Maca

Parts Usually Used

The root

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

It is grown for its fleshy hypocotyl that is fused with a taproot, which is typically dried, but may also be freshly cooked as a root vegetable. If it is dried, it may be further processed into a flour for baking or as a dietary supplement. The growth habit, size, and proportions of maca are roughly similar to those of radishes and turnips, to which it is related, but it also resembles a parsnip.

The green, fragrant tops are short and lie along the ground. 9 in) in height. Maca is the only member of the genus Lepidium with a fleshy hypocotyl, which is fused with the taproot to form a rough inverted pear-shaped body. Maca does vary greatly in the size and shape of the root, which may be triangular, flattened circular, spherical, or rectangular, the latter of which forms the largest roots.

Traditionally, native growers have acknowledged four varieties of maca, based on their root color: cream-yellow, half purple, purple, and black; varying levels of anthocyanin is primarily responsible for the color differences. Maca hypocotyls may be gold or cream, red, purple, blue, black, or green. Each is considered a “genetically unique variety”, as seeds of the parent plants grow to have roots of the same color.

Specific phenotypes (in maca, ‘phenotype’ pertains mainly to root color) have been propagated exclusively to increase commercial interest. Cream-colored roots are the most widely grown and are favored in Peru for their enhanced sweetness and size. Black maca is both sweet and slightly bitter in taste.

Where Found

Native to South America in the high Andes mountains of Peru. It was found exclusively at the Meseta de Bombón plateau close to Lake Junin in the late 1980s. Maca today is also cultivated in Peru, in the high Andes of Bolivia, and to a small extent also in Brazil. [

Medicinal Properties

Experimental scientific evidence showed that maca has nutritional, energizer, and fertility-enhancer properties, and it acts on sexual dysfunctions, osteoporosis, benign prostatic hyperplasia, memory and learning, and protects skin against ultraviolet radiation. Clinical trials showed efficacy of maca on sexual dysfunctions as well as increasing sperm count and motility. Maca is a plant with great potential as an adaptogen and appears to be promising as a nutraceutical in the prevention of several diseases.

There are different types of maca with different colors ranging from white to black. Scientists have studied the pharmacological effects of 3 types; yellow, black, and red maca. Evidence from experimental studies indicates effects of maca on nutrition, fertility, memory, and mood. Black maca has better effects on sperm production than yellow maca which has only moderate effects.

Red maca, however, has no effect on sperm production. However, red maca has been shown to reduce prostate size in rats in which prostate hyperplasia had been induced with testosterone enanthate; yellow maca has shown moderate effects here, whereas black maca has not shown any effects. Randomized clinical trials have shown that maca has favorable effects on energy and mood, may decrease anxiety and improve sexual desire.

Maca has also been shown to improve sperm production, sperm motility, and semen volume. Serum levels of testosterone, estradiol, LH, FSH, and prolactin were not affected. The exact mechanisms of action are still unclear, but so far research clearly indicates that various bioactive constituents contribute to the clinical effects reported.

Biochemical Information

Maca contains glucotropaeolin, m-methoxyglucotropaeolin, benzyl glucosinolates, polyphenols, (1R,3S)-1-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-β-carboline-3-carboxylic acid (MTCA), and p-methoxybenzyl isothiocyanate. Alkamides are also present in maca. These alkamides, commonly known as macamides, are the key bioactive constituents of maca and have demonstrated therapeutic potential against several neurological and non-neurological disorders.

In addition to possessing some fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibitory activity, macamides are potent soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitors and this mechanism of action at least partially accounts for the beneficial biological effects of maca. N-Benzyl-linoleamide (the N-benzylamide of linoleic acid) is an especially relevant macamide since it is the single most abundant macamide found in maca products to date and was orally active in an animal model, exhibiting significant analgesia against inflammatory pain.

Legends, Myths and Stories

As maca grows on sites where no other crops can be cultivated, it is often found after long fallows of sheep grazing pastures. Maca croplands thus traditionally are only fertilized with sheep and alpaca manure; however, fertilizer application could prevent soils from depleting in nutrients. Weeding or pesticide application usually is not necessary as the climate is not suitable for most weeds or pests.

Nearly all maca cultivation in Peru is carried out organically, as maca itself is seldom attacked. Maca is sometimes interplanted with potatoes, as it is known to maca farmers that the plant naturally repels most root crop pests. The harvest is done manually, with the leaves left in the field as livestock feed or organic fertilizer. It also was used as a form of payment of Spanish imperial taxes.

Uses

Traditional Andean herbalists and local populations historically used maca root with the intention of enhancing fertility, libido, energy, and stamina. Cultivated primarily for its hypocotyl, the plant was traditionally cooked before consumption. In Peruvian tradition, freshly harvested roots were sometimes roasted in earth pits, known as huatia, or mashed and boiled into a thick, sweet liquid that was subsequently combined with milk to create a porridge called mazamorra.

Cooked roots were also incorporated into soups, jams, and empanadas. For longer preservation, the harvested roots were dried and ground into a meal known as harina de maca, which historical communities utilized as a baking flour for breads and pancakes. Fermented preparations included a mild beverage known as chicha de maca, while a distinct liquor was produced from the dark morphotype of the root.

Additionally, the leaves were historically eaten raw in salads, cooked as greens, or used as livestock fodder. Later industrial practices adopted extrusion techniques, referred to as gelatinization, to break down the dense root fibers, and commercial producers utilized both the dried root and its milled flour to manufacture concentrated dietary extracts and fermented beverages.

How Sold

Maca is exported as powder, capsules, pills, flour, liquor, and extracts