Summary

Lepidium meyenii, known as maca, is a plant in the broccoli family found in Peru.

Maca root contains essential amino acids, healthy fats, and many vitamins and minerals, making this a worthy addition to any general health stack.

Gelatinized Maca Root Powder

Gelatinization is the process of heating the root in water to remove starches. This process also increases the water solubility of maca root powder, making the gelatinized version the superior choice for supplementation. [1]

Benefits and Effects

Though this root is well known as an aphrodisiac, maca has additional benefits, these include mood stabilization, neuroprotection, and improved memory function.

Sexual Health

Maca may increase sexual desire without interrupting hormonal balance. Maca root has no effect on sex hormones. [2,3]

Maca increases libido in both men and women. [4] One study revealed maca as an effective libido enhancer for those experiencing sexual dysfunctions resulting from SSRI intake. [5]

Maca also improves overall sexual performance. Maca can also improve sperm motility. [6,7]

Nootropic

In both rat and human studies, maca shows promise as a mood enhancer. These studies concluded that the maca root promotes a sense of well-being and acts as an anxiolytic. [8,9]

Maca root shows positive effects on memory improvement. Two studies performed on rats with induced memory impairments showed positive improvements when given maca root. [10,11] This is due to this plant serving as a neuroprotectant. [12,13]

Performance

Though more studies are needed to determine maca’s efficacy as a performance enhancing supplement, one study showed promising results. Cyclists were given maca root before a 40km time trial. After 14 days of supplementation, those taking maca greatly improved cycling time. [14]

Additional Health Benefits of Gelatinized Maca Root

Maca root supplementation promotes prostate health by slowing the growth of the prostate and shrinking enlarged prostates. [15,16]

Maca”™s high potassium content assists both systolic and diastolic blood pressure regulation. This benefit is amplified when taken with silymarin, which is found in milk thistle. [17,18]

Side Effects

Maca has shown no significant side effects.

Dosage

The recommended dosage is 1500mg up to three times daily in separate doses.