Maca root is a nutrient rich vegetable that grows in the highlands of Peru and Bolivia. It is both a traditional food of those native to the area, and, over the past 40 years, a potent superfood worldwide. Maca is rich in essential amino acids, minerals, glucosinolates and other important constituents that help it have a positive effect on overall health and hormone health in particular.
While maca root is eaten whole (usually baked or boiled) in the areas where it is grown, it is available outside of those areas most commonly in powder or capsule form. One question we’ve received often is if maca capsules are as effective and potent as maca powder. In this article we’ll answer that question and give you an idea of what to look for so you get the most out of adding this amazing superfood to your life.
Maca roots grow at very high elevations in rocky soil and take 9 months to fully mature. During their growth, they strip the earth of many nutrients. In fact, after just 2 years of growing maca roots, a given piece of land must be rested and rehabilitated for 10 years before it can be productive again. The farmers who grow maca root are experts in knowing exactly when and how to plant the seeds, how to care for the sprouting plants, when to harvest the roots, how to dry the fresh roots and how to store them for maximizing their efficacy. These traditions have been handed down from generation to generation since well before the Incan empire. And, even in spite of various modern and more technological attempts to grow maca, they have not been improved upon. The best and most nutrient dense maca roots are the ones grown with these traditional methods.
Once maca roots have been harvested and dried they are stored until it’s time to process them into a powder. Maca powder that is pure should contain nothing more than maca roots that have been ground up. The processers we use at The Maca Team have proprietary machinery that first cleanses the maca roots to remove any remaining dirt, bacteria, etc. The roots are then run through a series of grinders that reduce the whole maca roots to a fine powder. Our powders are typically “80 mesh” which means they are about as fine as baby powder. The advantage of taking maca in this very fine powder form is that since each individual grain of powder is so small there is a greater likelihood for your intestine to absorb it fully.
Maca powder is the most common and popular way of consuming maca. And there is good reason for that. The main advantages of taking maca in powder form are:
The main disadvantage of maca powder for some customers is the taste. While many customers enjoy the malty, caramel-like taste of maca root powder, others do not. It may taste a bit too “earthy” for some. That is especially true of our premium maca powders, which taste stronger and more spicy than our standard ones. This makes sense when you consider that maca comes from the same family as horseradish.
Maca capsules are the second most popular way of consuming maca root. (Liquid maca extracts and maca chips are the third and fourth). They do have their own set of advantages:
On the other hand, maca capsules are more expensive than their corresponding powders and do take a bit longer to be fully absorbed in the digestive tract.
At The Maca Team, we first started selling maca in powder form. A few years later we decided to offer capsules. At that time, we were surprised to learn that most manufacturers include other ingredients in their formulations. They use flow agents, anti-caking agents, fillers and other artificial ingredients as they fill their capsules. Here’s a list of ingredients we’ve seen in maca capsules:
We were told that large scale machinery requires these types of ingredients in order to successfully and efficiently encapsulate maca powder. We didn’t want to sell capsules with any of that in there so we investigated on our own and ended up investing in our own encapsulation machinery. With that machinery we are 100% sure that the only thing inside of our vegan capsules is our pure maca powder.
We truly wanted our capsules to work as well as our powders and that’s why we decided to make sure they contained zero additional ingredients. For us, the extra time and cost is worth it because we do see that our customers get similar results with both forms of maca. In addition, it’s important to note that the capsules that you receive from us are made with fresh maca powder on a weekly basis, so they simply do not sit around for very long before they are into your hands. So, to answer the original question of whether or not maca capsules work as well as maca powders we say this: If the maca capsules you are taking contain 100% pure, fresh maca powder then we are confident in saying that they will be as effective in terms of the overall benefits they provide. If, however, they contain different ingredients as listed above we are not confident that they will work as well.
As it is with other nutritionally rich foods, you can see from this article that quality is they key factor that influences the efficacy of maca root products. Quality control, all the way from choosing the correct lands, to planting, to harvesting, to processing, to storage and packaging, is crucial to getting the most possible benefit from adding maca to your diet.
The question between taking our capsules and our powders really comes down to preference. If you like the taste of maca powder and enjoy using it in smoothies and other recipes, that’s what we’d recommend. If, on the other hand, the taste doesn’t agree with you, you can easily avoid that using maca capsules instead. As long as you are taking a large enough serving size on a consistent basis we are confident that maca will have a positive impact on your life.
We hope that this article has helped answer the question of the efficacy of maca capsules vs. maca powder. If you have any further doubts, please let us know. We’re always happy to help!
