Always weigh roots before making an extract.
Maca root is a nutritional supplement from the Peruvian Andes used for a variety of health conditions. Considered a super food in Peru, maca is used for infertility, impotence, menopause, and sexual dysfunction in men and women taking anti-depressants. Clinical trials are currently being conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital for its use for sexual dysfunction and acute anterior uveitis, a painful condition of swelling and inflammation behind the eye. Make maca root into an extract at home for personal use.
Instructions
Getting Started
1. Purchase whole or chopped maca root at your local Whole Foods store. The root is sold either fresh or dried. Fresh maca root must be sun-dried 10 to 15 days before it can be made into an extract for maximum potency. You can also oven dry it for four to five hours, but this will diminish the quality. Skip this step if you purchased dried maca root.
(reference 2)
2. Clean utensils well after each use.
Weigh your dried maca root. You will need one part maca root to two parts liquid. For example, you need two ounces of maca root and four ounces of distilled water and four ounces of 100-proof alcohol.
Coarsely chop the root and place in a blender or food processor. Allow blender to run until root is ground into a coarse powder. Once it is the desired consistency turn off blender. Add the four ounces of distilled water and the four ounces of alcohol. Run the blender until the root material and the liquid is mixed into a fine paste. Pour the contents into a wide mouth jar. Seal the jar, label it with the contents and the date. Allow the jar and mixture to steep in a warm spot out of direct sunlight for two weeks. Shake the jar daily to prevent settling or separation of the mixture. (Reference 2)
3. After two weeks, strain the liquid from the solid root material through a cheesecloth into a container. Twist and squeeze cheesecloth tightly to extract as much of the liquid as possible. Strain the liquid again through a coffee filter. Use funnel to pour liquid extract into a dark-colored dropper bottle. Label and date the maca root extract bottle. Extract will keep up to one year. (Reference 2)
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