Replied By Lisa (Thousand Oaks, Ca, Usa) on 03/26/2010

In fact, there is a contraindication for use of maca for people with thyroid issues. Apparently, there is a high amount of iodine in maca. Also, I'm always leary about the types of meds people are using and adding things to them. I myself am very anti-meds and only go natural routes so I can't really give you feedback in this area.

Lisa

Replied By Joyce (Joelton, Tn) on 03/27/2010

Thanks to you I have learned something today. Knowing nothing about Maca, went visiting on the internet for knowledge. It seems that all the information on its safety and no side effects comes from studies paid for by its producers who have patented it as a plant. (Didn't know this could be done, but apparently it has been in this case.) For those of you who want to know, maca is a member of the mustard, broccoli, radish, etc. family.

Not trusting studies paid for by the people who are making money off the product, looked further and found a great site with lots of comments following the article. http://www.highonhealth.org/what-nobody-tells-you-about-maca-root-powder-dangers-and-side-effects/. Isn't that what good EC'ers do, look at the yeas and nays? One commenter on another site said she had to stop it because she was jittery, couldn't sleep and felt like her heart was racing a lot. She said the problems cleared several days later and that she planned to restart it later at a lower dosage and work up to the recommended dosage. It hadn't been long enough for her to report back apparently after restarting it. However, she did recommend anyone starting Maca start at lower dosage and slowly increase it instead of starting at recommended dosage. Another one said that the woman who sold her the Maca recommended that she only take 1 capsule a day instead of the containers re- commended 4 caps/day.

I was able to find plant data on one site but nothing really helpful with your question. Plant not found in the federal data base on plants.

So go to the site, skip the article, and read the comment. You will find plenty to evaluate. There was another site that offered a video showing some female who gave up treating her acne with Maca, but I think this one had Vanderbilt below the video, and we all know that orthodox medicine doesn't recommend most anything you can purchase without a prescription. For those of you who are wondering, maca is a staple food in Peru, where the people are said to eat several pounds of it per week. You would have to ingest a whole slew of 500 mgm. caps to equal several pounds of the fresh root.

Have fun with those nays which ranged from heartburn, bloating, diarrhea, and hormonal imbalances, and more.

Replied By Loren (Queens, Ny) on 03/29/2010

Replied By Sail06 (Katy, Tx, Usa) on 03/30/2010

I had bought the capsules, and was opening them up, to make about 1 tbsp, that I used in the following shake:

Blue-Green Power
2 tbsp hemp protein powder
1 tbsp Maca root powder
3 tbsp Spirulina, or other blue-green algae
2 tbsp Flax seeds
2 bananas
3 cups of water

Blend the hemp powder, Spirulina, flax seeds, bananas, and water until smooth. Enjoy.
Per serving: calories 114, protein 7g, carbohydrates 17g, fat 3g, sugar 7g
Percent Daily Values: potassium 10%, vitamin C 9%, calcium 3%, iron 13%, vitamin E 13%, vitamin B6 17%, folate 7%, magnesium 32%, zinc 2%, manganese 18%, dietary fiber 18%

Maca comes from the Andes of Peru. It's a root vegetable and medicinal herb, and looks like a turnip. Maca's great for rebuilding our adrenal glands and has reported beneficial effects for sexual function due to its high concentration of proteins and vital nutrients. You can buy it in bulk powder and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Replied By Robert (Ca) on 09/26/2016