Maca Maca

It is said to rekindle the desires and the fires of lost passion. Maca maca, referred to as Peruvian ginseng and once a well-kept South American secret, has emerged from the distant past and aroused the interests of aging baby boomers and scientists alike. Men and women everywhere can now celebrate their renewed sexuality once thought to have vanished with their slowly fading youth.

This edible, nutrition-packed tuber plant not only strengthens and stimulates the libido but boasts of many other beneficial healing qualities. Extensive research by Dr. Gloria Chacon, credited for most of the knowledge on maca today, resulted in the discovery that isolated alkaloids from the maca root were responsible for increasing fertility in the ovaries and testes of rats. Dr. Chacon learned that the local people of the high Andean regions not only ate maca as one of their most important staple foods, but that they fed this plant to their livestock. It not only increased the animals' libido, but it also promoted healthier, more fertile livestock. This was exceptional news because the animal fertility rate had been sadly low, threatening the livelihood of the native people.

Reproductive Revitalizer

Unlike estrogenic herbs, maca regulates rather than stimulates the ovaries and ovarian function. This is an important difference because maca's ability to act on the hypothalamus and pituitary glands means it strengthens not just the reproductive system but the whole endocrine system, which manufactures and regulates hormones. Maca has a rejuvenating effect on the thyroid, adrenals and pancreas--all of which play a part in the endocrine system. When strengthened and nourished, these glands promote a heightened sense of well-being and provide the body with greater energy and vitality.

Maca's hormone balancing and rejuvenating effect makes it useful for women to effectively enhance fertility. It's also used by women suffering from symptoms of menopause as an alternative to hormone replacement therapy (HRT). It's been found to be useful in cases of hysterectomy for women who still have symptoms of menopause and where it may be too risky to warrant HRT. Maca has also been used successfully in the treatment of PMS, alleviating many or most of the symptoms while encouraging the hormonal system to rebalance itself.

Viagra Of The Herbal Kingdom

Yes, men can also enjoy the powerful benefits of this herb! Maca has been hailed by some as the Viagra of the herbal kingdom. It has not gained this reputation for nothing.

Dr. Hugo Malaspina, a Peruvian cardiologist, has been prescribing maca to men and women in Lima, Peru for more than a decade. His first encounter with the herb was with a group of men aged 70-plus. One of the fellows began taking maca and discovered that he was able to perform sexually again. All men in the group began to take maca, and soon after, each one experienced a similar rebirth in sexuality!

Since maca has a rejuvenating effect on the endocrine system, it encourages fertility when sperm counts are low. It increases general energy and endurance and, as a result of its high sterol content, it is used by bodybuilders to foster muscle strength, growth and stamina.

Anti-Aging Marvel

One of the biomarkers of aging is a declining hormonal system, say anti-aging specialists. Since maca balances and strengthens this system and normalizes the steroid hormones progesterone, estrogen and testosterone, it has been earmarked as an anti-aging medicine. It has the ability to delay the slow decline in hormones we associate with getting older.

Remaining sexually active has been said to promote a longer, healthier and happier life. Likewise, having a healthy libido indicates a youthful constitution, and maca offers a healthy, risk-free solution to premature aging. It has been proven to work and it's never too late to start maca!

Maca is a powerful aphrodisiac for men and women. It has been used as a memory enhancer and immune stimulant. An extremely nourishing food, it's an excellent supplement for pregnant women and for treating malnutrition.

Maca is available in powder, capsule or extract form at health food stores. The powder can be added to enhance cereals, hot milk, yogurt, juice, porridge and smoothies. One teaspoon a day for maintenance or two teaspoons per day for medicinal purposes are all that you need, but more can be taken without any adverse side-effects.

Herb of Royalty

Maca has been around for centuries, and its history of cultivation goes back some 5,000 years. But it wasn't until the Incas domesticated this plant 2,000 years ago that it was discovered to be rich in nutritional and health-enhancing benefits. Maca became such a highly valued commodity that the Incas reserved its use for royalty only.

After landing in South America and ultimately conquering the Incas, the Spaniards, too, discovered the virtues of this powerful plant and soon began exporting it to Spain. As in South America, maca was given the royal seal of approval. Here, maca was fed to livestock, and so successful were its fertility-enhancing properties that it was recorded in great detail in Spanish chronicles.

Gradually, knowledge of this plant faded and was almost lost except in very remote areas of Peru. Then, during the '60s, botanical scientists regenerated an interest in maca when they found that it contained an astounding array of vitamins and minerals.

Maca's Nutritional Riches

High in absorbable calcium and magnesium, maca has been used successfully to reverse and prevent osteoporosis. Maca is rich in:

• amino acids
• important fatty acids including linolenic and oleic acids
• alkaloids, tannins, saponins and sterols
• vitamins: A, B₁, B₂, B₃, B₁₂, C, D and E
• minerals: calcium, magnesium, potassium, silica, iodine, iron, manganese, zinc, copper, sodium and phosphorus.

Maca's Nutritional Virtues

Maca has been used to treat:

• osteoporosis
• chronic fatigue
• anemia
• premature aging
• general weakness and fatigue
• tuberculosis
• depression
• impotence
• stomach cancer
• broken bones in the elderly
• loss of libido