How To Use
Maca is a food; therefore, safe and without any known side effects. Here are our recommendations for enjoying it.
For freshness after opening, store maca at room temperature, in an airtight, large glass canning jar, away from light and heat. Raw maca can be kept in the fridge or freezer to prolong shelf life, but it will keep just fine at room temperature also. It will keep very well for 2 years at room temperature.
The optimal amount for health and healing is , 2-3 heaped teaspoons of powder per day. You can try more if you like. Listen to your body, it will tell you how much you should be taking. If you are unsure as to how you feel when taking maca, use less. Maca is a food, and the natives eat a heck of a lot of it every day down in Peru, (with no harmful effects) so there really is not too much need to be too worried about it. You can take it all at once one time per day, (we like first thing in the morning the best) or spread it out several times during the day, it is up to you, whichever you prefer. You can take maca with food or without food, it also does not really matter. But if you have any digestive sensitivities or concerns, taking it with food is preferable. Anytime of day is a fine time to take maca, except it is not recommended to take it after dinner, as it can keep you awake.
Take a break from maca every once in a while. It is very important to do this because unless you do, the maca will become ineffective. Take a 1-2 week break after each 6-8 weeks of daily use, or use maca 5-6 days a week instead of 7. Each method works fine. Listen to your body, because it DOES know best!!
The easiest way to take maca is just mix it in a glass of water and drink it, but there are numerous ways to take maca: in hot and cold cereals, smoothies, protein shakes, cooking, baking, salad dressings, soups, etc. etc. (see maca recipes). Some people like to take maca with fruit juice to dilute it’s taste, but mixing maca with fruit, or fruit juice sometimes causes gas and a little bit of stomach distress. It may not happen with you though, so feel free to check it out.
You may feel a little tired or experience some unusual minor effects from taking maca during the first two weeks…it is normal. It is the effect of the maca starting to act upon your hormones. There are all sorts of pleasant things that happen while taking maca, but none of them should be unpleasant or make you feel uncomfortable. If you experience anything which makes you feel unsure or anxious, please see your doctor to make sure it is allright for you to be taking maca. All of the changes and effects which happen while taking maca should be of the nature of “improvements, beneficial, and pleasureable”.
Happy maca-ing! Enjoy!
