Red Maca Benefits
If you are either new to maca, or new to the different colors of maca, you’re probably wondering something like:
- “Is it important which color of maca I take?”
- “How is red maca different?” or
- “I’ve heard red maca is good, but what can it really do for me?”
These are great questions because if you are considering adding maca to your diet, you no doubt want to find the best type and color for you. In this article, we hope to answer your questions and point you in the right direction.
Here, we cover potential red maca root powder health benefits you may be interested in, providing both the relevant scientific evidence as well as stories from some of our amazing customers regarding their personal experiences while enjoying this unique root vegetable. You can also read about the general health benefits of maca regardless of color.
A note before we dive in. It’s important to remember that maca is a food and not a drug, supplement or herb. The statements and findings we present here are based on experience and research, but do not necessarily imply similar results. They are not intended as medical advice. If you do have specific health questions regarding the use of maca, please contact a competent and knowledgeable doctor or health care provider.
Red Maca Research
Over the past 15 years, maca has drawn the attention of several medical researchers and scientists. Their work has produced some very promising and interesting results regarding red maca and its efficacy. The studies we cite are compiled on the U.S. National Institutes of Health PubMed database and you can review all of them at once by clicking here.
1. Prostate
Red maca has been associated with maintaining a healthy prostate. A seminal study done on the red phenotype of maca was published in the “Journal Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology. During this study 8 medical research scientists gave different colors of maca to rats with enlarged prostates over the course of 6 weeks. In their conclusions, they report: “Red maca but neither yellow nor black maca reduced significantly ventral prostate size in rats.” [1]
This study prompted several others including one published in “Andrologia” in May 2012 which concluded that “…RM administered from day 1 to day 14 reduced prostate size and zinc levels in rats where prostatic hyperplasia was induced…” [2] and another from Dec 2017 “Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine” which found that “..red maca reduced prostate size in Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) by restoring expression of ERβ without affecting androgen receptors and ERα.” [3]
2. Bone Strength and Density
In 2010 researchers from the Universidad Peruana, Lima published a study on the effects of maca extract on bone structure in rats that had had their ovaries removed. The conclusion was that both “Red and black maca have protective effects on bone architecture in OVX rats without showing estrogenic effects on uterine weight.” [4]
3. Mood and energy
Another study from the same Peruvian University in 2006 found black maca to increase sperm production more than yellow or red maca. But the study also concluded that red maca, like other macas, have a favorable effect on energy, mood, sexual desire and improving male sexual dysfunction. [5] Similarly, a comparative study on the various Maca colors from Aug 2016 in the journal “Pharmaceuticals” found that “…effects on mood, energy, and chronic mountain sickness (CMS) score were better with red maca.” This study also indicated that all types of Maca gave people a higher quality of life score. [6]
4. Depression
Another early study (2006) on the different colors of maca roots found that while “…Black Maca appeared to have more beneficial effects on latent learning in OVX mice; meanwhile, all varieties of Maca showed antidepressant activity.” [7] It has also been our experience that all maca colors work to improve mood, with red maca being slightly more effective.
5. Wound Healing
In a December 2017 article published in “High Altitude Medicine and Biology,” research found that “…red maca at high altitude generates a positive effect on wound healing, decreasing the number of neutrophils and increasing the number of macrophages in the wound healing at day 7 post-wounding.” [8]
6. Higher Nutrient Levels
The aforementioned seminal study on maca from 2005 also goes on to report that in under pyhtochemical analysis for 7 RED-Webfunctional nutrient groups, “Highest peak values were observed for Red Maca, intermediate values for Yellow Maca and low values for Black Maca.” [9] And a study from “International Journal of Biomedical Science” in September 2015 concluded: “The Red Maca phenotype showed the highest concentrations of Glucosinolates as compared to the Black and Yellow Maca.” [10]
7. Skin Health
A study from 2001 in the “International Journal of Dermatology” found that evidence that maca offers some protection from sunburn. “red maca protected the skin and liver against significant increases in the lipid peroxidation activity observed in the unprotected animals.” [11]
7. Immune boosting
Research published in Peru in 2014 on red maca concluded that “red maca administration increases levels of IFN-γ in ovariectomized rats.” IFN-γ is a type of chemical in our bodies that is thought to help protect us against viral, some bacterial and protozoal infections. [12]
What are the real benefits of red maca?
