Royal Maca Q & A

Is it a good idea to take Royal Maca and Wild Yam Cream at the same time?

What affect would Maca Root would have on the natural compound cream (yams derivative) progesterone? Can you tell me if they will conflict with each other or cause side effects (adverse reactions) taking them both at the same time? Thank you, E.M. – Colorado

Dear E.M,.
In our experience, there is no need to take progesterone cream if you are taking Royal Maca. Our product is generally able to help your body nicely balance your hormones. Women with estrogen-dominant conditions usually see them clear up in a few months—if not sooner. However, if you want to use Royal Maca and your wild yam cream together, it will probably be fine to do so. Once in a while there may be a problem –feeling a little down or a little heavy — but usually that’s not the case. So feel free to make your own decision on this.
Best,
Viana Muller, Ph.D., Co-founder,
Whole World Botanicals

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Q & A What is the difference between the regular Royal Maca® and the Royal Maca for Menopause™ and the Royal Maca for Vitality, Sexuality & Hormone Balance™?

There is NO DIFFERENCE! We decided to name one of our products Royal Maca® for Menopause since according to thousands of women it is FAR SUPERIOR TO BLACK COHOSH AND OTHER PHYTOESTROGENS. In fact, according to our customers, it is the BEST PRODUCT available for MENOPAUSE.

That’s because Royal Maca® is made from a certified organic, adaptogenic cruciferous vegetable that helps your body make it own hormones. Yet so many people think that maca root is only good for libido and energy! Yes it IS SUPERB FOR LIBIDO AND ENERGY! But Royal Maca® does so much more than that.

It truly creates hormonal balance in menopausal women, lowering FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) and LH (lutenizing hormone) levels back into a premenopausal level in many cases. With the balancing of these hormones produced by the pituitary which are precursors to estrogen, progesterone and testosterone, these hormone levels shift to reduce or eliminate hot flashes, provide adequate vaginal lubrication, support mood balance—and relieve other menopausal symptoms as well.

Click here to visit our Herbal Library page on Maca for more information

Choosing a Product: Royal Maca®, Royal Maca for Menopause™, Royal Maca for Vitality, Sexuality and Hormone Balance™, Royal Maca® Plus for Women with DIM™.

What is the difference between Royal Maca for Menopause™ and Royal Maca Plus for Women with DIM™ and how should you decide which product to take?

Maca PlusMaca For MenopauseRoyal Maca for Menopause™ is just a fantastic product on its own. But there are certain women who might decide to go for our new product. Following is a list of characteristics of life style, health condition, and family medical history that might make you consider taking Royal Maca Plus for Women with DIM™.

If you don’t eat at least 3 servings a week of raw or lightly steamed (steamed for maximum 7 minutes) cruciferous vegetables (such as broccoli, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, water cress, radishes).
If you have hypothyroidism and are avoiding raw cruciferous vegetables because they are known to slow thyroid function.
If you have breast cancer or any other estrogen-dependent cancer in your family history. (Or if you have had breast cancer or other estrogen-dependent cancer, but in this case, we advise that you get your doctor’s consent.)
If you have any auto-immune disease, such as Hashimoto’s Disease, Graves Disease, lupus, etc.
If you have a high level of CRP (C-reactive protein) in your body or any other indication of an inflammatory state in your body, such as arthritis.

Numerous studies indicate that both I3C, (indole-3-carbinol), which is found in all raw and lightly steamed cruciferous vegetables, and DIM (diindolylmethane) a breakdown product from I3C, significantly reduce your risk of developing an estrogen-dependent cancer, in one study by as much as a 40%. In these studies, it was necessary to consume 200 – 300 mg. daily of DIM to get this full benefit or to combine some consumption of these cruciferous vegetables with part of this daily DIM benefit. Royal Maca Plus for Women with DIM contains 100 mg. of DIM™ together with 400 mg. of certified organic, sundried, precooked maca root in each capsule. For more information on how this product works, please go to our Herbal Library.

Q & A – How does Royal Maca® compare with bio-identical progesterone cream for controlling menopausal symptoms?

