Maca root is a natural root vegetable found growing in the high altitudes of the Andes Region in Peru.
The cruciferous vegetable is popular in wellness circles and has helped some people achieve their weight gain goals.
However, it has other benefits besides promoting weight gain such as increasing energy, stamina, and fertility. It’s also been known to regulate hormone imbalance.
The biennial plant is native to South America where it’s commonly referred to as the Peruvian Ginseng and has been used in ancient times in its raw form.
Peruvians have revered it for its potent herbal plant properties and amino acid concentration all of which come directly from nature.
How The Maca Root Is Extracted?
Unlike the ancient days when natives of Peru and South America consumed Maca root in its raw form with limited extraction, companies today are creating advanced formulas using careful doses of the plant’s extract.
Among the common Maca root products you can find in physical or online stores include Maca root powder, pills or capsules, tablets, supplement formulas, and liquid drops.
The extract is sourced from the turnip-like plant’s root, also known as the Lepidium meyenii, which is grown in various colors including black, red, pink, and yellow.
A part of the Maca root’s popularity is drawn from its natural, nutrient-rich profile, which contains among other nutrients iron, Vitamin C, and potassium.
Can Maca Root Help You Gain Weight?
Can Maca make you gain weight? This is a common question among people seeking to add some weight.
Maca is an adaptogen, which means it adapts to the needs of your body.
This way, if you’re looking to lose or gain weight, the root will work based on that.
For instance, if you’re already curvy, Maca root will enhance your shape, but if you’re not, you probably won’t see massive changes in your body shape.
It also helps your body even out to its healthy state by balancing your hormones.
However, the Maca root in itself doesn’t necessarily cause weight gain. It simply works on your appetite. Plus, if you’re not exercising much while consuming the Maca in your preferred form, that may cause weight gain to occur.
The idea here is to eat more of the right foods, and exercise more while taking the Maca root pills, which may increase your chances of gaining weight.
Another question that’s commonly asked is “Does Maca root increase buttocks”? Maca root naturally boosts your energy levels, which means you can do longer workouts at the gym, and maximize your glute-enhancing gains.
For some body types though, you won’t get curves by just taking Maca root pills, so don’t get disappointed if you’re not as shapely as you expected. However, it can make you hungry, so you will gain some weight.
Maca root is also great for fertility, balancing hormones, building muscles, better mood, energy, libido, and for your thyroid among other benefits we’ll see later on in this post.
Which Color Maca root is Best for Weight Gain?
Both Red & Black Maca root can help you gain weight. The gelatinized black Maca root is a superior Maca type, and supports weight gain. It also supports stamina, strength, energy, fertility, and enhances libido.
10 Best Maca Root Pills For Weight Gain
If you want to gain weight by consuming Maca root, but you don’t want to take Maca root in powder form, which is a great addition to smoothies or desserts, you can take it as a pill (or capsule).We scoured the web for some of the best Maca root pills available and here’s a roundup of our top 10 picks that can help you gain weight.
1. NaturaLife Labs Organic Maca
These Maca root pills by NaturaLife Labs offer 100 percent pure high quality Peruvian organic Maca, perfectly blending red, black, and yellow organic Maca.
It’s gelatinized for bioavailability and easier digestion. You won’t find any starch content in these Maca root pills as the Maca extract has been processed under pressure to eliminate starch completely.
Each serving delivers 1900 milligrams, which is the highest level available on the market, and the pills quickly dissolve for faster absorption.
The pills are made in the USA and don’t contain any binders, fillers, stearate, preservatives, or artificial ingredients.
They also don’t contain any soy, wheat, yeast, or rice concentrate, and are gluten-free and non-GMO.
2. Nutra Champs Maca
![Organic Maca Root Powder 2100 MG [USDA Certified 180 Capsules] Energy & Mood Supplement for Men & Women - Vegan Pills, Peruvian Gelatinized Maca Powder + Black Pepper Extract for Superior Results](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/517fz-9RnMS._SL500_.jpg "Organic Maca Root Powder 2100 MG [USDA Certified 180 Capsules] Energy & Mood Supplement for Men & Women - Vegan Pills, Peruvian Gelatinized Maca Powder + Black Pepper Extract for Superior Results")
Nutra Champs’ Maca root pills offer a strong dose of the root sourced from black, yellow, and red Maca.
Each of the two capsule dosage taken contains 1000 milligrams of Maca root with an extra black pepper extract (5 milligrams) for bioavailability of the supplement.
Not only is it an energizer, but it also ensures you attain peak performance, plus its superior absorption in your system ensures better results for weight gain.
