Maca benefits. Some call it maca, others call it Peruvian Ginseng and some refer to it as a natural hot flushes liberator and vibrant longevity elixir. Maca is a root, used as a highly nutritious food rich in vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, and as a medicine.
Lepidium meyeniii, known commonly as maca, maca-maca, maino, ayak chichira, and ayak willku, is a Peruvian root vegetable used as food and as a medicine since Inca time. Maca grows high in The Andes at an altitude of between 4000 and 4500 meters, in a region of intense sunlight and strong winds.
In Inca time this root was used as a main source of nourishment, for healing, and as a currency. Legend says that maca was given to warriors before entering into battle, to make them confident and fearlessly strong. After the battle, soldiers were not allowed to use maca, in order to protect the beautiful women from the soldiers’ robust sexual desires.
Maca is still one of the most valuable of all commodities in Peru, used as nutritious food and as a medicine. Today the discovery of this valuable food also reached the rest of the population around the world including doctors and researchers.
*Dr. Gordon said, ‘We all hear rumors about various products like maca. But using this Peruvian root myself, I personally experienced a significant improvement in erectile tissue response. I call it ‘nature’s answer to Viagra™’. What I see in maca is a means of normalizing our steroid hormones like testosterone, progesterone, and estrogen. Therefore it has the facility to forestall the hormonal changes of aging.’
Nutrition – Reason number one you should try maca
contains a valuable amount of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and up to twenty essential amino acids. It has high protein content that excels with those from other plants. For example, Maca has 5 times more proteins and 4 times more fibre than a potato but has less fat.
- Minerals
Selenium, Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Phosphorous, Zinc, Copper, Potassium, Selenium, Bismuth, Tin, Iodine, Silica. - Vitamins
Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, B2, B3, B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin D and Vitamin E. - Amino acids
Alanine, Argine, Aspartate, Glutamine, Glycine, Histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, proline, sarcosine, serine, threonine, tyrosine and valine. - Fatty acids
Laric, palmitic, palitoleic, linoleic, arachidic, steric, behanic, nervonic, llignoceric, tridecanoic, perntadecanoic, nonadecanoic and eicosenoic (linoleic, palmetic and oleic acid are the primary fatty acids). - Sterols
Brassicasterol, erogosterol, ergostadienol, campestrol, sitosterol, stigmasterol. - Maca alkaloids
Maca contains 4 alkaloids, Macaina 1, 2, 3 and 4. - Dried maca root
Carbohydrates 59%, Protein 10%, Dietary Fiber 8,5% and Lipid 2,2 %
Maca is a nutrient-dense food, and a highly nutritious food is what your body needs to stay healthy, energetic, balanced and vibrant.
Endocrine system – reason number two you should try maca
Maca is a hormonal regulator, it stimulates and regulates the entire endocrine system. Maca does not contain hormones. Rather it provides a unique set of nutrients that directly affect the endocrine system and help the adrenal glands to produce necessary hormones according to individual needs, in both men and women.
The endocrine system regulates your emotions (mood swings, stress), sexual desire, promotes growth, helps generate energy. The alkaloids present in the maca root are scientifically proven to nourish the endocrine system and act as stimulants of human reproduction. Mainly, maca is known to improve conditions such as:
- Menopause: maca reduces menopause problems in women, and it is a known hot flush liberator, it reduces mood swings, night sweats, treats vaginal dryness and it is used as an alternative to hormone replacement therapy.
- Fertility: Maca enhances fertility in both men and women respectively.
- Libido: Maca is a natural libido booster, and it works on the hypothalamus (sex hormone).
- Energy booster: Maca boosts your immune system and increases the body’s overall vitality and energy levels.
- Thyroid problems: maca decreases your thyroid problems
- Healthy prostate: Maca promotes healthy cell formation in the prostate gland
- Sperm production: maca improves sperm production in men (men, read more about black maca to increase sperm count)
- Depression: Maca helps in anxiety and reduces depression
- Memory and learning: Maca enhances memory and learning abilities
- Stress: maca reduces stress of all types
If out of balance, Maca can impact key hormones in both men and women to their advantage. So, whether your body is producing too much or too little of a particular hormone, consuming this root will help you balance your hormonal system.
Adaptogen – third reason you should try maca
An adaptogen is a nontoxic substance found in some plants. These elements produce an adaptive response to stress in the body, thus improving the overall adaptability of the whole body related to different kind of stressful situations. As a powerful adaptogen, maca is known as a stress-fighting adaptogen that can balance the body’s nervous system and glandular, hormonal system.
Used for thousands of years, maca has no harmful side effects, it has no caffeine, and it is non-addictive. Once harvested, the maca root is dried then cooked or made into powder and purchased in its simplest powder form, in capsules or as maca extract.
So, here are the three good reasons you should try maca: to balance your hormones, supply your body with essential nutrients and liberate yourself from being moody. Give it a Try and Get Your Hands on this Healthworks Maca.