The experimenters in another study found that maca attenuated or even eliminated stress-related variations in homeostasis, including stress-induced ulcers, elevated corticosterone levels, and low blood glucose levels (hypoglycemia).

Most women can achieve excellent control of all menopausal symptoms through taking Royal Maca, a pre-cooked, sun-dried certified organic maca concentrate.

To read more about this research and other MACA RELATED TOPICS, go to Herbal Library.

Dr. Lee’s well known books What Your Doctor May Not tell You About Premenopause and What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause were very useful in emphasizing the importance of the hormone progesterone for a woman’s health. But there are pitfalls in applying progesterone cream to the skin or even taking a prescription drug containing progesterone cream which are avoided by using a certified organic maca root product like Royal Maca. Many health care practitioners who have tried progesterone cream or pills with their patients for hormonal imbalances involving estrogen dominance have had far greater success in reversing this imbalance by using Royal Maca. Research on how the maca root works to help a woman (and men!) achieve hormonal balance in their bodies is still in its infancy. Postmenopausal women have had their hot flashes relieved after taking Royal Maca, without showing an increase in their blood serum estradiol level. But their blood serum progesterone level consistently shows some increase.

A huge problem with hormone supplementation or HRT, including progesterone, is that there is no way to “get it just right,” even when frequently testing for hormone levels. Many women taking progesterone cream end up with an accumulation of progesterone in the fat tissue which contributes to disruptions in the adrenal hormones, DHEA and cortisol. Too much progesterone can also interfere with healthy testosterone levels.

To achieve optimum hormone balance it is FAR MORE IMPORTANT to work on establishing good adrenal function. It has been established that maca root works helps establish hormonal balance through the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. The adrenals are master glands that are the key to hormonal functioning of the ovaries, testes, thyroid, and the pancreas. Research suggests that maca root is effective in supporting the functioning of the adrenal glands. In a rat study involving restraint stress, the decrease in free fatty acids in the blood normally produced by stress was eliminated in the animals fed with maca extract.

Q: Can Royal Maca® help reverse Menopause?

A: Whole World Botanicals received an email through our website this week from a woman who spoke to this point. Message: Your products are wonderful. I abruptly went into menopause in July of 06. Was put on injections and hormonal creams and my Prolactin level was over the top. I met and spoke at length with your Whole World Botanicals team at the New Life Expo. I was intrigued with Royal Maca for Women. This was in April of 08. I was told I would notice a great improvement in my hormonal balance and that it could take up to 4 months to work.

On August 18/08 I had a normal period and have been regular each month since. I feel wonderful. Your team was right: 4 MONTHS exactly. I rave about your products to doctors and they do not have a clue. Recently a gynecologist I consulted could not understand why a woman of 53yrs young has a full period. I told her about Royal Maca (and that I went into menopause early because of a medication I was taking which caused my periods to abruptly disappear, without any flashes). She was skeptical. I wish more doctors were educated about the wonderful results from Royal Maca. I wanted to thank your company and I continue to use your products and tell everyone about them.

Pam - New York

Note: Not every woman may expect the same results. Age of onset of menopause is partially determined by genetics and so a woman may normally expect to reach menopause about the same age as her mother.

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Royal Maca® for Healthy Skin

A: The health of your skin and the health of your hormonal system are very closely connected. “Teen-age skin” with its pimples and oiliness is the result of puberty and hormones gone haywire. Pregnant women also undergo changes in their skin – often favorable—with skin described as “glowing.” After childbirth, with the sudden drop in estrogen and progesterone in their bodies, some women develop psoriasis. During menopause, many women develop “tired” and drawn skin, also resulting from drastic hormonal changes. Certified organic, pre-cooked Royal Maca® concentrate, with its natural hormone-balancing properties, is ideal for many skin problems of women of different ages, resulting from sudden hormonal shifts in their bodies.

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Q: Can you give me some tips how to decide the amount of Maca I should take? I have been taking just 1/8 tsp. in the a.m., but I’ve been wondering how to decide what is appropriate amount for myself. I am 57 years old, post-meno., just taking it sort of as a tonic to see what happens. Not sure how important is quantity taken...........thank you kindly.

