Gelatinized Maca Powder (Organic, Black Root)

6:1 concentrated maca powder! This is most energetic Maca we have sampled after trying maca from dozens of growers, distributors, and processors. We believe this gelatinized form best captures the fortifying, uplifting essence that defines maca. In being lightly cooked, our gelatinized maca is closest to traditional preparation, used for thousands of years to enhance stamina, libido, and well-being. It is 100% digestible, and we feel it is the form most acceptable to all people.

Black Root maca is a specific variety. Maca roots grow naturally in a spectrum of colors. Most commonly, cultivated maca is white/cream in color. In recent years, other colors have been grown exclusively. We have had the pleasure of sampling each color/variety prepared in various ways. In our experience, we find black root maca to be the most potent variety.

Each batch of our maca is made fresh to order. It is quickly shipped to us direct from the growers in Peru. This is the freshest, strongest gelatinized product we have ever used!

It is our goal to offer the highest quality maca product we can find. It is also important that we offer our maca at a reasonable price. Ours should be one of the best prices available. We intend to keep it that way. We would like for all people to try this wonderful plant!

Maca's True Heritage

Maca is the progenitor of our brand, Bone Thru the Nose. We use it profusely! It is quite simply the ideal supplement, and we could not be happier to carry such a great product. Our philosophy here is that traditionally, maca is a food, not a supplement to be put in capsule. We feel that most widely available capsule supplements are inappropriate considering maca's copious traditional use as food. To reap the full benefits of maca, it must be part of the diet. We find that good maca is an experience. We hope you will agree.

We have had much success determining which common flavors mix best with maca. Our preferred method is into milk or fruit shakes, but there are many ways to incorporate Maca into the diet.

Our gelatinized maca has a rich, lightly sweet, nutty flavor that blends very well into coffee, mocha, chocolate, with honey and vanilla, papaya, banana mango, coconut, most berries, and other fruits. It goes very well with pumpkin, squash and their complimentary spices- cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Mixed into chai teas, maca can be delicious! It blends with nut flavors- almonds, walnuts, brazil nuts, etc. We have even used in pancakes, cookies, and breads. In Peru, they use maca in various sorts of ways. They even distill liquor from it! All traditionally prepared maca is cooked in some way.

Maca's Primary Benefits

• Energy / Fatigue: Generates core energy in the body and mind; not an external stimulant like caffeine. Maca is invigorating and uplifting through a powerful and distinct nutritional profile.
• Menopause: This is a prominent use, gaining recognition worldwide. For many people it is very effective. Maca nourishes the endocrine system, balancing the manufacture of hormones naturally in the body. It does not act upon hormones directly, which is why it is so gentle and effective for this purpose. This concentrated gelatinized form is considered stronger than Black Cohosh, Chaste Berry, and Wild Yam for hormonal regulation purposes.
• Libido: Maca is marketed under this banner more often than not, as it is a powerful restorer and enhancer of libido. It is one of the few supplements that is equally effective in both men and women for this purpose. This gelatinized form contains much higher concentrations of the libido-enhancing compounds often touted by manufacturers.
• Impotence / Infertility: Maca treats impotence and infertility in both men and women. Maca is well known in Peru for it's ability to ensure fertility in animals at high altitudes. It is prescribed for the same reason in humans, as it increases virility, oxygen transport.
• ADD / Stress: Through the concentrated power of it's nutrition, Maca can help to enhance concentration and decrease stress, being a powerful tool in addressing attention issues. The owner of Skyfield Tropical has used it primarily for this purpose for many years, and recommends it often to others with similar issues.
• Malnutrition: Maca is remarkably nutritious, having a profile of highly bio-available nutrients akin to a good multi-vitamin. Our gelatinized maca, in being free of fibers and most carbohydrates, is nearly 100% digestible, and is quickly assimilated. When dissolved into liquids, many of its active nutrients enter the bloodstream within 20 minutes of ingestion. An independent analysis of maca's extensive nutrient composition: Nutrient Composition of Raw Maca
• Thyroid: Only gelatinized / cooked maca is being used to treat thyroid problems. Maca is also good source of iodine, which can assist in hypothyroidism. Raw maca cannot be used for this purpose, as it contains goitrogens which must be deactivated by cooking. Maca is a cruciferous vegetable, like broccoli or turnips. See: Maca and the Thyroid

Gelatinization: How and Why

Gelatinization is a proprietary process developed at National University of Agriculture in La Molina, Peru. It involves gentle heat combined with high pressure, force-separating the tough fiber and starches, which are then removed. This significantly concentrates the product (by a ratio of about 6:1), and renders it crystalline. The remaining nutrients and active compounds are carefully dried at low temperatures and then powdered. Gelatinized maca has been used in most of the clinical studies, and is certainly the best choice for those wishing to gain the most therapeutic benefit.

We focused on gelatinized maca for reasons we feel are very important not just for the health of people, but also for the public's impression of maca. In our research we find that maca is always cooked by its native growers. Most people outside of Peru use raw maca ingredients. This basic preparation is typically not incorporated into products marketed under claims of "traditional use." Many of these maca flour products are proclaimed "raw," "most natural form," "complete with enzymes," to entice health-related thinking and draw the approval of the growing raw food crowd. In having conversed with growers and ethnobotanists who study maca, we know that despite being safe and non-toxic, raw maca can be difficult to digest and/or metabolize for many people. This is likely why the root is traditionally cooked in some way, as there is usually a logical reason for a native treatment of a food or herb. Having tried dozens of raw maca powders with the gelatinized, we find the most pleasant, efficacious products are without exception the gelatinized forms of Maca, and more generally, cooked maca. It should be noted that there is a rising number of adverse reactions to raw maca powder being reported (many likely to goitrogens, but also some digestive complaints). While we are most certainly an advocate of macrobiotic and raw food lifestyles, we ultimately feel that raw maca is not well suited for human consumption.

If you have not had a positive past experience with other maca, we fully encourage you to try our product!

If you have any questions or concerns about our maca, please contact us.

Maca Recipes

Here are some simple recipes which compliment the flavor of maca. Most of of these were developed here at Skyfield Tropical. We recommend adjusting the maca content to your taste. Add 1/2 teaspoon (mild effects) - 1 tablespoon (strong effects) of maca to:

Easy Super Energy

Bolthouse Farms Mocha Protein 32oz (in the produce section of most supermarkets)
1 Tablespoon Gelatinized Maca
Shake / Blend well!

Honey Vanilla Papaya Maca

Maca Chai

Mix maca into pre-made chai tea products, or into your own homemade chai. It blends rather well with most brands that can be purchased in cartons.

Blueberry Sweet Maca

Intense Berry Melt

*Jackfruit can be found canned in most Asian markets, and in the "ethnic" section of some supermarkets. It really gives body to the flavor of the drink.

Morning Mud

Powder the cocoa & coffee ingredients together if necessary. Bullet blenders are phenomenal for this. Add the rest and mix / puree until smooth. Drink immediately. Make sure you have plans for this quantity of steady energy!

Other Ideas

Maca mixes well with rich chocolate flavors. Try adding 2-3 Tablespoons while making a box of brownie mix (add some milk to amend the drier batter texture). This is a good introduction to maca, with a very light maca flavor.