Maca for women

[Thayden102]

Hi all,

Has anyone tried maca powder? I've heard some good things about hormonal balance and libido increases with this product. Anyone have any experience they could share? If so where do you purchase? Thanks so much

[PistolsAtDawn]

I can only answer as a man, but yes, maca has been a nice supplement for me in the past. I get a bit of energy and alertness (and a bit of a libido boost as well). I unknowingly have had multiple autoimmune diseases for the last decade at least, including hypothyroidism which was hell until I found the right thyroid hormone doses. Perhaps there's something there about maca and hormone balance that might explain why it worked so well for me.

[Rkaltenbach]

I have not yet tried this but I have read it is said to help with hormonal mood swings

[StringThing]

It is an MAOI so double-check before taking it if you are on any prescription medications.

[DittonW]

viewtopic.php?f=19&t=7729&p=80050&hilit=macca#p80050

thats an older thread about Macca. I think it started out with Brave recommending health ranger - which sells the groovy bee brand.

I tired some of the health ranger and, actually am still working through some. but I also ended up with a kilo of The Maca Team black root, that is pretty potent. The Maca team has a survey that they give that recommends which type they recommend for what you are looking for. Male/female etc. From my limited reading it looks like there are about 9 different varieties. ? I don't know maybe thats just a gimmick,
They recommended the Black for me and I went for it and have not been disappointed. There was talk about the libido boosting properties and maybe I felt that the first week , I am not really sure - I don't really have low libido problems , But I take 5 grams every morning , and it synergizes with my smoothie , my kratom , ETC. I think it gives more sustained energy. I think it helps keep my kratom doses lower and less frequent by smoothing out the gaps between . if that makes sense . Before I started taking it I would usually take a booster dose of kratom in the late morning, and I have found that I don't notice the kratom wearing off so soon and delays my second dose. could be all in my mind, but , thats where it all goes down ennit? Anyway . I do like the Maca Team brand better than the health ranger. I could tell the difference. for me it's all really subtle . compared to , like , shooting cocaine every morning . When t this kilo runs out I am going to buy another one though .

[DittonW]

I wan't able to find any information about Maca being an MOAI. or if it is it would take extremely large doses to be active as an inhibitor .
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2018/4810394/

[StringThing]

I wan't able to find any information about Maca being an MOAI. or if it is it would take extremely large doses to be active as an inhibitor .
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2018/4810394/

Lol you literally just posted the first result on google

At least read the second result...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2722210/

[IndelibleDotInk]

Male here, but I use macateam cause they have one product that is gelatinized to ease digestion.

I'm 40 and, while I don't feel 15 anymore, I'd say it definitely makes me feel young again and provide energy throughout the morning to afternoon.

Also, while I usually use a Blate Pape to parachute my spoonful (the powder gets too sticky to toss n wash), the maca tastes really really good, like a sweet oat with honey flavor. If I made shakes or smoothies, I'd use it with maca; it would enhance the drink a lot taste and nutrition-wise.

[DittonW]

Lol you literally just posted the first result on google

At least read the second result...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2722210/

First results on Duck Duck Go., I don't run anything through googl and I haven't for years but , . touché anyway . . I think .

Wait a minute , I was about to admit that I was bluffing by posting a paper that I don't have the expertise to analyze in any informative way . But then I started reading through your link and found that you are doing basically the same thing. incredible . As A layman trying to sort through this after eating a strong edible, I am going to come down definitely on the side of "Neither of us know what we are talking about enough to to definitely make a judgment about Macca as a MOAI ,

in fact , the link you just sent , as a cursory glance , says that no such conclusion can be made .

"In relation to the suggestion that MTCA found in Maca can inhibit MAO activity and alter neuronal function (2), our laboratory recently demonstrated that MTCAs do not affect MAO activity in brain (12). This outcome contrasts with the effects of other β-carbolines (13). Research shows MTCA in Maca is not neurotoxic, rather it improves memory and learning in mice (12,14). Having a favorable effect on the experimental mouse model for Alzheimer (12), Maca constitutes a potential treatment for this pathology. Results of recent MTCA–Maca research, taken in conjunction with the fact that Maca contains several beneficial compounds, some of which has anti-carcinogenic properties (1,15), leads us to conclude that Maca consumed as a whole plant must not generate undue health concerns. As mentioned in the French alert (4), our conclusion incorporates the lack of reported toxicity where Maca is consumed after a traditional boiling process.