Dr Viana Muller, CoFounder of Whole World Botanicals recently received this email from a customer

A: Most post menopausal women who don’t have hot flashes or low mood and who basically feel good still have a few issues: some amount of vaginal dryness, perhaps sleep is interrupted one or more times a night, hair may be thinning a bit and libido may be down. It’s also possible that bone thinning is taking faster than new bone is being built and that there is a desire to eat well, take the right supplements and get enough sunshine to support bone strength. Supporting vaginal health, sound sleep, hair and nail growth and bone strength are some of the tonic properties of Royal Maca cherished by post-menopausal women.

Quantity is important. Most women will do best with at least ½ tsp. –if they are very sensitive then cut that back to ¼ or less—which is equivalent to 3 capsules daily. But others may do better with more.

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Q: What is the best Royal Maca® for Perimenopause?

Basically there are two kinds of Royal Maca that women generally use: the regular Royal Maca (available in gelatin caps, vegetarian caps or powder form) but with a new label that says “For vitality, sexuality, and hormone balance.” The Royal Maca for Menopause (and Perimenopause and Postmenopause) is the exact same Royal Maca but has more extensive directions for addressing the special concerns of women in these stages of life.

The other type of Royal Maca is Royal Maca Plus for Women with DIM. DIM is diindolylmethane, a breakdown product from I3C – Indole-3-Carbinol, a photochemical found in all raw of very lightly steamed cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, watercress and others. This I3C is an estrogen metabolism regulator but first the body must convert it into a usable form. Most of I3C is converted to diindolylmethane in the stomach. Both I3C and DIM have been shown in scientific studies to greatly reduce a women’s risk for developing breast cancer and other estrogen-dependent cancers, such as cervical cancer. The way this works is that I3C (in the form of DIM mainly) helps your body increase its production of estrogen through anti-oxidant pathways and reduce the amount of inflammatory estrogen your body makes. You can get your doctor to give you a urine test which will let you know if you already have a healthy ratio of “good” or antioxidant estrogen to “bad” or inflammatory type of estrogen in your body. If your body is out of balance or if there is a family history of estrogen-dependent cancers, this product might be right for you.

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Q: What is the best way to eat organic, sundried, pre-cooked Royal Maca® powder?

Freshly Harvested Maca Roots

Maca root, a cruciferous root vegetable, closely resembling a turnip which grows at the "top of the world" in the Peruvian Andes has been used for thousands of years for survival by native people living under very harsh conditions. It belongs to the same botanical family as turnips (Brassica) where you can also find broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, cabbage, watercress and radishes. Pre-cooked maca root powder (native Peruvians NEVER eat it raw) has a smell similar to butterscotch. Most people describe its taste as "malty" and "nutty." It is very pungent and has a distinctive flavor. Many people buy the powder because not only do they save money (as compared to the capsules) but they enjoy the flavor and the idea of treating this wonderful botanical as a food which they can incorporate into their diet.

In Peru, this is very popular. It is sold as maca root jam, maca yogurt, maca ice cream, and alcoholic beverages utilizing milk, sugar, and maca are prepared and served as a delicacy. In the U.S., it is more commonly added to fruit juices or fruit smoothies, protein drinks, or even mixed into green drinks. Maca root powder is also sprinkled on cereal – hot or cold, added to yogurt – fruit or plain, sprinkled on salads ( it has a cheesy flavor when mixed with olive oil and lemon juice) or put in soups.

The amount of Royal Maca you use depends on how much you have established as your correct daily dosage.

My Favorite Ways to Use Royal Maca in Food

I love it in cold weather as a tea, with a touch of honey, nutmeg, cinnamon, and soy milk. I love it in the summer in carob-flavored soy or rice milk (add ice and mix it in a blender). When I am traveling or want a quick snack, one of my favorite “pick me ups” is an envelope of tomato soup powder to which I add hot water and 1/3 tsp. of Royal Maca Powder. You don’t taste the maca but it tastes the tomato soup taste richer and more delicious.

