Meet maca – the Peruvian root veg for energy, performance and libido

You might have seen maca popping up on your social media feed or added to ‘superfood’ smoothies, but what is it and what’s it used for? 

Meet Maca

Maca is sometimes called ‘Peruvian Ginseng’ – it grows in the Peruvian Andes at over 4,000 meters above sea level. In this hostile environment of extreme temperatures, there aren’t many plants that survive, but this hardy radish-like root can thrive. Maca comes in four different colours – red, yellow, purple and black – each with their own beneficial properties.

It’s been used traditionally for thousands of years by Peruvians, especially to improve energy, sexual drive and stamina. Rumour has it that Inca warriors were fed with maca to increase their energy and vitality, but were prohibited from taking it after the conquest of a city to protect women from their sexual urges.[1]

What’s it for? 

1.  General health 

Maca can be a great addition to a healthy, balanced diet. It is abundant in protein, unsaturated fatty acids and minerals like iron, magnesium, copper, zinc, sodium, potassium and calcium[1] – earning it ‘superfood’ status. It also contains compounds like sterols, which are anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. 

One study compared two groups living in high altitudes, those who did consume maca and those who didn’t. The maca consumers had lower levels of interleukin-6 (an inflammatory marker), which was associated with low systolic blood pressure, and a high health score.[2]

2.  Menopausal symptoms and female libido

Struggling with menopause? It might be worth giving maca a try. Though more evidence is needed, several studies have reported positive effects of maca on menopausal symptoms.[3] 

In particular, one study on postmenopausal women found that 3500mg per day of maca for 6 weeks significantly reduced psychological symptoms of menopause, including anxiety and depression, as well as sexual dysfunction, without having any impact on sex hormones like oestrogen.[4]

In another study, women with SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction taking 3000mg maca per day had significant improvements in their depressive symptoms and libido.[5] 

Another study found that 2000mg of maca given to perimenopausal women as an alternative to HRT for 2 months resulted in a significant reduction in symptoms, as well as a reduction in blood pressure, body weight, triglycerides and cholesterol levels.[6] 

3.  Energy and performance 

Looking for a bit of a boost? 

A study of 8 participants found that after 14 days supplementation with maca, their 40km cycling time performance significantly improved compared to the placebo trial. The maca group also reported an improvement in sexual desire during the study.[7] 

4.  Fertility 

While research is currently limited, maca has been used to enhance male and female fertility for many hundreds of years. There is some evidence that maca may improve semen quality as well as sexual function, which may be due to the antioxidant effects of the plant.[8] 

How to use it? 

Maca is available in a number of different forms, so what to look out for? 

When we’re choosing a maca for our shelves, we look for: 

  • Organic – because we like our maca to be as pure as possible, without any added chemicals.
  • Sustainably grown – how our suppliers source their products is really important to us. They should be responsibly farmed, and ethically obtained. And sadly this isn’t always the case with maca.  
  • Clean – we don’t want our maca to have any added bulking agents, binders, fillers, or other additives. 
  • Potent – whether in capsule form or powder, we want to ensure that these have the right dosage to make the maca as effective as possible. 

Our favourites: 

If you are looking to try a good quality maca, pop into the store or shop our selection online. Here are a couple of our favourites:

A final word… 

Remember – we are here to help so for more information, including any of the supplements mentioned above, feel free to pop into the store or give us a call.  Please note, this blog should not be taken as medical advice – if you have any health concerns or are taking prescribed medication, please consult your GP.

References

[1] Wang Y, Wang Y, McNeil B, Harvey LM. Maca: An Andean crop with multi-pharmacological functions. Food Research International. 2007 Aug 1;40(7):783-92.

[2] Gonzales GF, Gasco M, Lozada-Requena I. Role of maca (Lepidium meyenii) consumption on serum interleukin-6 levels and health status in populations living in the Peruvian Central Andes over 4000 m of altitude. Plant foods for human nutrition. 2013 Dec;68:347-51.

[3] Lee MS, Shin BC, Yang EJ, Lim HJ, Ernst E. Maca (Lepidium meyenii) for treatment of menopausal symptoms: a systematic review. Maturitas. 2011 Nov 1;70(3):227-33.

[4] Brooks NA, Wilcox G, Walker KZ, Ashton JF, Cox MB, Stojanovska L. Beneficial effects of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) on psychological symptoms and measures of sexual dysfunction in postmenopausal women are not related to estrogen or androgen content. Menopause. 2008 Dec 1;15(6):1157-62.

[5] Dording CM, Fisher L, Papakostas G, Farabaugh A, Sonawalla S, Fava M, Mischoulon D. A double‐blind, randomized, pilot dose‐finding study of maca root (L. meyenii) for the management of SSRI‐induced sexual dysfunction. CNS neuroscience & therapeutics. 2008 Sep;14(3):182-91.

[6] Meissner HO, Reich-Bilinska H, Mscisz A, Kedzia B. Therapeutic Effects of Pre-Gelatinized Maca (Lepidium peruvianum Chacon) used as a non-hormonal alternative to HRT in perimenopausal women-Clinical Pilot Study. International journal of biomedical science: IJBS. 2006 Jun;2(2):143.

[7] Stone M, Ibarra A, Roller M, Zangara A, Stevenson E. A pilot investigation into the effect of maca supplementation on physical activity and sexual desire in sportsmen. Journal of ethnopharmacology. 2009 Dec 10;126(3):574-6.

[8] Shin BC, Lee MS, Yang EJ, Lim HS, Ernst E. Maca (L. meyenii) for improving sexual function: a systematic review. BMC complementary and alternative medicine. 2010 Dec;10:1-6.

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