Also called Peruvian ginseng, Maca grows in the highlands of the Andes. First used for its nutritional value, it is also renowned in traditional Peruvian medicine for having many virtues: relieving sexual and reproductive disorders, anemia, joint pain, and depression. But research is struggling to formally demonstrate a role for Maca in controlling fertility, sexual vigor, or treating menopause and anxiety. In any case, it is advisable to consult your doctor before starting a Maca treatment.
Maca history
Maca is one of the very few vegetable plants that can survive in the extreme climatic conditions that plague the highlands of the Andes. Archaeological excavations have unearthed remains of objects showing that maca was cultivated in the Andes around 1600 BC, that is to say long before the Incas. Maca was first cultivated for its nutritional value. The tuber was eaten fresh, like the sweet potato, but it was also dried in order to preserve it. Dried and powdered, it could be stored for years. Maca powder was consumed in the form of oatmeal, cakes, or sweet creams, or exchanged for food from other regions, such as corn, which cannot be grown at this altitude. Even today, Peruvians in the highlands consume an average of 500 g of maca per day.
According to traditional Peruvian medicine, the medicinal properties of dried maca can be useful to treat or relieve a host of ailments: sexual and reproductive disorders, weakened immune system, anemia, tuberculosis, menstrual disorders, symptoms of menopause, constipation, joint pain, depression, etc.
When the first Spanish breeders settled in Peru, the natives advised them to give maca tubers to animals that had difficulty reproducing. The cultivation of the plant then experienced a remarkable boom and extended from Ecuador to northern Argentina.
During the
1960s and 1970s, the development of industrial agriculture and distribution networks
led to the gradual abandonment of maca cultivation. During the 1980s, the
Peruvian authorities launched incentive programs encouraging the revival of
this traditional culture. The situation is now restored, thanks to the
increased demand for this product in North America and Europe.
In 2002, a
controversy arose over a patent that an American company filed for a maca
extract. Peruvian producers denounced this threat to their right to export this
plant and this control over an ancestral product1,2. Since 2005, the patent has
belonged to a French company, which claims to have granted free operating
licenses to Peruvian industries and to have increased the purchase price of
maca from local producers by 15 %21,22. But the dispute with Peruvian producers
still does not seem to be settled.
Maca research
Sexual fertility and vigor. Laboratory studies have shown that high doses of maca stimulate reproductive activity4,5 in male rats and increase their sperm production6-9 and fertility3. A few studies have also been carried out on humans, but the many methodological biases involved make their results extremely questionable. For example, researchers have reported increased sexual desire in healthy men who took 1.5g or 3g of maca per day for 12 weeks. However, the assessment of sexual desire was not done according to reliable criteria.
In a second
study, these same researchers measured an increase in the quantity of sperm and
sperm motility12, attributed to maca. However, the trial was performed without
a placebo and with only 9 people.
Finally, in
a preliminary trial in the United States, taking 3 g of maca per day for 4
weeks increased libido in people taking antidepressants17. In this case, the
lack of a placebo, the small number of participants, and the fact that they
were taking different antidepressants limit the scope of the results.
Maca may not be a true aphrodisiac and rather its effects on sexual activity are due to its tonic action on the whole body.19 Some people believe that the tuber, like ginseng, acts as an adaptogen20, hence the common name of “Peruvian ginseng” which is sometimes given to it, although from a botanical point of view, there is no family relationship between the two plants3.
Menopause Maca, at doses of 3.5 g per day, has had a positive effect on the quality of life of women going through menopause14,16,18. In particular, it alleviated certain psychological symptoms such as anxiety, depression and sexual dysfunction14.
Hormonal effect or not?
Researchers have speculated that Maca contains compounds with activity
similar to testosterone15. However, none of the effects observed in women or men
could be associated with a change in sex horm
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