MTCA is natural constituent of many plants and no toxicity is found on consumption of such whole plants. This suggests that as multi-component, MTCA may loose adverse drug action."

I have tried the MAOI antidepressants and I hate them and will never take them again. I do take 5 grams of Macca a day and do not experience any of the adverse effects that I have felt from pharmaceutical MAOI's .


I am too high right now to analyze your link in any meaningful way, and I am trying to stop pretending I know things because I read a scientific paper and sort of thought I understood it . But , I don't see how your statement that Macca is an moai is any different from my own Pseudoscience bullshit .

Too clarify what I am trying to say here . I don't have any definitive evidence or proof in my initial statement. and I do not have the expertise to read the paper and come to a definitive conclusion . I am in way over my head - I strongly suspect that you are in the same situation I am in.

If you believe that Macca is dangerous in anyway and you have the evidence to support it then you have a duty to voice your opion. personal I don't think that is the case

thanks for calling me out. I really do appreciate that .

[DittonW]

maca tastes really really good, like a sweet oat with honey flavor. If I made shakes or smoothies, I'd use it with maca; it would enhance the drink a lot taste and nutrition-wise.

the Maca I have eaten from both sourc3es I get it from has a sweet tase that compliments the blueberry , banana ,protein , kale , and yogurt smoothies I toss it into . As someone who was raised on a potato farm I do not understand how the Maca(root) tastes so sweet .

[StringThing]

Lol you literally just posted the first result on google

At least read the second result...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2722210/

First results on Duck Duck Go., I don't run anything through googl and I haven't for years but , . touché anyway . . I think .

Wait a minute , I was about to admit that I was bluffing by posting a paper that I don't have the expertise to analyze in any informative way . But then I started reading through your link and found that you are doing basically the same thing. incredible . As A layman trying to sort through this after eating a strong edible, I am going to come down definitely on the side of "Neither of us know what we are talking about enough to to definitely make a judgment about Macca as a MOAI ,

in fact , the link you just sent , as a cursory glance , says that no such conclusion can be made .

"In relation to the suggestion that MTCA found in Maca can inhibit MAO activity and alter neuronal function (2), our laboratory recently demonstrated that MTCAs do not affect MAO activity in brain (12). This outcome contrasts with the effects of other β-carbolines (13). Research shows MTCA in Maca is not neurotoxic, rather it improves memory and learning in mice (12,14). Having a favorable effect on the experimental mouse model for Alzheimer (12), Maca constitutes a potential treatment for this pathology. Results of recent MTCA–Maca research, taken in conjunction with the fact that Maca contains several beneficial compounds, some of which has anti-carcinogenic properties (1,15), leads us to conclude that Maca consumed as a whole plant must not generate undue health concerns. As mentioned in the French alert (4), our conclusion incorporates the lack of reported toxicity where Maca is consumed after a traditional boiling process.

MTCA is natural constituent of many plants and no toxicity is found on consumption of such whole plants. This suggests that as multi-component, MTCA may loose adverse drug action."

I have tried the MAOI antidepressants and I hate them and will never take them again. I do take 5 grams of Macca a day and do not experience any of the adverse effects that I have felt from pharmaceutical MAOI's .


I am too high right now to analyze your link in any meaningful way, and I am trying to stop pretending I know things because I read a scientific paper and sort of thought I understood it . But , I don't see how your statement that Macca is an moai is any different from my own Pseudoscience bullshit .

Too clarify what I am trying to say here . I don't have any definitive evidence or proof in my initial statement. and I do not have the expertise to read the paper and come to a definitive conclusion . I am in way over my head - I strongly suspect that you are in the same situation I am in.

If you believe that Macca is dangerous in anyway and you have the evidence to support it then you have a duty to voice your opion. personal I don't think that is the case

thanks for calling me out. I really do appreciate that .

listen I dont really know shit, but to my understanding:

1. That study linked to a study which showed MCTAs to have MAOI activity.

2. MCTAs not having MAOI activity does not mean that macca does not have MAOI activity.

3. Lack of change in MAO activity doesn't necessarily mean it is not an MAOI. This is merely a way to classify the drug, like how the casomorphins in cheese are technically opioids even though they don't really effect the opioid system, or how half the stuff in your spice cabinet contains cannabinoids even though it won't get you stoned.

