Maca powder is made from maca root, a plant native to Peru that has been used to regulate hormone levels, enhance fertility, and improve energy and stamina. Maca is a cruciferous vegetable that is naturally dried and consumed in powder form as a supplement. It is hugely beneficial in regulating hormone levels, energy levels, and overall sex drive.
Although it is still in the beginning stages of research, Maca has shown to be quite promising. Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of maca powder to see what this plant can do for you, how it works, how you can implement it into your diet, where to find it, and so much more.
How Does Maca Powder Work?
Maca powder is made from drying out maca root, a plant sourced from Peru that belongs to the cruciferous vegetable family. This root is highly nutritious as it contains 133% of the RDI (recommended daily intake) of Vitamin C, 85% of the RDI for copper, and 23% of the RDI for iron. It is also fiber-rich and contains beneficial plant compounds known as polyphenols.
Maca is also commonly referred to as an adaptogen, which helps our bodies respond to stress. Maca directly lowers cortisol levels in the body (the stress hormone) to help our body reduce stress levels and operate correctly. When our cortisol levels are heightened, there is an imbalance in our sex hormones like progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone. This adaptogen thus helps regulate these hormones and prevent/ treat a potential imbalance.
Much research has shown maca to benefit both men’s and women’s fertility. This supplement directly helps increase sperm production and improves the quality of sperm while also increasing libido in both men and women. Maca has also been proven in studies to help alleviate menopause symptoms in women, especially when it comes to improving sleep quality and reducing hot flashes.
Benefits Of Maca Powder
Helps Regulate Hormone Levels
Maca helps rebalance our sex hormones. When stressed, our stress hormone (cortisol) levels rise, which throws off our sex hormones. Maca is an adaptogen that helps compensate for this increased stress in our bodies. By reducing cortisol levels, our sex hormones, like testosterone, progesterone, and estrogen, rebalance at their normal levels.
Improves Fertility In Men And Women
Maca powder helps improve fertility in both men and women. By directly regulating hormone levels, maca helps ensure that our hormones are in the proper balance. This helps improve sex drive and also results in increased estrogen levels in women, which is what determines sex drive. Maca also directly enhances sperm quantity, production, and quality to increase fertility in men.
Increases Libido
Maca powder increases overall libido and sex drive in both men and women. By regulating our hormone levels and compensating for heightened stress in the body, maca ensures that women and men have the proper balance of sex hormones, especially when it comes to estrogen and testosterone, which largely determine overall sex drive.
Eases Menopause Symptoms
When menopause occurs, estrogen levels in female naturally decreases. This can cause various unpleasant symptoms like sleep irregularities, vaginal dryness, hot flashes, and mood swings. Maca can help regulate estrogen levels and can help treat some of these symptoms.
Maca has been shown to improve sleep and reduce the occurrence of hot flashes. Maca has also been shown to support overall mood and bone health. Supporting bone health is especially important as the decrease in estrogen often causes bone-related disorders like osteoporosis.
Best Maca Powder Products
Navitas Maca Powder
This brand is one of the more popular and affordable supplement companies, especially when it comes to powders and adaptogens. This powder contains certified organic maca powder as the only ingredient, is highly rated by users, and only costs $6 for a 4 oz serving.
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Gaia Herbs Maca Powder
From the same makers who brought us Gaia Herbs Adrenal Health comes Gaia Herbs Maca Powder. This product is also highly rated by users but is a bit more expensive at $18 (for a 69-day supply). The maca roots harvested by this company are organic and slowly sun-dried according to traditional methods, ensuring a more optimal amount of beneficial bioactive compounds.
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Moon Juice Maca Powder
Moon Juice is a top-rated adaptogen company that users rave about. Their products include Moon Juice Spirit Dust, Moon Juice Beauty Dust, Moon Juice Brain Dust, Moon Juice Dream Dust, and of course, Moon Juice Maca Powder, among others. This company is a bit more expensive, though, as this maca costs about $34 for a monthly supply. This Maca product is a 5:1 concentrated extract that is supposedly more potent. This maca is also organically harvested and highly rated by users.
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Is Maca Powder Safe?
Maca is still being researched, but there are not a lot of side effects, especially when compared to other drugs commonly used to regulate hormones and increase libido.
Maca has been shown though to affect the balancing of sex hormones, though, so if you have a thyroid or hormonal condition, it would be best to consult with your doctor before consuming maca powder.
Also, if you have a thyroid disorder, you should avoid maca as it contains goitrogens, which may interfere with the normal functioning of the thyroid gland. Also, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you should consult your doctor before taking maca.
Alternatives To Maca Powder
Maca powder can be a great, natural alternative to hormone-regulating products and medications often prescribed in Western medical practices. However, if you are concerned about taking this substance (especially if you have a hormone or thyroid condition), there are other options.
First, if you are experiencing hormone irregularities, always consult your doctor. You can get a hormone panel from your doctor to determine which sex hormones are off-balance. More advanced medication may be required at this point as hormone balancing is tricky and challenging to control.
A healthy diet is also crucial for your health and overall stress levels. Your stress hormone, cortisol, directly determines the balance of sex hormones in your body. Therefore, you can use other methods to reduce this stress in your body to prevent your sex hormones from being thrown off their proper balance.
Also, soothing teas, lifestyle modifications, and other adaptogens like ashwagandha and Rhodiola can be quite beneficial for reducing stress and cortisol levels in the body.
