Healthworks Superfoods Organic Maca Powder 1 lb Raw Peruvian Vegan Non-GMO

Maca is a relatively unknown health product compared to say, spirulina. I have read that Maca stimulates the sex drive in both men, and women, acting as an aphrodisiac because of it's hormone regulating properties. And there have been some small scale clinical studies backing up these findings. Maca is a root grown in South America. It is a super food. It has a long shelf life of at least a year. When I take it I notice measurable effects that I think are impossible to chalk up to the placebo effect. I'm a 30 yr old male. If you mix it with water only, it will taste similar to a rotten, slightly sweet turnip. If you mix it with spirulina it is almost undrinkable. If you mix it with protein powder like brown rice protien, it is palatable. If you mix it with fruit juice it is horrid, but if you mix it in a thick fruit smoothy it is sufficiently diluted. It mixes well with tomato juice. At first it repels water and clumps, like spirulina or protein powders do, so a submersible hand blender is nice. Drinking clumps of this stuff in water can seriously trigger a gag reflex. Anyone who calls this stuff yummy must be holding their nose. I've given this to people who spit it out after a sip. It's no walk in the park, it's for the select few who value their health above all else, the people who skip the shot of wheat grass in favor of the shot of thick spirulina.. and spirulina is sweet compared to maca by the way. But the effects are noticeable, and it's natural, and it's a vegetable that has antioxidant properties not found in many plants, so in my opinion it is worth it. This is taken directly from wikipedia on their maca entry, and there they individually site these study findings: Small-scale clinical trials performed in men have shown that maca extracts can heighten libido and improve semen quality. A small double-blind, randomized, parallel group dose-finding pilot study has shown that Maca root may alleviate SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction. Maca does not affect sex hormone levels in humans, and has not been shown to act on hormones directly. It has been presumed that maca's effects may be due to the root's unique nutritional profile, which provides optimum levels of nutrients utilized by the body's endocrine system. In addition, maca has been shown to increase mating behavior in male mice and rats. A recent review states "Randomized clinical trials have shown that maca has favorable effects on energy and mood, may decrease anxiety and improve sexual desire. Maca has also been shown to improve sperm production, sperm motility, and semen volume.

I mostly ordered this to see if it would give me an energy boost. I work long hours from home and often find myself waking up ON my computer sometimes. ha ha. If it also added a little something to libido or (as I have heard) to my hips I wouldn't mind. The package arrived a little late, only because of Polar Vortex related things and such. *sigh* But once I got it I wanted to try it right away. I was nervous because I kept seeing reviews that said there was an awful taste... Right away the smell of the powder was enticing. It is sweet/nutty as described before. It reminds me of SOMETHING but I've still not yet been able to put my finger on it. But I enjoyed the scent. if you breathe in too much you can kind of smell a cooked smell, but otherwise it is a very sweet lovely smell. I've tried it two ways and my favorite is the first way I tried it. I make a vanilla chai latte with honey and heavy cream and I disolve the Maca in another glass of boiling water before adding it to my tea and then I stir it all together. The maca, once added to boiling water, has a starchy smell to it. It doesn't smell bad, but it is different than the powder while dry in the bag. THERE IS NO FLAVOR! Not really. It doesn't affect my tea at all in terms of taste. It may actually add a little something nice to it. But it is mild enough to say there isn't a flavor. I have also added it to a cold smoothie, but I prefer it hot and here is why: It doesn't have a flavor but it most certainly does have a texture. If you don't stir well it can get clumped up and it definitely is a bit sandy/gritty. It has texture. Dissolving it in a small amount of boiling water before stirring it into my tea tends to combat this for me. But if there is a little left at the bottom of my glass I will pour a swig of water into it and just gulp it down. I have noticed more alertness and energy and I've skipped my usual naps when I have taken the maca consistently over several days. This past menstrual cycle I didn't have my usual hormonal crazies in the days before. I was relatively balanced and not so irrationally emotional as I can be the days/day before my period starts. I don't know if that's correlated or not. Time will tell. So far I have nothing bad to say about this. No stomach aches, no bad taste. I will keep using it for the foreseeable future because I want to see if the things I am noticing are really from the maca and not just placebo or coincidence.