4. We don't really understand the pharmacokinetics of macca. There may be some foods which activate the MAOIs. There may be some genetics. We don't know. We don't know how it works. We just know a little bit about what it does. Examining rat brains is one of the cheapest and easiest studies to stick students and interns in while still getting results, so that's a lot of what's out there.

5. A lot of the studies on macca are based in South America. Look at the universities involved. I would like to see more international study. One can imagine how South Americans would have a vested interest in selling a South American plant.

6. All of the above essentially means that we can't determine whether or not macca is actually safe. I wouldn't say it is dangerous. But I would be wary about consuming it with certain prescriptions that have unknown interaction potential.

If you still want to consume it, I say that it's your right to do so. But IMO, we don't know nearly enough about plants like macca. You have to remember that the vast majority of plants are inedible or toxic, and that humans culture has created many traditions of consuming these plants regardless of their safety profile. Every time I look into drugs like this or asghawandha or st John's wort or anything else with funky MAO activity or endocrine discos, I try to avoid. I feel the same way about SSRIs and most modern anxiety/depression pharms. We just don't know enough about this stuff. Our science is absolutely in its infancy regarding pharmacological knowledge.

There are also some weird anecdotal reports about it online that indicate some people may be experiencing some kind of MAOI activity, which I hold to a grain of salt. But there are also STUDIES which very heavily suggest this may be the case, although they are just looking at rat brains and not studying the mechanism of action.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24730393/


anyway which do you think is cuter? Baby sheep or baby goats????

[DittonW]

goats

[Supersonic75]

Just to maybe clarify a bit more, MACA is definitely not considered an MAOI, which as you already seem to know is a specific class of antidepressants, no longer commonly used (I'm a clinical psychologist and over the past 20 years have treated around a thousand people in both hospital and private settings; I think I've met one person who was on some type of MAOI). As was mentioned, they often make people feel pretty terrible and can carry tons of nasty side effects -whether or not one thinks that SSRI's are a significant improvement is almost more philosophical than scientific, but yes; most people seem to report less awfulness on certain SSRI's. As the study you shared here reports, MACA contains a compound which may have some degree of an "MAOI-like" activity, but even that remains unclear. I think you're both touching on something interesting here, but labels are important and being really precise about what they are and what they're not is even more important, because misnomers can lead to weird/incorrect expectations and usage of a substance. So I get concerned when I read something like "MACA is an MAOI". At any rate, I like these exchanges because yes, increased knowledge of "alternative" treatments has become increasingly useful/important for those of us who are looking for safer/better ways to feel better, which I guess is one thing that unifies many of the folks who are checking out MM.

[IndelibleDotInk]

(I'm a clinical psychologist and over the past 20 years have treated around a thousand people in both hospital and private settings...

Cool, which school(s) did you go to, and do you have a specialty? I have a bachelor's degree in psych, was considering joining a doctoral program, but glad I did not.

[StringThing]

Just to maybe clarify a bit more, MACA is definitely not considered an MAOI, which as you already seem to know is a specific class of antidepressants, no longer commonly used (I'm a clinical psychologist and over the past 20 years have treated around a thousand people in both hospital and private settings; I think I've met one person who was on some type of MAOI). As was mentioned, they often make people feel pretty terrible and can carry tons of nasty side effects -whether or not one thinks that SSRI's are a significant improvement is almost more philosophical than scientific, but yes; most people seem to report less awfulness on certain SSRI's. As the study you shared here reports, MACA contains a compound which may have some degree of an "MAOI-like" activity, but even that remains unclear. I think you're both touching on something interesting here, but labels are important and being really precise about what they are and what they're not is even more important, because misnomers can lead to weird/incorrect expectations and usage of a substance. So I get concerned when I read something like "MACA is an MAOI". At any rate, I like these exchanges because yes, increased knowledge of "alternative" treatments has become increasingly useful/important for those of us who are looking for safer/better ways to feel better, which I guess is one thing that unifies many of the folks who are checking out MM.

By the same token, you could say kratom isn't an opioid. Which many people do. And I'm not just talking about calling it an 'opioid containing plant'. Some people straight up don't believe mitra and 7ohm mitra are opioids.

