Maca Testimonials From Real People
The following testimonials cover many topics relating to Maca root and how it has improved people's lives and well being.
Maca was recommended to me for depression. As is so often the case with depression there were a variety of causes, but fluctuating hormones were certainly not helping matters. I began having a heaped teaspoon before breakfast and lunch in a juice or a milk shake, with a week off after every month.
It has stabilized the fluctuations; allowing me clarity and enabling me to actually see the other things that I need to do to live my life fully. My body ENJOYS it, maybe it’s the complex multi-what sits, but there is always a good feeling when I've had my morning brew.
Emma (Wellsford, New Zealand).
I rarely suggest dietary supplements to my patients, but have had no hesitation in referring Maca to those whom I feel would benefit from the wonderful effects of their hormonal systems coming into balance (sometimes for the first time) along with the added benefits of increased energy levels. One of the major reasons for the success of maca relates to the fact that it is easily assimilated and recognised by the body as a food and assists in stabilising the blood sugar levels. I have been using maca for the past year and had results within the first 2-3 weeks.
Nicola Dallow, Diploma Senior Functional therapy, Diploma Zen Shiatsu.
Norfolk Island.
"I had a hysterectomy at the tender age of 28 (I am 51 now) and as a result experienced the early onset of menopause. Shock and horror! Anxiety, lack of energy, headaches, sweats and hot flushes, lack of concentration and a foggy head, constipation, tender breasts, vaginal dryness and cramps … All that made life quite miserable for this young mother. But my doctor had the answer - 50mg patches of oestrogen weekly.
That put paid to the hot flushes and sweats, but I still suffered from tender breasts, an ongoing lack of energy, and recurring anxieties. I put up with them for many years since in comparison with what had been going on, life was better. But then about four years ago, I began seeing reports about side-effects of HRT and the concern that long-term use might be dangerous. So I went off HRT for 18 months. Back came the flushes and sweats; in fact, all the symptoms came back again. I took a second opinion and was put on HRT in tablet form for about a year, which seemed to settle things down. But when I read about the research done in America that confirmed HRT was dangerous in the long-term, I was getting pretty worried.
I began to explore natural alternatives to HRT, but none seemed to quite fit the bill until I heard about Maca, with its long established reputation for settling the symptoms of menopause. I decided to trial Maca Magic™ in tablet form, which is highly concentrated and rich in protein, minerals and vitamins. I tested different strengths and found my body accepted one-and-a-half tablets a day, and all the symptoms disappeared - except for the occasional hot sweat when I have a week's break after taking Maca for a month. I'm now recommending Maca to all my friends who I think need it. I have not experienced any side-effects. It's awesome!" - Suzanne (New Plymouth, New Zealand)
"Even taking natural thyroid supplements I still lacked the energy and zing that I'd had before menopause left me hyopthyroid. Just one 450mg capsule of Maca a day changed all that. I can accomplish more things and - even more importantly - I want to! I've got back my zest and enthusiasm for finishing tasks. Better still, I've been able to cut back on the thyroid supplements as well.
I can only describe the impact of Maca on me as unfogging my brain, even when I hadn't been aware at the time that it was indeed fogged! Maca opened up the air spaces in my head without making me into an airhead. Quite the opposite in fact! My only regret is that I didn't find out about Maca prior to all those hot flushes!" - Jan (Auckland, New Zealand)
"I have been using Maca in the whole powder form for about five months now. In that time I got married, moved house, and have held down a busy job. I found that Maca definitely helped me have enough energy at the end of the day to keep organising the little details that always need to be pored over for a wedding!
Rather than giving me an instant boost as coffee would, I find that it gives me a more steady level of energy, which lasts a long time. I would recommend it to anyone who leads a busy lifestyle." - Cherie, aged 27 (Palmerston North, New Zealand)
"Maca is one of my favorite plants. Great when you need energy, it also seems to help the body's own hormonal system find balance quickly and easily. I use it often." - Leslie Kenton, Health Foods Author
"I would like to write a testimonial letter on how Maca helped me overcome Ross River Fever and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome diagnosed over five years ago. I am writing this letter in the hope that it will encourage others with similar symptoms to use this wonderful product. I took a level teaspoon two times a day for two weeks and then reduced the dose to one-half a teaspoon two times per day as a maintenance dose. I have been taking Maca for three months now, although the two weeks at two teaspoons per day made the greatest difference. The symptoms of mental and physical fatigue, loss of libido, body aches and pains and depression seem to have left me permanently. This has not happened in at least the last nine years. During this time I did not stop looking for a way out of my illness. I am 54-years-old and now feel my youth has returned. This product has made a huge difference to my life." - David (USA)
"Three years ago I went through stress-related menopause. I had already been having problems with severe flooding, but then it got much worse. In addition, I had a lot of pain in my cervix and ovaries. Tests showed that my hormones were out of whack and the doctors recommended HRT, which I did not take. I went on various herbs for a year, but they didn't help, and for three years I haemorrhaged for ten days to two weeks every month. Then two months ago I started taking Maca, one teaspoon per day, and very quickly I stopped the excessive bleeding and all the pain disappeared. I'm thrilled!" - Dawn (USA)
"After years of enduring periods heavy enough to cause severe anaemia I am now, three months after commencing Maca, experiencing normal menstruation." - Linda (USA)
"After three months on one-quarter teaspoon of Maca, two times per day, my fingernails have grown long and very hard. In all my 81 years, I have never been able to grow my nails! I have also experienced a lot of increased energy, and my mouth ulcers have healed." - Elisen (USA)
"I can't believe how much more energy I have since taking Maca, only one-quarter teaspoon, once a day. For the first time in years I am able to work all day in the garden, and I used to be only able to spend one or two hours. I'm sleeping much better, and just feel so damn good!" - Peter, aged 77 (USA)
"I am 55 years of age and have been seriously searching for relief from menopausal symptoms for the past 5 years, having tried conventional and a variety of herbal remedies with little or very short term success. Natural progesterone cream is effective for reducing the severe headaches and depression but did not assist the other symptoms associated with menopause, such as lack of mental and physical motivation, feelings of anxiety followed by hot flushes and night sweats, poor sleeping habits and frequency of urination during the night, and a dry vagina.
