Maca for Hormone Balance

Maca for Hormone Balance - Achieve Hormone Health with Maca Root

People have used maca root to support overall hormone balance and well-being for centuries.  Scientific research has also discovered that maca may indeed help regulate hormonal fluctuations.   In this article we'll have a closer look at how maca works on this level.  Click on the links below to jump to each section.   

• Overview - What is Hormone Balance?
• Introduction to Maca Root
• Is Maca Good for Balancing Hormones?
• 3 Ways Maca Effects Hormones
• What Science Says about Maca for Hormone Balance
• Maca Root for Hormone Balance - Words from Our Customers
• Which Maca is Best for Hormone Balance?
• How to Use Maca to Help You Balance Your Hormones
• Final Words on Maca for Hormone Balance

What is Hormone Balance?

Hormones are chemicals produced by glands in the endocrine system and released into the bloodstream.    They are responsible for a range of bodily functions and crucial to overall health.  Different hormones exert a significant role in determining your metabolism, mood, sleep cycle, and more. Experiencing some hormonal imbalance isn’t unusual - in fact, most people will live with an imbalance in their hormones once or twice in their lives, namely during stages like puberty or menopause. Research estimates that approximately 80% of women will cope with hormonal imbalance at some point in their lives. Men aren’t immune to the issue - about 26% of men will experience similar problems, which become more common as they age.

Introduction to Maca Root

Maca root, sometimes referred to as Peruvian ginseng or Lepidium meyenii, is a cruciferous plant of the family Brassicaceae that grows at extreme altitudes of about 13,000 feet or 3900 meters in the Andes. Maca root products are known for a wide range of health benefits ranging from reduced anxiety to improved fertility. Maca is an adaptogenic plant rich in vitamins, minerals, and essential amino acids. Maca also contains unique nutrients known as macaenes and macamides that can help address hormonal imbalance.

Is Maca Good for Balancing Hormones?

First and foremost, keep in mind that maca doesn’t contain hormones.  It is also not a replacement for Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). That said, maca does contain nutrients that can work toward your hormone health. It possesses unique properties that allow it to influence your body’s hormone production.

Three Ways Maca Effects Hormones

1. Maca Root as an Adaptogen: Adaptogens are herbs, roots, and other natural plant substances believed to exert an overall balancing effect on the body. Though maca itself doesn’t contain testosterone or estrogen, as an adaptogen maca root can stimulate your body to achieve its intended hormone balance. 
2. Maca Root Contains Macaenes and Macamides: Macaenes and Macamides are bioactive marker compounds found almost exclusively in maca root. Maca has long been used to address sexual dysfunction in men and women, and in the Peruvian Andes where it grows is also known to remedy the most severe symptoms of menopause.
3. Maca Stimulates the Endocrine System: It’s believed that plant sterols in maca root stimulate the endocrine system, helping to maintain hormone balance. Though the research is ongoing, scientists believe that maca’s sterols join with the pituitary to improve adrenal function, ovarian and testicular function, and the functioning of the thyroid, pancreas, and pineal gland.

What Science Says About Maca for Hormone Balance

While there’s some uncertainty as to how exactly maca root works to affect the body’s hormone balance, numerous studies have confirmed that it does just that. 

• Maca minimizes symptoms of menopause: several randomized clinical trials found that regular consumption of maca root demonstrated favorable effects on perimenopausal, early postmenopausal, and late postmenopausal women. 
• Maca reduces sexual dysfunction in men and women: Maca has demonstrated a significant positive effect on the sex drives of menopausal women, women experiencing SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction, and men suffering from erectile dysfunction. 
• Maca combats testosterone deficiency: Scientists looking into the effects of maca root on hypogonadism found that regular consumption of maca root served to remediate clinical symptoms of androgen deficiency and low testosterone levels.
• Maca improves sperm quantity and quality: research suggests that maca root can improve sperm quantity, quality, and motility.

Maca Root for Hormone Balance - Words From Our Customers

"I have had debilitating hormonal issues my entire life. I was prescribed birth control to help with the symptoms but have recently gotten off after almost 20 years and maca has changed my life. I don’t even have PMS symptoms anymore, mild to no cramping at all, no mood swings, and a light and short-lasting flow. I think every woman should try this! Lastly it does take about a month or two to notice any difference but I’ll never stop using maca now."  - Alex Shirk

 

"I love the Maca powder. It has helped me regulate hormones and normalize my monthly cycles that were all over the place after getting the Depo shot for birth control. What a nightmare! Your maca was the only thing that worked to get my cycles back to normal again. Thank you!" ---Lea

 

"Purchased the red maca to help to balance my hormones after I had a baby. I noticed that I was sweating excessively and I was looking for a way to control it. After one week of taking 4 pills every morning, I noticed a huge change. I finally found a solution that came with positive results. This is my story and thank you for your service!!!" - Kersti Jakobsen

 

 "I am very happy with this product and the changes it has brought to my life. It gives me energy every day and helps me to keep a positive attitude, but the most important thing it has done for me is help level out my hormones. I have suffered from PMDD for over 3 years now, and I can finally say I feel "normal and happy" now every single of my female cycle."  - Carrie

 

"I'm an active 50-year-old who has dealt with hormone imbalance for years, and as a Breast Cancer survivor, hormone replacement is not an option. Since I've started taking Maca my hormones are much more balanced & I feel more energetic and youthful. The Maca Team cares about supplying the best quality Maca at the most affordable price to the consumer and as an added bonus, they have excellent customer service and fast shipping!" - Cate

 

"I have been taking the Maca Team maca root for nearly a year noticing increased energy and an overall increase in health. Recently my wife slowly weaned herself off of her prescription estradiol counting on maca capsules to regulate her estrogen balance. I have read it increases oxygen uptake at the cellular level and have noticed increased circulatory benefits evidenced in male vigor. I like the taste mixed into coffee and cannot envision not benefitting from this healthy food source." - Richard in N.C.

Which Maca is Best for Hormone Balance?

• Gelatinized Tri-Color Maca Products: Maca root was traditionally consumed as a tri-color or “heritage” blend. Tri-color maca root products allow you to get the best of all three maca colors. Gelatinized maca has been pre-cooked to minimize the starch content with minimal impact on the nutritional content of the root, allowing your body to digest it more smoothly. 
• Gelatinized Red Maca for Women: The process of sorting maca roots by color is a relatively new development. Modern science has identified the benefits of maca root consumption based on individually-colored roots. Red maca is considered the best option for women, working to reduce the symptoms of menopause and boosting curves, hair growth, and more traditionally “feminine” attributes. 
• Gelatinized Black Maca for Men: Just as red maca root provides benefits more desirable to women, black maca root improves more “masculine” bodily functions. That means combatting ED, increasing stamina and energy, and contributing to muscular hypertrophy, or the development of muscle mass. 

How to Use Maca to Help You Balance Your Hormones

It’s important to keep in mind that maca root is a food, not a supplement. It isn’t intended to act as a replacement for HRT. In order to see the best benefits of maca root, it should be consumed regularly as part of a healthy diet and exercise routine. Serving size is key, and this will vary depending on your current size and goals. Check out our Maca FAQs for more information, and try our product selection tool for a more custom-tailored suggestion.

Final Words

While maca root should not be considered a replacement for pharmaceutical intervention, it acts as a natural remedy for some symptoms of hormone imbalance. Despite the absence of hormones in maca root itself, its adaptogenic qualities and nutritional content allow it to address hormone dysfunctions and help the body achieve hormone balance. If you’re considering making any significant changes to your diet or have concerns about the potential impact of maca on your health, consult with a medical professional before proceeding.

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