Taking Maca Wrong
Viana Muller, Ph.D.I regularly receive emails and voicemails with questions about Maca. Some say, “I’ve tried Maca before, but it doesn’t work for me. Why should I try your Royal Maca?” Or, “I bought your Royal Maca, and I’ve been taking it, but my symptoms haven’t changed.” Or, “I’ve been taking two capsules a day for a year, and it’s cut my number of hot flashes in half, but I still get too many! I think I’m taking it all wrong!” Occasionally, a customer even complains that their symptoms got worse after taking Royal Maca!
This is when I put on my product educator hat and get to work helping them learn more about Maca and how best to take our unique Royal Maca line of products.
First, let’s talk about Maca in general. Maca root is a remarkable botanical, and its native habitat is the high altitudes of the Andes, where it’s prized as a nutritious food and natural remedy to improve energy and fertility, reduce menopausal symptoms, promote post-menopausal zest, and enhance sexual performance in men. Maca has been traditionally grown without pesticides in the high Andes for thousands of years, following traditional Indigenous methods of harvesting, and cooking the dried Maca roots in order to remove the slightly toxic enzymes present in raw maca.
These pure and potent Maca roots are boiled and eaten as vegetables, added to soups and stews, made into puddings, and added to drinks. Indigenous people never eat Maca raw because it can cause stomach upset, and the high goitrogen content in uncooked Maca can destabilize thyroid function.
Around 25 years ago, we were the first company to introduce this hormonally game-changing Maca from Peru to the U.S. market, and we remain one of the only companies with authentic, organic Peruvian Maca. I’ve been using Maca and making it available to our customers for a quarter century, and have given personal consultations on how to effectively use our Royal Maca for hormone balance to thousands of our customers.
Here, I’d like to explain some of the pitfalls to watch out for when taking Maca, why Maca may not have worked for you in the past, and how to take it the right way so it works for you in the future!
Pitfall #1: You’re not taking authentic, potent Maca
First, you need to know that most of the Maca available for sale today in the U.S. has little in common with authentic Maca from the Andes. Why? About 80% of Maca sold in the U.S. is grown in China at low altitude in contaminated soil. And most of it is raw! It’s no surprise why those Maca supplements aren’t potent or effective! It’s so weak that one or more tablespoons – or more – is often recommended as a dose. It’s even frequently sold by the pound in the food section of supermarkets.
So, when I hear from a potential customer that “Maca doesn’t work for me,” I always ask what brand they are taking. It’s usually the case that they were taking a brand made from subpotent Maca grown in China, not Maca grown in Peru, its native habitat. And, yes, I agree – it doesn’t work!
In this case, I recommend trying our Royal Maca line of supplements. Our Royal Maca comes directly from our partner communities in the Peruvian high Andes. It’s organically grown and sun-dried, essential for the creation of isothiocyanates, which are necessary for Maca to create hormone balance. Then, it’s heated in a process called gelatinization, to remove toxic enzymes and concentrate the Maca powder. That’s why, when taken at the right dose for you, Royal Maca works!
Pitfall #2: You’re taking the wrong dosage
I occasionally hear from customers who have purchased our Royal Maca and don’t feel like it’s providing any – or enough – benefits or improvements. Their symptoms haven’t improved at all, or not as much as they would like. That’s when we discuss their dosage. It almost always ends up that they’re taking either too large or too small a dose. (By the way, they’re usually taking too much!) When it comes to Royal Maca, remember these two key points:
- If you aren’t taking enough Royal Maca, you won’t feel anything and won’t notice symptom improvement, or symptoms might improve somewhat, but you still need more relief.
- If you are taking too much Royal Maca, you may not feel any changes or improvements, or your symptoms might actually worsen.
Usually, all you’ll need is a slight dosage adjustment, and Royal Maca gets to work fully relieving your symptoms!
Pitfall #3: You’re taking other supplements that get in the way
Are you taking Royal Maca together with one or more supplements to support estrogen, like black cohosh, red clover, dong quai, evening primrose oil, chasteberry, soy isoflavones, wild yam, or flaxseeds, among others? Are you taking Royal Maca with an adaptogenic supplement, like ashwagandha, ginseng, rhodiola, schisandra, astragalus, and eleuthero?
Taking Royal Maca with phytoestrogens or adaptogens can overstimulate your body. The result? No change in symptoms and no improvements. (Your symptoms – such as hot flashes – may even get worse.)
While Royal Maca may be taken with many vitamins, supplements, and many prescription medications, I always recommend that our customers avoid taking it with phytoestrogens and adaptogens.