I tried Maca for two months, having juggled the dosage within the first two weeks to suit, and my symptoms as described gradually disappeared (taken along with natural progesterone cream now in a minute dose). I find now that my thinking and memory have improved, and depression and anxiety are eliminated. I suffer no hot flushes or night sweats. I have more physical energy, which carries me through the evening and can sleep through the night, not having to visit the bathroom at all. Vaginal lubrication has also improved. I recommend Maca to anyone who is suffering the uncomfortable, annoying and debilitating symptoms of menopause. For me, using Maca has been an easy, natural way to restore harmony to the endocrine system and with it new-found confidence and energy to tackle each day." - Judith (USA)
"For years I felt like I was in slow motion. It was really hard to get going and keep going all day, which I have to do because I work, plus have a family to look after. I just couldn't lose weight, no matter how hard I dieted, and I think that was because my metabolism has been sluggish. Well, for the first few weeks of taking Maca nothing happened, so I took a bit extra, and then suddenly everything changed. It feels like my metabolism is finally in high gear, and I'm losing weight! After a couple of weeks I cut back to the maintenance dose, and I'm fine. I have so much energy now that I can keep going all day, plus I have plenty of energy for my family at night." - Alison (USA)
"Just dropping you a line to let you know I've been taking one teaspoon of Maca per day, for three weeks. I'm 42, have five children and have been experiencing menopausal symptoms for the last eight months, maybe longer. I've noticed a welcome difference in the following symptoms: brain fatigue, tender breasts, emotional upsets, and tiredness. I've felt well enough to be motivated into daily exercise and have stopped the usual eating binges in the afternoon. Many thanks." - Lia (USA)
Physician's Testimonial and Note: (For more details, see Mind Boosters: A Guide to Natural Supplements That Enhance Your Mind, Memory, and Mood, by Ray Sahelian, M.D. Hippocrates Health Institute Australia)
Maca is a root-like vegetable shaped like a radish that grows high in the Andes. Native Peruvians apparently used maca as a food and as medicine. Claims exist that maca is an adaptogen similar to ginseng. Maca has been used traditionally to increase energy and to promote endurance. Maca is available as capsules containing 500 mg of the herb or as a grain alcohol extract. I've only experimented with maca for a week with dosages ranging from 1,000 mg to 5,000 mg. Within a few hours of taking the higher dose of maca, there is an increase in arousal and energy levels. This lasts a few hours and then fades away. There is also a slight mood elevation."
One young West Coast woman, Susan F, has an interesting experience to tell. After giving birth to two children, the 31-year old mother decided to use contraceptive pills for the first time. Since a possible side effect of the method she chose was not having a period, Susan F didn't think anything of its non-occurrence until six months later when she also began experiencing mood swings, hot flashes, and dry skin. Her visit to an endocrinologist revealed that the woman's hormones were at 'menopause' levels. Then Susan's mother told her that early menopause runs in the family. Her grandmother, her mother, and her older sister all had early menopause. It had been a year since her last period, and by chance her husband brought home some Maca for himself. He told his wife to try it, too, which she did. Last June Susan F experienced resumption of menstruation once again. Her periods have been regular ever since taking the maca. Susan F also comments that her skin is now soft and moist, the way it used to be.
Diane S, a 52-year-old librarian from Rye, New York, would never consider taking estrogen because of the health risks she feared. Instead she opted for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) as an anti-aging hormone. This very physically active woman noticed an upsurge in her energy from ingesting DHFA but intercourse was still painful for her due to the drying of her vagina. The gynecologist she consulted about the problem told her it was a "natural part of aging that could only get worse with time." He told Diane S that the only thing able to help would be taking estrogen. But after three weeks of taking Maca Diane reported that her vaginal lubrication was good, and vaginal dryness was no longer troublesome.