My wife and I have taken this for over a week now at a dose of one tablespoon a day. A definite energy booster for both of us. Not in a "jittery" way either. The feelings of tiredness have gone. My wife has had some issues with depression and she says this has helped. We need more time to evaluate this product, and I will update in 30 days. Libido increase has occurred with me, not her (figures). Like I needed that. We have not had any bad side effects yet. The taste and smell is not good at all. Not bad enough to make us want to vomit, but it is very strong. I tried to beat out the taste/smell in a smoothie. Started with frozen blueberries/strawberries and vanilla flavored Greek yogurt. Added the Maca and it still tasted bad. Added a banana. Still bad. In the end three tablespoons of peanut butter beat out the taste/smell. So for our bag of Maca a banana/peanut butter smoothie would work, lots of calories in that though so we will just take it straight mixed with water as we have been doing. The good news is the aftertaste goes away quickly with coffee or food. I am wondering ,considering the mixed reviews, if the raw powdered Maca Root has some variances in taste/smell from batch to batch. I rated this 5 stars based on results over the past 10 days and not taste. Will update. Update: 02/24/14 I believe this has a cumulative effect. After taking it for three weeks I started getting strange symptoms. I felt like I could not breath well, chest felt strange, nervousness. I backed off the dose and I would recommend the advice of 3 days on and one off. Another reviewer had similar symptoms and said he went to the ER due to them, I see why, it was a perplexing feeling. I absolutely do feel that I have more energy and I will continue to take it in lower dosage (1/2 tbsp) and go from there. Update 03/18/14 I ordered another bag and I believe I am correct regarding the variances in taste/smell from bag to bag. This bag smells and tastes half as bad as the first bag we ordered. Much easier to take with almost no aftertaste. I am still taking 1/2 tbsp a day, 3 days on and one off. So one bag lasts about 45 days taking 1/2 tbsp a day, maybe more, my wife stopped taking it regularly after a couple weeks. She just takes it for the nights she works in the ER to help keep her up, which she says it does do very well.

Gives me morning wood more often. I'm not a bodybuilder. I was just seeking something to help me in the wood dept.and maca definitely helps, me anyway. I have found that the more l have morning wood the more i am able to achieve woodiness when the moment is right. I feel more comfortable having the full bag of maca that i can mix with oj rather than taking a capsule that may have fillers even if it says there isn't any. I will take a tablespoon for maximum effect but sometimes a teaspoon is enough. 3 teaspoons= 1 tablespoon so you can experiment with it to see what works for you. Maca is more of a food actually but i wouldn't want to be eating 3 lbs per day. This brand is more cost efficient at the moment some some other alternate but that may change, you just never know. It has kind of a nutty, earthy taste. Sometimes I whisk a tablespoon or a couple a teaspoons in with oj or i will put a little in my coffee on the way to work in the morning, but it settles down more in coffee. I like this brand though at the moment.

I was a bit disappoint to discover that it's distributed here in the US because it states it's 'Wild Organic Peruvian'. I was under the impression it was being shipped all the way from Peru. ::shrug:: Never the less, as a first time buyer, I was completely satisfied. I did a lot of reading up on Maca powder before trying it. It's very interesting substance. It has a sweetish nutty smell. I seriously wouldn't recommend eating it straight off a spoon unless you're curiosity is adventurous. I've tried mixing this in many things, but the flavor can certainly take on a life of it's own. The only way I've personally found it enjoyable is by mixing it with hot water. I can't drink coffee because of the caffeine content. However, I've become accustomed to drinking hot Maca every morning now as my 'coffee'. I boil a cup of water & then slowly pour it over 1 tblsp of Maca powder. It's important to stir while pouring because the powder does not absorb quickly. It likes to float at the top & stay there if you don't stir properly. I enjoy my cup of Maca with raw honey & coconut milk (from a carton never a can). The energy I get is nothing like caffeine. I don't get the shakes & I never feel any peaks or valleys in my energy levels. I noticed after a couple of days my sense of well being changing as well. This came to me as a big relief because I was emotionally dealing with a breakup. I will drink one cup at 4:30AM (as I get ready for work) & I would still feel awake & energized till well into the late afternoon. What initially interested me in this product is the high iron content. I'm anemic & my body wont process supplements. I definitely noticed this stuff working when the tiny bruises on my shins disappeared. HURRAY! I recommend this stuff to practically everyone. I feel like a walking informercial because a lot of people have never heard of Maca. Go on Pinterest to look up recipes. Don't be discouraged by the unique flavor. It's not the sort of powder you can just throw into anything (it made my yogurt taste funny...but that's my opinion). Hope this review was helpful & hope you enjoy this product.