If you have been taking any of these supplements or have been taking HRT and want to start taking Royal Maca, we have found it works best to stop the products/drugs for four weeks, before beginning the Royal Maca. Meanwhile, to minimize hot flashes, mood swings and other symptoms, it works pretty well to take a daily mega-dose of Royal Camu -- 1 tsp (or 5 caps), 3 times a day between meals. Once you begin taking Royal Maca you can greatly reduce -- gradually -- your amount of Royal Camu taken, or even stop if you wish.
Pitfall #4: You’ve recently taken – or are currently taking – estrogenic hormones
Did you start taking Royal Maca less than a month after stopping an estrogenic hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or birth control pills (unless it's the progestin-only type pill)? Did you just stop -- or do you still use -- an estrogen cream or suppository? Did you recently stop -- or are you still taking -- birth control pills that contain estrogen? (Note: progesterone-only therapy is not a problem.)
I recommend that before starting Royal Maca, you should stop taking any form of hormone treatment that includes estrogen for an entire month. You need that month off for the estrogen to clear out of your body. If you don’t wait, taking Royal Maca can be overstimulating, and you’ll either get no improvement in symptoms or you could feel worse.
I also have some good news! You CAN start Royal Maca at any time without risk of any interference if you have a progestin or copper IUD, you use progesterone cream, or you’re taking a progestin-only birth control pill -- known as the “mini-pill.”
Pitfall #5: You’re petite or highly sensitive
Do you react negatively to regular doses of most nutraceuticals and supplements? Are you 5’ 3” or shorter? Do you weigh 115 pounds or less? Supplement sensitivity and a petite physique are two key factors that make it all too easy to take too much Royal Maca. If you fall into this category, taking Royal Maca at recommended doses will either have no effect or may negatively affect your hormone balance and make symptoms worse.
For these customers, I recommend going to tiny starting doses or, in some cases, trying our SHE product, which combines Royal Maca and Royal Camu in a gentle, lower-dose capsule.
What’s the Right Way to Dose Royal Maca?
I’ve talked about the pitfalls, so let’s look at how to find your optimal dose of Royal Maca. Here are several easy steps:
- Start with the recommended daily dose on the bottle, and then evaluate your response after 5 to 7 days of taking the product.
- If your symptoms are 80% better, stay at this dosage. It’s the right one for you! If your symptoms are better -- but not 80% better -- increase your daily dosage by one more capsule daily, and evaluate again after another 5 to 7 days.
- Keep repeating this process until your symptoms are 80% better.
- At any point, if you feel worse, you are taking too much for you. Stop taking Royal Maca for 2 days, and then resume at one-half the dosage you were taking before.
There’s a Royal Maca Product for Everyone!
Whole World Botanicals’ line of organic Royal Maca products includes:
- Our flagship Royal Maca powder is a nutty, tasty powder that is perfect on its own or added to smoothies and foods. It’s the most economical way to take Royal Maca daily. (But if you are petite or highly sensitive, you will need such a small dose that we recommend using capsules to get an accurate tiny dose every day.)
- Royal Maca Vitality-Libido-Balance offers our popular Royal Maca powder in convenient capsule form.
- Royal Maca for Perimenopause capsules contain magnesium and zinc, and are for women still having a menstrual period who need relief from PMS, erratic periods, and perimenopausal symptoms like hot flashes and sleep problems.
- Royal Maca for Menopause capsules have no additives, and help relieve the full range of hormonal symptoms women experience during menopause. It also helps with postmenopausal symptoms, including hair thinning, loss of libido, and vaginal dryness.
- Royal Maca Plus for Women with DIM adds anti-inflammatory DIM to our Royal Maca, and these capsules are designed for women who need anti-inflammatory help in addition to hormonal balance.
- Royal Maca Bone and Hormone Support capsules are uniquely formulated with Royal Maca and other supplements to support bone health while relieving symptoms of perimenopause and postmenopause as well.
- Royal Maca for Men capsules feature a unique formulation of Royal Maca to support men’s hormonal balance, energy, libido, and erectile function.
- Super Royal Maca for Men with DIM capsules adds anti-inflammatory DIM to Royal Maca for men who need support for prostate health in addition to male hormonal balance.
- SHE Mood & Hormone Balance capsules combine Royal Maca and Royal Camu, providing a gentler dose for petite and highly sensitive women and teens.
Need Help?
If you’re a Whole World Botanicals customer and you need some personalized guidance on how to get the best results with Royal Maca, please email us at product.educator@wholeworldbotanicals.com or leave a message on our Product Educator line at (646) 290-8651.