Hey Everyone!

For over 2,000 years, the people of the Andes have treasured the maca root for its remarkable ability to support energy, vitality, and hormonal balance in both men and women. Ancient Incan warriors reportedly consumed maca to enhance stamina and fertility, and local farmers even fed it to their livestock to boost fertility and strength. It became a revered staple food for maintaining endurance and overall well-being at high altitudes, valued as both nourishment and natural medicine.

Fast-forward to modern times, and we now have gelatinized maca — a concentrated, easily digestible form developed in the 1990s. Through a gentle heating and pressurizing process that removes starch, gelatinized maca delivers a higher potency of maca’s active compounds, such as macamides and macaenes, while being much easier on the digestive system. For the past few decades, this modern version has been used to naturally balance hormones, ease menopausal or andropausal symptoms, and boost mood, libido, and energy—continuing the legacy of this sacred root in a more bioavailable and effective form.

How does Gelatinized Maca work?

Maca is an adaptogen, a natural substance that helps your body adapt to stress and maintain balance. It doesn’t contain hormones or phytoestrogens like aguaje, but it works by supporting the hypothalamus and pituitary glands, the control centers of your endocrine system. These glands regulate the production of key hormones like estrogen, progesterone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and cortisol, which, when elevated by stress or other factors, can throw your entire hormonal system out of balance.

Maca’s bio-active compounds, like macamides and glucosinolates, interact with the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian/testicular (HPO/HPT) axis, as well as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. These communication pathways control hormone production and stress response. Maca doesn’t just raise or lower hormones—it adapts to what your body needs. If estrogen or progesterone is too low (like in menopause), maca boosts their production by fine-tuning signals from the hypothalamus and pituitary. If levels are too high (like in estrogen dominance), it dials them back to restore balance. Maca acts like a tuner, adjusting hormone levels based on what your body needs at the time. It doesn’t uniformly raise or lower hormones but rather modulates them to restore balance.

As seen in the studies [1, 2, 3] women with low estrogen (like in menopause), about 1/2 teaspoon of gelatinized maca daily significantly increased estradiol (E2) and progesterone levels while lowering FSH. This lead to major relief from hot flashes, night sweats, nervousness, mood swings, sleep disruptions, fatigue, stress, headaches, low libido, and even mild depression. Plus, rising estrogen levels were linked to improved bone health, as bone density markers increased during supplementation.

On the flip side, in cases of estrogen dominance as seen in studies [1, 2], maca helped fine-tune pituitary signals the other direction to reduce excess estrogen production, normalizing hormone ratios through FSH and LH modulation. This is what makes maca so unique, it tunes your hormones up or down depending on what your body needs most.

Maca’s versatility extends beyond estrogen balance and into broader hormone regulation. In men with low testosterone due to high aromatase activity (which converts testosterone to estrogen), maca may support pituitary signaling and improve hormonal sensitivity to help restore balance. In women with PCOS, where excess androgens or estrogen can dominate, a case study here showed that maca normalized LH and FSH ratios, improved estradiol levels, and helped restore ovulation and menstrual regularity. Meanwhile, a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial here found that men taking maca experienced increased libido and improved well-being, without altering serum testosterone, suggesting maca works by enhancing the body’s sensitivity to hormones rather than artificially increasing them.

Further studies reinforce maca’s balancing nature. In one randomized trial here, maca improved estrogen levels only when they were low, without overstimulating estradiol past normal physiological levels. And in a separate trial from Hong Kong here, maca significantly improved mood and lowered blood pressure even without changes in estrogen, showing it can help the body feel better and stay balanced without overstimulating hormones.

Here’s another reason maca is so powerful: chronic stress can elevate cortisol levels through the HPA axis, throwing off the balance of estrogen, testosterone, and other key hormones. This hormonal chaos is especially common today and can lead to everything from fatigue to mood swings to weight gain.

And here’s where maca shines again. Thanks to its adaptogenic properties, maca helps lower cortisol by modulating the hypothalamus and pituitary, reducing stress-induced hormonal chaos. In multiple human trials [1, 2, 3], just 1/2 teaspoon of gelatinized maca per day led to significant drops in cortisol and ACTH levels, along with improved hormone ratios and reduced anxiety symptoms. However, in perimenopausal women specifically, maca elevated progesterone and ACTH. The fact that maca can lower ACTH in one group (stressed individuals) but raise it in another (perimenopausal women) shows its ability to support multiple branches of the endocrine system simultaneously depending on individual needs and where your body needs the most help. In short, maca doesn’t just fight stress—it helps safeguard your entire hormonal system from breaking down under it.

So how exactly does maca pull all this off? Let’s zoom in for a second and see what’s really going on under the cellular hood.

