Maca Powder comes from the Maca plant which is native to Peru. It is a cruciferous vegetable from the carrot, radish and parsnip family. It has been cultivated and used by the Peruvians for several thousand years, both as a foodstuff and also for its medicinal properties. Maca contains high amounts of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and all the essential amino acids. Maca is an adaptogen so it "adapts" to your body's metabolism and can help you achieve your optimal level of health and energy.

Maca is a wonderful superfood as it:

• Improves stamina, vitality and endurance
• Enhances libido, sexual function and fertility
• Regulates women's hormonal irregularities: menstruation, eases period pains, alleviates menopausal symptoms
• Elevates your mood, rids depression and improves mental ability and concentration
• Increases blood circulation in your skin, giving it a youthful appearance
• Builds muscle due to the natural sterols, especially when you exercise
• Maca enlivens sexual function in both genders
• Helps to overcome fatigue
• Stimulates the immune system

This Maca is of the highest quality, grown in Peru without the use of any pesticides or herbicides. The highest quality maca root tubers are carefully selected and using a careful drying and grinding process, the fine flour/powder is obtained. This ensures the maca retains all its potency and is easy to use. Maca flour doesn't contain any type of preservative, colouring or flavouring. It is 100% natural.

Gelatinized Maca

Gelatinized maca is maca that has had the starch removed. Maca without starch present is more assimiable making it easier for the body to digest and absorb and is easier, therefore, on the stomach and digestion. The term gelatinized simply refers to the special process whereby the starch is removed and does not mean the maca contains gelatin. Gelatinized maca powder can be used in exactly the same way as non-gelatinized maca powder. It is a slightly darker creamy brown colour and not quite as finely powdered as ordinary maca as it is more concentrated (so you get more from less). As it is more concentrated and pure it is faster acting and dissolves more quickly than other maca. The taste is not quite as strong as ordinary maca as it is less bitter and therefore mixes well into many recipes. The special gelatinization process makes it the most assimiable and nutritiously dense type of maca. Furthermore, as it a purer and more concentrated form of maca, you get more from less offering great value.

Maca can be sprinkled over cereal, porridge or muesli, mixed into yoghurt (with a touch of honey). Try stirring it into soups, sprinkled on salads, or added to salad dressings. Alternatively, mix into to hot or cold drinks, fruit juices, warm milk & honey. It’s great used in smoothies with bananas, rice milk, cacao nibs and goji berries. Maca is considered a food and therefore has no set dosages. As a guide, 1-3 teaspoons a day is recommended, however it can also be taken in higher doses such as a heaped tablespoon or two each day. For those new to Maca, it is recommended to start with smaller doses and increase gradually.

Maca is a natural energizer, both mentally and physically, due to its mineral and alkaloidal content. It can boost energy levels, and is being used as an adjuvant therapy for chronic fatigue. Maca is a powerful tonic that improves physical output in a non-specific way. It reinforces the immune system and increases brain capability, generally improving bodily functions. Its effects are appropriate to the age and sex of the person using it. It has been shown to revitalize men and women of middle and older age both mentally and physically. Maca is also well known for its ability to increase fertility and has long been used by couples seeking to conceive. Maca is known as a 'herbal viagra'. Traditionally women in the Andes have used Maca to help ease period pains and regulate menstruation. It contains four alkaloids, which nourish the endocrine glands and is a real source of natural vegetal hormones which can help relieve menopausal symptoms such as: tiredness, hot flushes, vaginal dryness, memory disorder, osteoporosis and lowered libido. Maca helps to balance the hormonal system by encouraging the body to produce the hormones it needs.