Hattie, the anti-aging expert (www.retroage.com) makes a wonderful topping for popcorn using extra-virgen olive oil, Royal Maca Powder, a little seaweed powder and a little cayenne pepper. You warm it, stir it together thoroughly, and drizzle it on popcorn and then toss lightly. It is, as they say, “to die for.”

Storing Royal Maca
Don’t forget to store it in a cool dry place – not in the refrigerator. It will keep for years. If you are worried that after 3 years the bacteria and mold count may have become high, you can heat it for 2 hours in the oven, stirring every so often, in a deep dish at 175 degree temperature. This will not destroy any of the wonderful secondary metabolites that give the maca root its hormone-balancing properties.

"My PMS is Gone but can Royal Maca® mace Your Period Come early?"

Dr. Viana Muller, Cofounder of Whole World Botanicals recently received this email from a customer

Q: I have been taking the Royal Maca for Women with DIM with success, but I am wondering if I am taking too much. I am taking 2 capsules per day every day but Sunday since Christmastime. I'm getting my period every three weeks like clockwork instead of every four. Otherwise I feel great. I don’t have any more PMS and my periods are easier. Do you have any dosing suggestions? I am a 33-year old female with Hashimoto’s Syndrome.

A: Yes, if you are getting your period every 3 weeks, you are definitely taking too much! Ordinarily two capsules a day of Royal Maca would be an average dose for a 33 year old woman but the Royal Maca Plus for Women with DIM can have almost double the effects of the regular Royal Maca.

That’s because the DIM (diindolylmethane) – a breakdown product from cruciferous veggie family (like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower) helps regulate estrogen metabolism in such a positive way. It can reduce the risk of breast cancer by up to 50% and also helps reduce hot flashes! When you combine DIM with U.S.D.A. certified organic, precooked, sundried Royal Maca

– you’ve got a very powerful combo product for hormone balance. For some women, like yourself, just one capsule a day will help create a wonderful hormone balance in your body. And, as you probably already know, it is fine to take with Synthroid, Armour or other thyroid hormone products. To read more about maca root and how it works and to read more information about DIM, please go to Herbal Library.

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Q: What’s the advantage of purchasing Royal Maca for Menopause™ capsules over the regular Royal Maca® capsules?

Third, our maca roots are “cooked” by a proprietary method for several seconds under pressure at a high heat which concentrates the maca root powder. This method actually reduces the carbohydrate content while retaining the proteins, lipids, minerals, vitamins—and most important the precious hormone-balancing secondary metabolites. Royal Maca products are very economical: they are highly effective using smaller dosages.

A: Royal Maca for Menopause has detailed dosing suggestions (serving sizes) on the label appropriate for many different menopausal issues. (The regular Royal Maca Capsules is has many fewer instructions for women but also includes instructions for men.) If you follow the directions on the Royal Maca for Menopause bottle, you will usually get excellent results. If you still have questions, you can email us using our contact form or call the telephone number on the product bottle and we will call you back.

Traditional uses of Royal Maca for Menopause™ now supported by scientific research:

greatly reduces PMS and supports period regularity
helps eliminate hot flashes & vaginal dryness
promotes a happy mood & libido
helps with joint pain due to hormonal issues
supports regularity in sleep
supports bone strength

The dosing instructions on our Royal Maca products don’t apply to any other maca product on the market. Royal Maca is much more potent than other maca products for several reasons and therefore the dosage is much smaller. First we start with very strong maca roots, full of nutrition, which are certified organic using organic compost. Second, our roots are sundried for several weeks in the traditional way—not machine dried for several hours. Sun drying helps the glucosinolates to partially convert to isothiocyanates—important phytonutrients which help with hormone balancing.

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Q & A on Royal Maca® for Perimenopausal Symptoms

Women write to Dr. Viana Muller: Sent: Friday, January 30, 2009 10:37 AM

Hi Viana

I am 49 years old and have been taking Royal Maca® for peri-menopause symptoms. I had noticed in the last couple of years that I was experiencing more severe PMS along with Pre-menstrual cramping and very heavy periods. Also my periods were coming closer together (every 24-25 days) Since I have been taking the Royal Maca, my PMS has gone away and I no longer have cramping or heavy periods, also my periods are very regular at 27 days. So I have been very happy with the outcome. I have recently been diagnosed with an enlarged thyroid. I had been doing research online about natural treatments for this when I read some info on the Royal Maca helping this.