It also enhances your mood, energy, performance, and focus.
These pills are designed to deliver unique benefits of Maca root as it packs the power of all Maca root colors including the purple root.
This way, you can get the maximum potential of the root in one convenient capsule, and leave no benefits buried away.
It’s made in the USA, and it’s non-GMO and vegan-friendly.
The main drawback is you have to take two capsules per serving, which may be annoying for some consumers, plus they’re more expensive compared to the powdered version.
3. aSquared Nutrition Pure Black Maca Root
aSquared Nutrition’s maximum strength black Maca root pills contain 1000 milligrams of the Peruvian-sourced extract per serving.
The gelatinized black Maca root is the superior Maca, and offers many benefits that make it a great choice for supporting your weight gain goals. It also supports stamina, strength, energy, fertility, and enhances libido too.
The pills can be taken for muscle building and athletic performance, as they’re a good source of protein too. Plus, they contain concentrated nutrients and amplified minerals and metabolites.
This potent complex is manufactured in an FDA registered, GMP compliant facility in the USA, and doesn’t contain any fillers, binders, is non-GMO, and vegetarian.
4. The Maca Team Organic Gelatinized Black Maca Root Pills
The Maca Team manufactures these black Maca root pills to deliver the health and nutritional benefits you’re looking for from the amazing Maca root.
Its extract is from the black Maca root, which is proven successful in building muscle strength, enhancing mood, improving stamina, and enhancing mental focus.
The gelatinized pills preserve the Maca root’s nutritional benefits thus enhancing your body’s ability to absorb nutrients. The Maca root is pre-cooked to dissolve most of its starch, which also helps with easier digestion.
For best results, take 2-8 capsules every day with water or other beverage in the morning with or without food.
The product doesn’t contain fillers, flow agents or chemicals, is gluten-free, non-GMO, certified fresh, and potent.
5. Nugenix Essentials Maca Root Powder Capsules
Nugenix is a high-quality Maca root supplement in the form of capsules that may hold the key to your weight gain.
Each pill is made with 1500 milligrams of premium 100 percent Peruvian Maca extract sourced from Peru.
Other benefits you’ll gain from taking these capsules include more vitality and youthfulness, plus they pack more of a punch so you have the power to get more out of life because you’re getting the most potent, high-quality Maca root supplement.
They’re also standardized to 0.6 percent macaenes and macarrides, manufactured under strict FDA guidelines for the best quality possible.
6. Swanson Maca Capsules
These Maca root pills contain the pure Maca (Lepidium meyenii) extract from the root tuber, gelatin, and also may contain microcrystalline cellulose, silica, and magnesium stearate.
The benefits you’ll get from consuming these capsules include stamina, hormonal health, and a boost to the antioxidant activity in your body.
Swanson manufactures these Maca root pills according to the FDA’s guidelines for GMP compliance, most of which are formulated for 24 months from the manufacturing data.
For best results, take two capsules one or two times every day with water.
7. Five Foods Black Maca Capsules
These Maca root pills contain only the freshest black Maca root powder extract sourced from Peru. The pills are encapsulated in-house to ensure no chemicals, fillers, flow agents, or anything other than the Maca root powder itself is in each pill.
If you seek to gain weight and add energy to your life, these pills deliver the best black Maca for these purposes. They contain 100 percent black Maca powder that’s raw (never heated beyond 100F), non-GMO, gluten-free, and vegan fresh.
The Maca is pre-cooked to remove some starch content so it’s easier to digest, and you can take 2 to 6 capsules daily with water, in the morning (for best results) with food or without.
8. Herbal Secrets Maca Veggie Capsules
These Maca root pills by Herbal Secrets are formulated with the purest form of organically grown Maca root sourced from the Andes Mountains of Peru.
Each capsule contains 500 milligrams of potent Maca root so you get the essential minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids your body needs.
The pills are non-GMO and contain no fillers, additives, binders, artificial ingredients, preservatives, sulfates, stearates, dioxides, or laureates. They’re also manufactured according to GMP regulations in the USA and certified for purity and potency.
9. Horbaach Maca Root Capsules
These Maca root capsules contain a whopp rel =”nofollow” target=”_blank”ing 3200 milligrams, the highest level compared to others on this list.
They deliver the power of the natural Maca root and its incredible nutrients in a quick-release capsule for optimal absorption.
The Peruvian Maca root is expertly sourced from a potent, super-concentrated extract, and is lab-tested for superior quality, purity, and potency.
It’s naturally free of wheat, gluten, yeast, soy, lactose, milk, artificial colors, and flavors, and is non-GMO.
