How is Maca Prepared?

A big part of eating healthy is knowing 1) what exactly you’re eating 2) where it came from and 3) how it was prepared. If you’re shopping at big box grocery stores, gathering this information can be really difficult if not entirely possible. Marketers can often get away with toeing the line regarding what’s allowed on food labels, and without doing some extensive research it can be hard to get the answers you’re looking for. It’s not the kind of ambitious investigation just anybody has time for, especially if you’re juggling work, recreation, and family life.

Luckily, we’ve taken the guesswork out of sourcing one nutritious food for you: our maca.

What Maca Is

To put it simply, maca is a root vegetable. Also known as Lepidium meyenni Walpers, it belongs to the brassica (mustard) family along with broccoli, cauliflower, and other similar veggies. It grows close to the ground in a rosette-like structure and is harvested for its roots, which come in three colors: black, red, and yellow. Though separating the roots by color for harvesting and processing is a fairly recent process, maca has been grown for centuries for its numerous associated benefits. These include fertility, stimulating the libido (for both men and women), and improving energy and stamina.

Maca is a nutrient-dense superfood packed with essential amino acids as well as minerals and vitamins. It also contains macaenes and macamides, important secondary metabolites which are found almost exclusively in maca root.

There’s no shortage of maca products on the market, but it’s a point of pride for us to be able to offer products made with 100% pure organic maca. You’ll always know what’s in our maca root products, and in most cases it’s just that - Fair Trade, non-GMO maca root.

Where Maca Comes From

While today maca has been grown with limited success in other parts of the world, it originates in the Peruvian Andes, where it’s been harvested by humans for centuries. Though maca faded from popularity for a while, today the country of Peru considers it a precious traditional commodity - so much so that it’s enacted laws forbidding the import of maca plants, seeds, and even whole maca roots.

Our maca root is sustainably grown by a co-op of local farmers in the Junin River plateau area of Peru. We exclusively sell Peruvian maca, ensuring that any maca products you buy from us are the highest quality possible. Because Peru has a total ban on GMOs, all of our maca is guaranteed organic. All of our maca products are vegan, and you’ll never have to worry about fillers or additives. And when you’re trying to eat healthy, you can’t put a price on that peace of mind.

How is Maca Prepared?

We offer a few different formulations, but all of our maca products begin the same way: with whole ground maca roots. Our maca is harvested in Peru before undergoing minimal processing. In most cases, that means it’s sun-dried before being ground into raw maca powder. In the case of our premium maca powders, instead of drying beneath the sun the maca roots go into a low-temperature dehydrator. The key difference in the maca produced is a higher percentage of glucosinolates, nutrients associated with anti-inflammatory and cancer-fighting properties.

Maca powder is the only ingredient you’ll find in our vegan maca capsules, which makes taking your maca quicker and easier. With maca capsules, you won’t have to worry about taking any messy powders on the go with you while traveling. They’re particularly ideal for people who don’t enjoy the taste of maca, ensuring that you don’t have to pass up on the benefits just because you dislike the flavor.

Our maca liquid extracts contain only two ingredients: maca roots and vegetable glycerin. These undergo a proprietary 4-step process to extract the maca’s nutrients that results in a liquid maca extract that hasn’t been denatured in any way and is absorbed into the body more quickly and easily than maca powder.

 How Do You Choose Your Maca?

There’s really no right or wrong answer. Keep in mind that it’s best to start small with maca, and that your serving size will depend on your weight and your desired goals. Our Maca Finder tool can help you choose a product to suit your needs, and you should always consider meeting with a licensed medical professional before making any drastic changes to your diet and exercise routine.

If you think you’re ready to jump right in, check out our Maca FAQs and consider trying one of our Maca Samplers. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions! You can Contact Us using our web form, or call us toll-free at 888-919-8616.

Enjoy the Day!