I read someone else's blog that said they were taking it 3 times a day with meals so I began wondering if I was taking it correctly. So any input you have on this would be appreciated.

Holly (Colorado)

Hello Holly,

I am so pleased that you are having good results with Royal Maca. Taking one capsule 3 times a day is probably ideal, but not necessary. Most do fine taking all the caps all in the morning.

Since an enlarged thyroid points to inflammation of your thyroid, you might want to try our product called Royal Maca Plus for Women with DIM™. DIM helps your body make estrogen through anti-inflammatory pathways, reducing your risk for any type of estrogen-dependent cancer such as breast or uterine cancer and also helps with the same hormone balancing as the regular Royal Maca. How did you first hear about Royal Maca?

Many thanks for sharing and please let me know if you have any other questions.

Hi Viana,

I was doing a google search for natural ways to balance hormones and Royal Maca came up. I have since been buying it at our Local Vitamin Cottage and they said it sells very well and is highly recommended. Also on a blog I found where the woman was using Royal Maca 3 times a day, I honestly don't remember. I also did a google search for Royal Maca and the thyroid and it was something that came up.

I'm very interested in perhaps taking Royal Maca Plus for my thyroid but am a bit concerned because I read that DIM is derived from cruciferous vegetables and cruciferous vegetables are something that are suppose to be avoided if you have hypothyroidism. Do you know anything about this? I appreciate any information you might have. Thanks!

Hello Holly,

DIM is not actually a chemical compound found in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower, cabbage, etc. It is a breakdown product that your stomach produces and is much more stable than Indole-3-carbinol which is found in cruciferous vegetables. DIM has no constituent which could slow down thyroid function. In fact, we have so many testimonials from women with Hashimoto’s Disease and hypothyroid conditions that both the regular Royal Maca and the Royal Maca Plus with DIM are promoting healthy thyroid functioning. DIM affects only the way your body metabolizes estrogens--helping the body to produce anti-inflammatory types of estrogens through specific pathways. [CLICK HERE to read more about DIM in our Herbal Library] Maca root, is also a cruciferous vegetable, but Whole World Botanicals puts its organic maca roots through a heating process under pressure, extrusion, (which in Peru is called gelatinization) which eliminates the goitrogenic properties found in raw maca.

We recommend Royal Maca Plus for Women with DIM for women who either have breast cancer or other estrogen-dependent cancers in their family or who have some other inflammatory condition, such as a high CRP (C-reactive protein) level, or an auto-immune disease (such as Hashimoto's Disease or arthritis) or heart disease.

Best to you,
Viana
Viana Muller, Ph.D., Cofounder
Whole World Botanicals

Viana,

Thank you so much for clarifying this for me. It sounds like this is exactly what I need. Would the dosage be about the same for this as it is for the Non-DIM Maca? I currently take 3 capsules a day of the regular Royal Maca.

Holly,

Our general guideline for perimenopausal women is to start with two caps a day and increase to three caps after one month if the symptoms aren’t at least 80% better. So your dosage for the Royal Maca Plus for Women with DIM might well be the same as the regular Royal Maca -- 3 caps a day. However, it might be that 2 caps a day is enough. So perhaps, you could start the Royal Maca Plus with DIM at just one cap twice a day (taken with meals) for a month and see if your results are as effective as the 3 a day as the regular Royal Maca. (Sometimes the combined DIM and Royal Maca makes a lower dose possible.) If not, then the next month, you could take one cap three times a day—with meals. Well, that's just a guideline but follow your own feeling about it.

Viana,

I'll try doing that. Thanks again for all of the information you've given me. I really appreciate it!

Holly

Using Royal Maca after a Complete Hysterectomy

Women write to Dr. Viana Muller with questions on using Royal Maca® for various health conditions.

