based on a 160 lb (75 kg) person.
Health and age – Younger and healthier people can start with a larger serving size of Maca than older and less healthy people.
People have different reactions to Maca – Even factoring in age, health and body weight, it’s important to remember that Maca has different effects on different people. No two bodies are exactly alike and since Maca is an adaptogen it will act in your body to support what your body needs to balance – especially in terms of your hormonal system.
Consistency is key – For overall success with Maca we recommend staying consistent and taking it everyday. This is importan especially when you are starting out, because Maca takes time to work in your body.
You can adjust over time – One final consideration is that recommended servings of Maca for therapeutic purposes are generally higher than for general health. For example if you are taking Maca specifically to help with fertility, we recommend boosting your intake over time..
Our Maca Serving Recommendations – Powder – Capsules – Extracts
These levels are based on a 40 year old with generally good health and weighing 160 lbs. If you weigh more or less adjust the dosage accordingly. Note: 1 measuring teaspoon of Maca powder weighs 3 grams.
Raw Maca – all colors including Red Maca, Black Maca and Yellow Maca. Daily Recommendations – 3-9 grams (1-3 teaspoons) or 2-8 capsules
Raw Premium Maca – Daily Recommendations – 3-6 grams (1-2 teaspoons) or 2-8 capsules
Gelatinized Maca – Daily Recommendations – 3-9 grams (1-3 teaspoons) or 2-8 capsules
Gelatinized Premium Maca – Daily Recommendations – 3-6 grams (1-2 teaspoons) or 2-8 capsules
Maca Extracts – Daily Recommendations – 2-4 droppersful (1/4-1/2 teaspoon)
Tips for Taking and Storing Maca
Here are our top recommendations for getting the most out of taking our Maca products.
- After opening, keep your Maca out of direct light and humidity. Keep packaging well sealed and either in the refrigerator or a cupboard. Sealed well, Maca keeps up to 2 years.
- Take Maca in the morning. Generally we recommend taking Maca in the morning as it boosts your energy throughout the day. You can take it later in the day too as long as you have no issues with sleeping.
- Maca can be taken with or without food. There are many ways to enjoy Maca. See our Maca recipes page for some ideas.
- Take a break from Maca every once in a while. After you’ve taken Maca daily for 4-6 weeks, we recommend taking one day off per week. An alternative is to take 5 days off in a row per month. The purpose of this is to give your body a chance to stabilize its hormones without the influence of the Maca.
- If Maca gives you any sort of stomach upset… We’ve found that about 5% of our customers have some sensitivity to Raw Maca Powders. They report minor gas, bloating or digestive issues when taking it. First, try taking Maca without any fruit or fruit juice. If this doesn’t help, then switch to Gelatinized Maca. All starch content of Maca Root is removed in the Gelatinization process and therefore it won’t affect digestion.