After reading through this type of encouraging research, you might be wondering how red maca is working for regular people every day. We could actually fill several pages regarding red maca benefits based on the feedback we’ve received from happy men and women over the past 15 years. And we’re happy share some of the highlights. These words come from customers who have sent us their experiences with maca. As you read them, please keep in mind that maca is not intended to treat any health condition. It has not been reviewed by the FDA (for whatever that is worth) and still it somehow may help you.
The quotes below come from red maca reviews posted on our site.
Boosting energy and feeling better:
"I LOVE this product. My energy levels are consistently higher, even with a new, more intense workout schedule, I am also getting more out of my workouts while my appetite is under control. My body just feels better EVERYDAY. After several years of perio-menopause I feel like myself again. The red maca has a sweeter taste that I like." - Diana on 4th Nov 2018
Memory
"Hi, I'm a 62 year old woman, purchased to "balance hormones"? if that is at all possible, yet noticed my memory better, especially when trying to recall something eluding me, the answer would just pop up in my mind. I really noticed a difference.” – JP on 19th Sep 2018
Uncomfortable Periods
“...this stuff is what WORKS! I took this for hormonal balance and to help with my period symptoms. I’m AMAZED 3-4 months being on this how it has drastically changed my whole life! My period symptoms went from 100% down to 30% - I feel like my life has changed.” -Bethany on 10th Jun 2018
Hot Flashes
“I have been using the raw, red maca powder to control my menopausal hot flashes for a year and a half. It has been working wonderfully! It took a bit so if you try this be patient. For me it was around the 4th or 5th week of consistently taking my daily dose when suddenly my hot flashes were gone ....” Tamara Anderson on 3rd Jun 2018
Hormonal Acne
"I'm 36yrs old and suffer from hormonal acne. Always seem to have my brain in a fog and depression seemed to have taken hold of me. It took 2 months of taking maca red to see a difference. My face has cleared and I now can focus clearer. I feel happier all the time too.” Anonymous on 13th Mar 2018
Mental Clarity
"I just love my maca! I'm 66, and suffered a mild stroke a year ago...I was suffering from "brain fog" and fatigue. The maca has given me energy and cleared a great deal of my mental sluggishness. I reached out to all my friends and have several family members trying it out too. " Sabina Gogol on 1st Jan 2018
Prostate
"I have had a prostate problem for several years. I would buy prostate supplements that cost around 30.00 a month. The supplements had very little if any effects on my prostate. Within 2 weeks, my prostate showed great improvement, I have used it for 1/12 years and will continue to take Red Maca, and highly recommend it." – Mike
Which red maca benefits are realistic to expect?
As you can see from reading this far into the article, red maca is a fairly well researched functional food that is producing positive results for people on various levels. But what should you expect from adding it to your diet?
First, we want to stress again that maca is a food and it takes time to work naturally in the body, and may not work the same way for everyone. Still, in our experience over many years, most people do report positive benefits from maca if they do the following:
- Purchase a high quality red maca with top levels of vitamins and minerals and other nutrients
- Purchase the right kind of red maca for you
- Take enough maca (serving guidelines).
- Stay consistent with it – take maca every day for at least 4-6 weeks
- Continue enjoying it over time - check out our favorite red maca recipes
Everybody is different and responds differently to adding maca to a daily diet. For some people initial benefits show up after several days and for others it takes several weeks. So, if you follow the simple advice above, you are likely to have some positive experiences with red maca over time. If you are taking red maca and not experiencing changes, let us know and we’ll be glad to troubleshoot with you.
If you would like to get the most out of adding red maca to your life, we encourage you to visit our main red maca page. This will help you decide which type of red maca (raw – gelatinized – premium) and which format of it (powder – capsules - chips – liquid extracts) to try.
We hope that this article has helped you learn more about the potential benefits of this simple food. And as always, we are more than happy to answer any further questions you might have. Just let us know.
Next up – Visit our Red Maca Shop
Enjoy the day!