Q: I recently purchased your organic Royal Maca and have some questions. I am post-menopausal – having had a complete hysterectomy at 43 years old (I’m 52 now) and for years had been on Estratest HS. I stopped the Estratest a month ago and first tried Black Cohosh and Red Clover combination. That did not work very well. I am now taking Royal Maca, ½ tsp. and after one week I increased the dosage to 1 tsp. a day. I have just begun this new dosage today and already have noticed a reduction in my hot flashes this morning. (They had been occurring every 2 or 3 hours throughout the day and evening.

1. What is the normal range for estrogen in a postmenopausal woman?

Unsupplemented (with hormones) post-menopausal women virtually always have an estradiol (a predominant type of estrogen in premenopausal women) level below 30 on a blood test. The most popular laboratory in America does not bother to report a woman’s estradiol level if it is below 30. This seems very wrong to me, because a woman whose estradiol is 28 will feel completely different from a woman whose estradiol is 4. On the hormone tests we have seen of women taking Royal Maca (before and after), the perimenopausal women and the newly menopausal women tend to see a jump in their estradiol level from “under 30” to over 30 – often in the 40’s range after they start taking Royal Maca. This shift is enough not only to stop a woman’s hot flashes, but also to greatly reduce her vaginal dryness, help her sleep better, and help her mood. But the curious and interesting thing is that in a woman who has been postmenopausal for 8 years, for example, and who still has hot flashes, night sweats, and other menopausal symptoms, we often do not see any change in her estradiol level – or only a couple of points. Yet, her hot flashes and night sweats cease, her sleep improves, etc. So how is the Royal Maca working?

We have a couple of clues to this. One, her estradiol level may be significantly increasing and this type of estrogen, whose production increases after menopause while her estradiol is steadily decreasing, may be helping her symptoms. Since insurance does not cover the measurement of a woman’s estradiol level, we don’t really know if this could be an important factor.

Another factor, which may be more important, is that Royal Maca may be helping with the binding of a woman’s own estrogen to her estrogen receptors. Hormones fit into receptors like keys fit into locks. If there is a more perfect fit, the hormone will have an enhanced effect. Maca may also help the body produce more estrogen receptors (this phenomenon is well known to research physiologists), thereby helping the body to “capture” more of the estrogen circulating in the blood for use by the tissues. In short, there is not enough research to answer this question with certainty. But what is not in doubt is that postmenopausal women whose test results we have seen often show very little change in their estradiol level but a huge reduction in their menopausal symptoms.

2. Is there an upper limit on how much Royal Maca I should take?
No, there is not. If you gradually increase a little every week until your symptoms are 80% improved, it doesn’t matter whether that optimum improvement comes at ½ tsp. or at 2 tsp. – or even more. Remember, if you start experiencing any “side effects” it means you are taking too much.

3. If I decide to start taking the Royal Maca capsules, what is the conversion of the powder to the capsules?
1/3 tsp. = 2 caps. ½ tsp. = 3 caps. 1 tsp. = 6 caps.

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Evidence for the Bone Strengthening Properties of Maca Root

While there are no studies on the use of Royal Maca to prevent or reverse osteoporosis, there are some very impressive clinical cases, listed below.