Enjoy the day!
I shop around a lot for my supplements and health foods, and I have to say you guys at The Maca Team are light years ahead of anyone else selling maca out in the marketplace. Thanks for all you do!
By Jim Price, The Green Marketing Guru
Loving the red maca from themacateam. I can tell the difference from my usual store-bought brands. It really tastes so fresh and sweet compared to others. I really love this product. Thanks for sourcing it for us to enjoy
By Michelle Gebbia
I LOVE Maca Team Maca...this was my first purchase with the Maca Team and I have no need to try any other Maca-producer. The Maca tastes fresh and flavorful, the Kilo bag is a great price, and I feel so much more at ease (Maca is such powerful medicine :) )
By Lizzie Thompson
I take 24 products from five to six times a week to increase my well-being and sensual and sexual delights. ;D The Maca Team’s organic maca is one of them—nine grams in my smoothie, Monday to Saturday. The Maca Team is a small business run by a family who cares about its customers, its Peruvian maca growers, and the environment. It's vital to know the source of everything we put in our mouths. Physical and mental health are precious treasures. :D
By Jerry Montero
By Milt Thompson
This product is amazing! I have used other cheaper brands of white maca with fairly good results, but after trying the Maca Team maca, I noticed within two weeks all of my menopausal symptoms had completely vanished. Others described a bad taste and smell, but I have tried the black and the red and find them both to be mild tasting. I use a tablespoon in my daily smoothly
By Joy
Maca first came to us by our vitamin supplier. Then we ordered from the Maca Team. Comparison? Think fire-fly, then think mid-day sun. At 76 and 73 years respectively, that is a big deal; and at comparable cost too. We never have we had such speedy delivery and the packaging is the strongest, most protective we've seen, ever, at all ... anywhere. Further, the Mrs. no longer takes hormone supplements. And Mr. scans the morning want ads for steady P/T work.
By George & Sherri
I had been using another brand of maca powder and decided to try The Maca Team's. The difference in freshness is night and day, and better tasting . I'm 6 foot 250 lbs. and take 4 teaspoons every day w/ my protein shake. Great energy boost and just feel great all day. I can tell a difference when I do not take it. best price that I have found {36oz}. I will be buying more as needed.
By J.D.
I've tried various maca brands over the last 20 years and The Maca Team brand is very special. There is definitely a difference when it comes to the quality and colors of the maca. This red maca does seem to nourish certain parts of my body while the black maca nourishes something else. I know I've been missing the nutrition these maca provide. I'm 75 years old and bodies wear out, but I'm finding I'm regaining a functioning body. How wonderful is this?!?!!!
By Janis Ihrig
I just wanted to thank you for your excellently constructed website. I am a physician and I recently started learning about Maca. I get a very good sense of it, and I expect I will try it out myself and possibly be recommending it to patients in the future. If so, your website will be the first place to send people. Thanks again.
By Adam Holt
Love the Maca team, In an earlier comment I said I was on the fence about where to buy Maca .Not anymore .You shouldn’t be either. The team has answered any questions I’ve had promptly. I feel like I’m dealing with friends, not some company far away out for my money only. The Maca is fresh, prices are good, the people are nice. If you’re on the fence, don’t be, you won’t be sorry.
By Bob
My Maca came in today and it has all the information on it! I must say this is the best tasting Maca I have tried!! Thank you again for a great product!! I will only order from you in future as well!
By Stormi Evans
First I would like to say I love this product. I was very skeptical about a natural product with so many benefits but this stuff really works. Second, I love this company. From the web site to the way they run their company this a top-notch team. I will be ordering from The Maca Team from now on. Great job guys keep doing what you are doing.
By Darren Rivers Sr.
We love this product. I own a store and work with clients holistically. We have recommended maca for years however, this is the highest quality product we have ever carried. I am proud to offer it in my store.
By Mellissa Gage, Infinity and Beyond
I am really happy that I chose the Maca Team, today you can find many distributors selling Maca powder, however quality of the powder is impossible to compare. Moreover, the results after 2 weeks I could feel. Before I was taking maca powder and I did not feel any changes. But since I started taking Maca from Maca Team the changes are incredible. So, I did a test.:) I gave the powder to my partner ... and after 2 weeks he was impressed and told me that he has more energy, feeling happy... Thank you The Maca Team!!!!
By Olga
I do want to say that I have done quite a bit of research on different companies that offer Maca and The Maca Team definitely is the most reputable. Thank you again for your kindness and professionalism :)
By T.C.
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