Very powerful, proceed with caution
I started taking red maca to help with perimenopause symptoms like hot flashes. I took it for about three weeks, two teaspoons per day in the morning. My experience taught me that maca is no joke! It is very powerful and for women in a similar situation it seems worth checking with a natural doctor or gyn to figure out the right dosage. I did experience relief from hot flashes - they seemed less pronounced and less frequent in the weeks I took the supplement and this benefit is for now continuing even after stopping it — BUT I think I got the dosage wrong. I am actually on a break right now because I started experiencing annoying and even alarming hormonal side effects. Side effects included significant water weight gain/bloating and, more alarmingly, a very large breast cyst. I didn’t connect the cyst to my maca regimen until I went to get it checked. After my exams I read up on the hormonal side effects of maca, and decided to stop using it for a while and see if it would reduce in size. As I suspected, my side effects have greatly diminished once I stopped the two teaspoons of maca. In short, maca has a powerful effects on hormones. Some women may be less sensitive. I probably needed to take one teaspoon at most and two were too many. I wish there were better guidance on dosage out there. I will likely try it again if I start experiencing strong hot flashes again, but will be much more conservative and cautious with the dosage. From The Maca Team: Thanks for reaching out Frankie. We appreciate your feedback. Indeed getting the serving size right is important. Since maca works on the hormonal system it affects people in different ways depending on their overall endocrine health. Also good advice for anyone with concerns to start maca in cooperation with a competent health care professional. We've also reached out via email to offer any additional support regarding serving sizes, etc. Thank you!