Almost 12 years ago, Dr. Malaspina, M.D. Peruvian neurologist (who did his medical training in Spain) turned naturopathic doctor, noting the amazing hormone balancing properties of maca prepared in the traditional way (grown organically, sundried, precooked), began to treat his patients who had osteoporosis with maca--6 - 12 capsules daily. He showed me (with name blocked out) the chart of one of his female patients who presented with osteoporosis and showed me her bone x-rays after being treated with maca for one year. Her bones were much stronger--in the osteopenia category.
I also interviewed another Peruvian M.D. who became a naturopath, Dr. Calderon, who attested to the bone strengthening properties of maca. He told me he found it to be the most effective therapy for bone fractures in the elderly--both male and female--and shared with me several case histories of these patients in their 80's. He found that usually it is difficult to find rapid bone healing in patients of this age range, but that giving to start for two weeks, 3 tsp. of maca daily (mixed in milk or cereal with sugar or honey), and then 2 tsp. thereafter for two or three months, that their bone healing was nearly as rapid as that of a much younger person.
My third encounter with maca and bone strength had to do with a woman from Oregon in her 50's who was involved in a car accident and who suffered a broken bone. It was through the x ray received in relation to her accident that she discovered that she had osteoporosis. Her doctor then decided to give her a hormone panel test and discovered that she had quite an adequate level of estrogen, progeterone, etc. and was surprised to find her hormone levels so good, considering her osteoporosis. It was then that she shared with him (and with me) that she had been taking Royal Maca for only a few weeks. Her doctor told her that if she had had these good hormone levels for a year, instead of a few weeks, that she would probably not have osteoporosis.
My fourth encounter with organic, precooked maca and osteoporosis was shared with me by the wife of a Univ. of California at Berkeley professor. She happened to be a Chilean and when she broke her wrist, x-rays revealed that she had osteoporosis. A Peruvian friend had told her about maca and she began to take 2 tsp. daily. After 3 months, she had her wrist re-x-rayed and not only was her fracture perfectly healed but her osteoporosis had become osteopenia--just the beginning stage of bone weakness.
My fifth encounter with the bone strengthening properties of maca came from another one of our customers. She had had osteoporosis for several years and had taken Fosomax for a few months but had found that she could not tolerate the side effects. She sent me her heel bone x-rays--a technique used as an alternative to the pelvic and spinal x-ray as less invasive (less radiation): the first showed osteopenia; the second a year later showed osteoporosis. She had the third one taken after she had been on the Royal Maca for about four months; it showed a reversal from osteoporosis back to osteopenia.
The sixth case, is so very interesting. It involves a woman missionary who had worked in Peru for 40 years. She had been put on an estrogen blocker after she had breast cancer. A couple of years later she broke her wrist which healed badly. Eight months after that she fell down a flight of stairs and broke her neck, her shoulder, many ribs--she almost died, despite being flown back to the U.S. immediately for treatment. After 18 months of rehab she was back home and on Fosomax which did not help her bones at all. She stayed on it for several years. During this time, I tried to get her to take Royal Maca and gave her first the powder which she rejected because she didn't like the taste and then the capsules which she said were too unpleasant to swallow (I recommended 12 a day). Finally after going through several years of resistance (and her osteoporosis screening every two years which showed no improvement in her bones) she finally decided to get serious about taking the Royal Maca. After only 3 months of taking 12 caps daily (6 with breakfast and 6 with supper), for the first time in 10 years (time of her accident) her bone strength showed some improvement. She and her husband feel very encouraged and she is continuing to be faithful with taking the Royal Maca.

Why is Royal Maca better than Phytoestrogenic Herbs for Hormone Balance?

So many women are switching from phytoestrogenic herbs like black cohosh, red clover, isoflavones of soy and many other herbs found in “Women’s Formulas” to Royal Maca® because these plant estrogen formulas were only about 50% effective at best or they only worked for about three months.

Royal Maca® is a true hormone-balancing adaptogenic botanical. Adaptogenic herbs support the adrenal glands which is one of the three master glands of the body regulating hormone balance. Certified Organic, pre-cooked (gelatinized) Royal Maca® helps your own body produce its own good balance of estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and thyroxin, as it strengthens your adrenal glands.

Some of the Royal Maca Testimonials received by Dr. Viana Muller cofounder of Whole World Botanicals:

“My 16 year old daughter was on birth control pills for more than two years to control her agonizingly painful periods. Someone at our local health food store told me about a natural alternative –Royal Maca®. She’s been taking two capsules a day for the last two months and her periods are almost pain-free. I am so glad there is a non-pharmaceutical alternative for her.” - Mrs. R.A., Santa Cruz, CA

“I used to get severe migraine headaches a week before my period each month. They are completely gone now since I started taking Royal Maca (two capsules daily). I can’t believe it. I had tried everything else to get rid of these migraines.” Leslie G., New Jersey

For more information about the use of Royal Maca for perimenopause and menopausal symptoms as well as for men’s sexual health, go to our Herbal Library - Effects of Peruvian Maca on Hormonal Functions (Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients)