****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
The term "superfood" usually makes me raise a suspicious eyebrow, because the term is often just a marketing ploy to relieve hopeful consumers of their hard earned dollars. With an open mind, I decided to give Maca a try after recommendations from several friends. I wasn't aware that Maca is a taproot plant that grows in the highlands of Peru and is related to the radish and the turnip. It's been used for centuries as a vegetable root, medicinally and purportedly as an aphrodisiac. It's said to be rich in calcium and potassium as well as a host of essential trace elements and minerals like copper, iron zinc and manganese. In terms of using it in powdered form, the two incarnations are either raw or gelatinized. That second term seemed confusing, but evidently the gelatinized route refers to the root being cooked under pressure to remove the starch which concentrates the nutrients. Which form is better? Several online resources presented research that the gelatinized process does sacrifice some of the root's natural enzymes and something called glucosinolates. The advantage of the cooked variety, which this product is, is that with the starch stripped out, it becomes more nutrient dense and is more easily digestible. Animals fed this denser type produced young with higher birth weights and seemed healthier, according to some research articles. Most sources advise easing the quantity used, starting as low as half a teaspoon and working your way up by experimentation as to what works best in your individual system. One interesting claim is that a major benefit of Maca is that it seems to help regulate and balance our hormones, relieving some unpleasant effects in unbalanced systems, as in the hot flashes suffered by menopausal women. The powder dissolves very easily in water. The taste is not unpleasant, but is distinct and so I chose not to include it in my smoothies, whose taste I thoroughly enjoy and didn't want to alter. I started using a teaspoon but worked up to a tablespoon. Did I see any noticeable difference in regard to the claims of increased stamina and energy? If so it was not extremely pronounced in me. I did detect a noticeable difference in libido. Is this a worthwhile product? From my preliminary experience of using it only a few weeks I believe it is and I will continue to make it part of my daily routine.UPDATE: 18July2014 - I've been using this for a month now and can honestly say that I notice a pronounced effect in both energy and a feeling of wellbeing. In fact, I've learned not to take it too late in the day because the energy boost can interfere with falling asleep at normal hours.
