Hi,
I have recently started taking maca root for it's nutritional properties and to increase energy. I take around 1/4 teaspoon with food every other day. I do get incredible energy from this, but seem to get a 'crash' around 4 hours later; headaches, tiredness etc. I am not sure if this is from maca root or from some other reason. Does maca work in a similar way to caffeine in that it gives stimulation followed by a crash?
Any advice or info would be much appreciated.
Thanks!
According to Brendan Brazier, maca works in a way quite unlike caffeine. Among other things, it is a good source of sterols which help regeneration of fatigued muscles and organs. It is understood to help regeneration of the adrenal glands and therefore a good tonic to counteract negative stress. It also contains precursors for serotonin, helping you work harder because you're happier, and is an adaptogen, helping you adjust to greater demands placed on your body.
Brendan Brazier, a professional, medal-winning, vegan athlete swears by it and takes anything up to 7.5 grams (1 tablespoon) a day!
He says that it will not cause a slump in energy after taking it, as caffeine does, but ,my humble opinion is that energy is a bit like cash in the bank - if you borrow some today, you have to pay it back tomorrow!
I took it for a while, but felt no effect from it, either good or bad!