This is my 3rd time buying this brand of maca. It is delicious. I read that some people say it smells like stinky socks. That's so not accurate. It has a very mild nutty aroma. It smells so good and is great in smoothies. I have rheumatoid arthritis. I have been drinking smoothies since May 2014. I not only lost 30lbs but I feel so much better. More stamina. Less swollen. I use maca , cacao organic , beet powder organize. Vegetable chocolate flavor , hemp protein powder. Fresh kale , spinach , carrots and non fat Greek plain yogurt. I cut up bananas and freeze them. I also us guava , almond extract , once you get all your ingridents its easy to put together. I use Kriefer. Frozen fruit. Blueberries strawberries cherries. What ever you make like. I blend it and it makes 5 servings. I freeze all of them except the one I'm going to drink that day. Poor them in separate glasses. I have the ninja blender. Comes w 3 cups. Any extra I use a nice double thick glass. Then in my individual cup I add a frozen banana as my ice. Blend it w the single blade and omg the most healthy and delicious shake. I haven't felt this healthy in a long time. You just add , if you know your going to make 4-5 serving you make it according. Say maca powder is one teaspoon per shake , I will put 4 because I'm making 4 That's how you proceed. The plain Greek yogurt it says 1/2 a serving so so that would be 2 cups of yogurt. I also put raw organic oatmeal in there too. That 1/2 a serving also. I put 2 cups also. The vege it says one level spoon which comes w it I put in 4 spoon fulls. Follow. I know it sounds overwhelming. Look up what kind of Shake you want to make. I love chocolate. Purchase what you need. It's not to crazy to get started but you have to spend money. You will not run out of everything all at once. It does last for months. I haven't replace like the vegetable powder form. Just buy all organic, since May 2014. I've bout the organic hemp protein once back in May. I had to replace it now. You can put any combo you may want. Just make your i rial investment and you will be doing yourself a big favor.

I originally decided to try maca powder because I've had a very low libido since I had my son two years ago. My poor hubby! I'll just say that it works for that and soooo much more!!!! It started working for me after one day. I started out with one teaspoon and gradually have worked my way up to three. I put it in my coffee in the morning with a little creamer and it actually tastes good that way, although it doesn't taste very good by itself. I've been taking it for 4 weeks and the effects just keep getting better! I have a ton of energy, I'm finally back to my old self as far as sex goes, I no longer have achy joints when I get up from sitting for awhile, my workouts in the morning are much more powerful, it's helping me to build muscle, I'm finally losing my baby weight, and most importantly I am happy!!! I may eventually stop taking anti depressants altogether!! One important thing though is that this is RAW maca and can be very hard on the digestive system. I didn't realize the difference when I bought this and the first day I had some uncomfortable gassy like cramping. I looked online to see if there was a way to roast it and there is. It really is better to take maca either gelatinized or roasted. I will continue to buy this raw powder though, and roast it myself, because it's a lot cheaper that way. I spread it on a cookie sheet and put it in a 300 oven, checking and stirring it every few minutes until it turned golden. No more gassy cramps!! I love maca!!!!! Don't take it if you have high blood pressure though, my husband has hypertension and tried taking maca for about a week, and while he loved the way it made him feel, it did spike his bp up, so he had to stop taking it.

I've been using this consistently for about 2 weeks, and I honestly can't tell if I'm getting any results. My schedule is so out of whack, it just my be difficult to perceive any changes. I considered the maca powder due to post menopausal symptoms after having a hysterectomy, but I don't think this is my go-to solution. I will continue to use it to finish it off. I haven't experienced any issues with stomach cramps as some others have. Perhaps using gelatinized maca powder would help in that situation. As for taste, um, it's different and hard to describe. To me it's kind of nutty, but with a sort of burnt aftertaste. It took me a while to find a way to mix it where I could find it palatable. I used a cappuccino flavored meal replacement powder (Spirutein) with milk and an additional spoonful of instant coffee. Then it actually tasted good.

Digestion problems