At the cellular level, maca’s unique compounds, like macamides and glucosinolates, actually influence how your brain communicates with your hormone-producing organs. They help your hypothalamus send the right signals called GnRH (Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone) to the pituitary gland, which then tells your ovaries or testes to produce sex hormones estrogen, progesterone, or testosterone—whatever your body needs most. On top of that, maca is loaded with antioxidants that protect these glands from oxidative stress, helping them function more smoothly and keeping your hormonal signals firing on all cylinders.

In the postmenopausal women's study mentioned earlier, maca only began showing its full hormone-balancing effects after two full months of continuous use—so don’t give up after just one! While not every study specifies a two-month minimum, many of the clinical trials showing real benefits started to show effects around 6 to 12 weeks, making two months a realistic window to expect results. In that same study, participants took the equivalent of 1/4 teaspoon twice daily, though other trials used 1/2 teaspoon once a day. Either way, it averages out to the same daily dose. So stick with 1/2 teaspoon daily (split or all at once) for at least two months to give your body the time it needs to respond.

I prefer the Gelatinized Maca over Raw Maca.

With Gelatinized Maca, they take Raw Maca and put it through a specialized gelatinization process. This process removes all of the unnecessary starches, fibers, and non-active bulk—essentially stripping away the dead weight. What you're left with is a more concentrated form containing only the most Potent and Active constituents of the maca root.

Because all that filler material is removed, what would normally make up a large portion of the weight in 1lb of raw maca is gone—meaning you get far more bioactive compounds packed into each pound of Gelatinized Maca. On top of that, this process also makes it much easier to digest by removing the tough starches and fibers that can cause bloating or discomfort in some people, so most experience no digestive issues when taking it. Lastly, gelatinization cracks open the cell walls of this superfood, greatly enhancing its absorption and effectiveness.

Gelatinized Maca also tastes superb. I always say that it has a malty halvah taste to it, lol. When making chocolate peanut butter cups or any chocolate recipe, it gives it that malty edge. It's absolutely perfect for smoothies.

If you want to take your results to the next level, our Gelatinized Maca works beautifully in synergy with our Broccoli Juice Powder and Aguaje Powder to help naturally balance hormones.

First, let's quickly recap how estrogen works in the body. When estrogen is first naturally created in the body, it’s not a problem. After estrogen is produced, it binds to estrogen receptors in various tissues to exert its biological effects. Afterwards, the estrogen goes to the liver and gets transformed into various metabolites, making it easier to eliminate from the body.

The two main metabolites that Estrogen is converted to in the liver is:

2-hydroxyestrone (beneficial to the human body)
16α-hydroxyestrone (harmful to the human body)

60-70% of estrogen is converted to 2-hydroxyestrone, and 20-30% of estrogen is converted to 16α-hydroxyestrone.

After estrogen converts into these two estrogen metabolites, they cycle through the bloodstream again reacting with the estrogen receptors. The 2-hydroxyestrone creates beneficial reactions and the 16α-hydroxyestrone causes hormonal chaos in the body.

Our bodies can handle this 20-30% of this harmful 16α-hydroxyestrone estrogen metabolite. However, in today’s day and age we have excess estrogen, which causes excess 16α-hydroxyestrone. Factors that increase estrogen in both men and women include excess fat, xenoestrogens (like BPA), chronic stress, poor diet, and sedentary lifestyle, increasing the risks associated with estrogen dominance.

In the liver, Broccoli Juice Powder miraculously helps shift estrogen metabolism towards making more of the beneficial protective 2-hydroxyestrone and away from making the harmful 16α-hydroxyestrone. Aguaje then steps in at the receptor level, competing with 16α-hydroxyestrone to block its chaotic effects—while mimicking the gentle action of 2-hydroxyestrone. Add Gelatinized Maca into the mix, and you get the full package: maca supports the brain’s hormonal command centers (the hypothalamus and pituitary), helping your body produce just the right amount of hormones—nothing too high, nothing too low.

This is hormonal balance on three levels: Production (Maca) → Metabolism (Broccoli) → Receptor Protection (Aguaje).

It’s a complete circuit of hormonal harmony, working from top to bottom—brain, liver, and cells—so your body stays resilient, steady, and in control.

Today we have the Gelatinized Maca on special for only $12.27 each when you get a 3-pack. We also have the Aguaje on special for only $18.95 each when you get a 3-pack, and $16.95 each when you get a 12-pack. The Broccoli Juice Powder is also on special this month for only $16.95 each when you get a 3-pack.

If you are interested in ordering, click the link below:
https://therawfoodworld.com/product-category/at-cost/

Thanks everyone for your support!

Sincerely,

Matt