The pills deliver powerful nutrients and other strong properties of the Maca root, and they’re vetted for bioavailability, purity, and potency so you can enhance the power of the supreme Maca root.
10. NaturalisimoLife Organic Black Maca Capsules
These Maca root pills by NaturalisimoLife are manufactured using organic Maca root and deliver 950 milligrams per capsule of the pure organic black Maca.
It is the most potent black Maca root formula imported straight from Peru and has purity and potency certifications to boot.
Its quality is superior, and doesn’t contain any magnesium, fillers, dioxides, soy, gluten, preservatives, sugar, yeast, or starch. The pills are manufactured in accordance with GMP standards in an FDA registered facility.
Buyer’s Guide: How To Choose Maca Root Pills
The Maca root is popular among people who want to gain weight, boost their energy, stamina, and libido, and manage anxiety and other mood-related problems.
With such popularity, many companies have sprouted up with Maca root supplements in forms of powders, pills, and other products, often making many claims and promises. This is why you need to scrutinize them before you make a purchase.
Here is a list of factors to consider before you should buy a Maca root supplement, so follow along to find out the criteria by which you should judge brands on the market to find the best one for your needs.
Dose and Concentration (Potency/Purity)
The amount of extract from the Maca root in each serving of the pills you’re considering can determine whether or not it’ll work for you.
You need to ensure there’s enough of the plant’s extract to help you gain weight among other benefits, but also not an overpowering potency.
Check the ingredients list to ensure there are no preservatives, additives, or unnecessary fillers, chemicals, and flow agents.
Extraction and processing
Each brand has a way of extracting and processing the Maca root from the source, and this determines the safety of the product for use in the human body.
However, a gelatinized process is preferred as it ensures the extract is digestible in your body and enhances its bioavailability.
Product Value and Pricing
This factor considers the products that can give you the best bang for your buck, while still getting the best available
Maca root pills on your budget. Check for the value of the supplement based on the dose of the Maca root you get with a single serving, and the number of servings available in the bottle or pack.
Gelatinized vs Raw
Gelatinized Maca root is boiled to remove starch, making it easier to digest, while the raw form is just dried and ground up into Maca powder to keep nutrients intact. However, not everyone can digest raw Maca.
Maca Color
Maca root comes in a variety of colors such as red, black, yellow, and sometimes purple.
The red Maca balances hormones and is great for bone, prostate health, and fertility, while the black Maca is great for muscle building, weight training, libido, endurance, fertility, and mental focus.
Yellow Maca is affordable and the most common, and is great for hormone balancing, enhancing concentration, and boosting energy.
Benefits of Maca Root
Maca root offers multiple benefits besides helping you gain weight by increasing your appetite. Some of these benefits include:
- Relieving symptoms of menopause
- Improving your mood
- Boost energy and performance sports
- May protect your skin (when applied) against harmful rays of the sun
- Improving learning and memory
- May reduce prostate size
- Increases libido and fertility
- It’s highly nutritious
Maca Root Safety & Side Effects
Generally, Maca root is considered safe, but Peruvian natives believe that taking it fresh and raw may have adverse effects on your health, which is why gelatinizing it first is important.
If you have thyroid problems, Maca root may not be good because it contains goitrogens that could interfere with your thyroid’s normal functioning.
The compounds may affect you if your thyroid gland’s function is already impaired.
For pregnant or lactating moms, consult your doctor before taking Maca root pills.
Other side effects include difficulty falling asleep owing to over-stimulation, jitters, and sometimes unintentional weight loss because it’s a natural energy booster and accelerates metabolism.
Limited research exists to show that Maca root can cause weight gain on its own, but it does lead to increased muscle mass from enhanced workout regimes.
Wrapping Up
Maca root pills provide an easier way of helping you take in the benefits of Maca root. While it isn’t intended to make you gain weight in itself, there have been some reports of increased appetite upon consuming the product.
If you intend to gain weight or manage yours altogether, consult your dietician or health professional before purchasing a product off the shelves.
Plus, its effectiveness varies from one person to another, which is why you need to take it regularly in the prescribed dosage.
There are other forms of Maca root-like powders or tinctures, which also work, but pills seem like a convenient format for many people. However, it’s good to find one that’s undergone gelatinization so it’s easier to digest.
If Maca root is right for you, based on a consultation with your doctor or medical professional, you can add it to your daily health regimen and make sure you’re consistent with when you take it.
The natural supplement is intriguing in itself, but more research is needed to establish exactly how it works for better weight gain results.
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