Native to the high mountains of Peru, maca root has found its way around the world as it grows in popularity. Maca root has been used for thousands of years as a natural remedy for a variety of health benefits including:
With the modernization of the processing of maca along with it’s growing popularity, a wide variety of maca products are available on the market today. This article will go over the best way to use one form of maca: maca root powder.
How To Use Maca Powder
Maca powder is derived directly from the maca root and offers a few benefits over other modes of ingestion.
- Generally cheaper than pills
- Allows for more precise dosing
- Can easily be used in a multitude of recipes and smoothies.
Maca powder is usually described as having a very “earthy” taste. This makes mixing it in a plain liquid, such as water or juice, a poor choice as the taste of the maca powder will be overpowering. Furthermore, maca powder doesn’t always dissolve well in liquids. As such, mixing maca powder in shakes or smoothies is the most popular choice.
Even though a typical dose can consist of several grams, a smoothie is usually able to make the taste bearable, and sometimes even delicious, for consumers. The easiest way to ensure even mixing is with a high-quality blender.
How Much Maca To Take
Optimal dosing for maca powder is 1,500-3000 mg every day. If possible, this dose should be spread throughout the day in several servings of relatively equal amounts.
For comparison, If you chose to eat whole maca root instead, you would need to eat 1.2 to 2.0 grams per kilogram of bodyweight. As you can see, maca powder is by far the more convenient option.
The Best Time To Take Maca Root
Maca root seems to work from a cumulative effect of ingestion over time. This was seen in an experiment where it took several weeks to be able to see noticeable benefits from maca.
However, once achieved, the benefits remained. This means that the timing of the dose does not make much difference. However, some report an upset stomach if maca is taken alone, so it is probably best to consume with food.
How Does Maca Taste?
Maca powder has a very earthy taste; in most people’s opinion, it does not taste good. The easiest way to describe it is that it tastes like sweetened dirt. This makes for a not-so-delicious drink if taken with a simple liquid, such as water or juice.
One option to get around this is by buying maca root pills. These will have a gelatinized covering which will eliminate any taste. The other option is to make a smoothie with maca powder. This method allows you to compliment the taste, or at least drown it out.
Maca Powder Recipes: The Best Smoothies And Shakes With Maca
Here are three recipes for our favorite smoothies and shakes with maca. Just put these ingredients in a blender and you’re good to go!
Peanut Butter Protein Maca Smoothie
- Slightly less than 1 cup of unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1 large frozen banana
- 2 tbsp avocado
- 1 1/2 tbsp almond butter (or nut/seed butter of choice)
- 1 1/2 tbsp cacao powder
- 1 tbsp maca powder
- 1 scoop vegan vanilla-flavoured protein powder
- 1 tbsp hulled hemp seeds
- 1 tbsp ground flax
Kachava and Maca Superfood Smoothie
- 2 heaping scoops of Vanilla Ka’Chava
- 2 tbsp maca powder
- A few ice cubes
- 12-14 ounces of water
- 1 Kiwifruit
- Handful of strawberries
- 1 large banana
Raspberry Cacao Maca Smoothie for Libido
- 100g of frozen raspberries. Can use slightly more if desired
- 3 Brazil nuts
- 1 tbsp hemp seeds or linseeds (15g)
- 2 tbsp raw cacao/carob powder
- 1 tsp maca powder
- 1 tbsp brown rice malt syrup/yacon syrup/coconut syrup/jaggery
- 200ml almond/coconut milk
- Ice – 3 cubes – as available
Where To Buy Maca Root In Stores And Online
Maca powder is relatively easy to find. Grocery stores with an herbal section, such as Whole Foods, will most likely carry at least one brand. You can also find it at herbal shops which specialize in natural remedies, and sometimes also in sports supplement stores like GNC or Total Nutrition.
Another option is to just buy directly from a company’s website. We recommend this option because it makes it easier to comparison shop and investigate the quality of a given brand.
The Best Maca Powder Supplements–Reviewed
Best Tri-Color Maca Powder
The Maca Team Organic Raw Tri-Color Maca Powder
You’re going to see this brand often on The Unwinder. That’s because The Maca Team is a family-run, fair trade company that sources their maca directly from co-op farms in Peru that use 100% organic and traditional agriculture to cultivate maca. All of their products are USDA Certified Organic and non-GMO, and come with a Certificate of Analysis (CoA) to ensure their quality. Their Tri-Color Raw Maca powder is made from red, black, and yellow maca roots, with each type having its own unique benefits.
As an added plus, in 2020 we tested their raw maca for the harmful mold aflatoxin, and found no detectable levels.
Best Peruvian Maca Powder
Toniiq Peruvian Maca Powder Capsules
Toniiq is based in Miami, FL, but sources its maca powder directly from Peru. Their tri-blend maca is 100% USDA certified and produced in GMP-certified and NSF-approved facilities. Each pill contains 500 mg maca, which makes it very easy to hit your personal daily dosage.
Best Black Maca Powder
The Maca Team Organic Raw Black Maca Powder
This 100% pure black maca powder is a prime example of the high quality that The Maca Team is known for. Their black maca powder boasts an optimal composition of quality carbohydrates (59%) and bioavailable protein (10.2%). It also has 17 amino acids, 23 free fatty acids and 4 unique glucosinolates: calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and iron.
Best Red Maca Powder
The Maca Team Organic Raw Red Maca Powder
Red Maca is the rarest color of maca as it is only found at the highest elevations (14,000+ft). Many consider it to also be the best of the maca colors as it is highest in all major phytonutrients and contains unique nutrients called macaenes and macamides. It provides optimal hormone balance, female fertility and libido, natural energy, vitality, and strength. It has: niacin and vitamins B1, B2 and C, 23 free fatty acids, and high-quality amino acids.
Best Yellow Maca Powder
The Maca Team Organic Raw Yellow Maca Powder
Yellow maca powder is the most abundant and best-studied color of maca powder. Users also report it is the sweetest of the three colors which can be of interest to those concerned with maca’s earthy flavor. The yellow maca powder from The Maca Team is of the highest quality and provides: essential fatty acids, a plethora of vitamins and minerals, and a high-concentration of amino-acids.
Editor’s note: we are regularly updating this review. If you see any problems, weird interpretations of the data, or just want to say hi, please reach out to hello@the-unwinder.com.