I think it's easier to just describe and classify a drug based on its known neurological effects, regardless of whether further research has the potential to classify it as something slightly different. You can claim it is not an MAOI, but that doesn't really capture the whole picture and it would be inaccurate to say it definitively is not an MAOI when several studies show otherwise. I chose to err on the side of caution based on the anecdotal reports I've read online where people had interactions or strange side effects. I do think a lot of the studies on herbs/plants/drugs of this nature in general are prone to the influence of private interests, and whenever I see a whole group of studies from one place, on one plant, its pretty suspicious to me.

also I believe MAOIs largely fell out of use due to interactions, not side effects. I know a guy who went out of his way to seek out a Nardil prescription. Absolutely swore by it. It worked better than anything else for him. But the diet restrictions were really pretty insane and not something most people would be willing to deal with because most good food has high levels of tyramines. At least with SSRIs you just have to deal with side effects and can mostly eat what you want.

[Supersonic75]

By the same token, you could say kratom isn't an opioid. Which many people do. And I'm not just talking about calling it an 'opioid containing plant'. Some people straight up don't believe mitra and 7ohm mitra are opioids.

I think it's easier to just describe and classify a drug based on its known neurological effects, regardless of whether further research has the potential to classify it as something slightly different. You can claim it is not an MAOI, but that doesn't really capture the whole picture and it would be inaccurate to say it definitively is not an MAOI when several studies show otherwise. I chose to err on the side of caution based on the anecdotal reports I've read online where people had interactions or strange side effects. I do think a lot of the studies on herbs/plants/drugs of this nature in general are prone to the influence of private interests, and whenever I see a whole group of studies from one place, on one plant, its pretty suspicious to me.

also I believe MAOIs largely fell out of use due to interactions, not side effects. I know a guy who went out of his way to seek out a Nardil prescription. Absolutely swore by it. It worked better than anything else for him. But the diet restrictions were really pretty insane and not something most people would be willing to deal with because most good food has high levels of tyramines. At least with SSRIs you just have to deal with side effects and can mostly eat what you want.

Yes, good points all around for sure; I don't disagree. And yes, MAOI's sorta fell out of favor for many reasons with diet restrictions being up there, though the side effects on their own can be awful, almost more along the lines of what one could find as a result of long-term antipsychotic use rather than the "milder" side effects of SSRI's. And I do know much older folks who were quite fond of their MAOI's back in the day, Nardil being among those.

[Supersonic75]

Cool, which school(s) did you go to, and do you have a specialty? I have a bachelor's degree in psych, was considering joining a doctoral program, but glad I did not.

Thanks for asking. So, I went back to school much later in life (I'd originally dropped out of college at 19y/o to play music professionally, something I was already doing that college just got in the way of:)).....so I finished my undergrad work at Hunter College when I was 38y/o and began my doctoral training just as I was turning 40. I did my academic work at LIU Brooklyn Campus and my "field work" (various types of externships / internships) at NY-Presbyterian Hospital, Beth Israel Medical Center, and a couple of Bronx community hospitals. So I had a very New York City-centric kind of training experience but it was a good one and I love my work.

I specialize in couples work, and individuals suffering from chronic pain / chronic illness.

Why are you glad that you didn't do doctoral training? I mean, it completely takes over one's life and can get really expensive, but besides that........

[IndelibleDotInk]

Thanks for asking. So, I went back to school much later in life (I'd originally dropped out of college at 19y/o to play music professionally, something I was already doing that college just got in the way of:)).....so I finished my undergrad work at Hunter College when I was 38y/o and began my doctoral training just as I was turning 40. I did my academic work at LIU Brooklyn Campus and my "field work" (various types of externships / internships) at NY-Presbyterian Hospital, Beth Israel Medical Center, and a couple of Bronx community hospitals. So I had a very New York City-centric kind of training experience but it was a good one and I love my work.

I specialize in couples work, and individuals suffering from chronic pain / chronic illness.

Why are you glad that you didn't do doctoral training? I mean, it completely takes over one's life and can get really expensive, but besides that........

Well, the tumultuous way parts of my life went, I'da never made a good clinician or researcher.

I went to several universities, but NYC has a special place in my heart as I went to NewSchool's Lang for awhile. I also was enrolled at Hunter, but never made it to a class, lol.

An old hiking buddy of mine was a pain psychologist; I had never heard of that specialty before.

[Supersonic75]

I went to several universities, but NYC has a special place in my heart as I went to NewSchool's Lang for awhile. I also was enrolled at Hunter, but never made it to a class, lol.

Well, that's funny.....I actually never really went to class UNTIL I got to Hunter.....I was a terrible student in HS and College v.1.....I just had no interest yet.
New School and Hunter are both really interesting NY institutions for sure. I had a lot of friends who went to the New School.

Have a good night!