../articles/maca
do you really know maca?
Maca as we know it, was promoted not very long ago by American marketing companies as:
a macho protein powder and aphrodesiac. Thankfully, Maca is much more than just that.
As with most superfoods, maca boasts high numbers of all the vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other nutrients. And it's healthy and will make you feel good, just like the others. So what sets maca apart? Maca belongs to a highly exclusive family of plants called adaptogens.
adaptogens
An adaptogen is a plant which raises the non-specific resistance in an organism. As an adaptogen, maca works broadly to contribute to overall well being. It nourishes and calms the nerves with calcium, phosphorus, vitamins B1 and B12 , and fatty acids, all of which work beneficially on the nervous system.
Maca stimulates the appetite and aids in digestion with calcium, vitamins B1 and B2, B12, and fatty acids. Its phosphorus is a primary building block in the cell fuels Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) and glucose-6-phosphate (G6P).
At the same time maca supports the adrenal glands so they don't have to rely on damaging corticol to fuel the body. Its sterols, calcium, and vitamin C help build muscle mass and its starches aid in physical endurance. Its alkaloids help the body assimiliate all these nutrients just where they are required.
The small family of Adaptogen plants may contain the same vitamins and minerals as other foods, but the synergy of the plant (the part that makes scientists scratch their heads) is what seems to bring the combination into life.
Adaptogen plants are also non-toxic and non-addictive.
maca benefits...
- Increases energy, endurance, stamina
- Alleviates chronic exhaustion (fatigue) syndrome
- Improves sexual function in men and women
- Enhances fertility in people and animals
- Reduces hormonal dysfunction during menopause & andropause
- Can regulate hormonal imbalances
- Aids in alleviating depression- gives a sense of well being
- Reduces anxiety and stress
- Has a beneficial action on the circulatory system
- Speeds wound healing and reduces anemia
- Enhances memory, learning, and mental ability
- Gives skin a more youthful appearance
- Helps treat anemia, rickets, osteomalacia, and stomach cancer
- Good for healthy teeth and bones
- Acts as a fungistatic and bacteriostatic
- Acts as an anticarcinogen and antioxidant
- Is an alternative to anabolic steroids, helps to build muscle
- Tannins bind and precipitate proteins, which improves the nutritional value of maca.
- Effects general and not localized to a specific organ.
- Normalizing action irrespective of the pathological state.
- Its fiber as well as glucosinolate content show promise
in helping combat some cancers. - Bio-available calcium, in conjunction with its alkaloids, make it
an effective bond builder, thus reducing osteomalacia and rickets. - Some of its fatty acids function as fungicides and local antiseptics,
which may aid in overall immunity enhancement. - Saponins and terpenoids may aid as a sedative, expectorant,
pain reliever, anti-tumoral, and analgesic. - Maca is non toxic and non addictive
maca nutrient list:
| Principle | Nutrient Value | %RDA or #ppm |
|---|---|---|
| Ash | - | 3.46 - 6.43% |
| Energy | 270 Kcal | - |
| Carbohydrates | - | 51.81 - 76.05% |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0% |
| Dietary Fiber | - | 3.85 - 8.5% |
| Lipids | - | 2.2% |
| Protein | - | 10.1 - 18.5% |
| Total Fat | - | 0.2 - 2.2% |
| Vitamins | ||
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.5 mcg | - |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.11 mg | - |
| Ascorbic Acid (C) | 0.8 - 3.52 mcg | - |
| Carotene | 0.7 mg | - |
| Niacin | 37.27 - 43.03 mg | - |
| also contains Vitamins B6, D3, P-(Bioflavonoids) | ||
| Electrolytes | ||
| Magnesium | 70-114 mg | - |
| Potassium | 1000 - 2050 mg | - |
| Sodium | 18.7 mg | - |
| Minerals | ||
| Calcium | 150 - 650 mg | - |
| Phosphorus | 183 - 329 mg | - |
| Minor Minerals | ||
| Boron | - | 12 - 26 ppm |
| Copper | 5.90 mg | 30 - 32 ppm |
| Iron | 9.93 - 24.37 mg | 62 - 86 ppm |
| Manganese | .8 mg | 20 - 22 ppm |
| Selenium | 0.27 - 0.30 | -- |
| Zinc | 2.8-6.12 mg | 30 - 32 ppm |
| also contains traces of Silicon, Aluminum, Bismuth (Obregon) | ||
| Sterols | ||
| Brassicasterol | - | 9.1% |
| Campesterol | - | 27.3% |
| Ergostandienol | - | 4.5% |
| Ergosterol | - | 13.6% |
| Sitosterol | - | 45.5% |
| Fatty Acids | ||
| Saturated | - | 40.1% |
| Unsaturated | - | 52.7% |
| C12-0-Dodecanoic (lauric) | - | 0.8% |
| C13-1-7-Tridecenoic | - | 0.3% |
| Amino Acids | ||
| -- measurements here reflect _mg per 1.0 g protein -- | ||
| Alanine | 63.1 mg | - |
| Arginine | 99.4 mg | - |
| Aspartic Acid | 91.7 mg | - |
| Glutamic Acid | 156.5 mg | - |
| Histidine | 21.9 mg | - |
| Isoleucine | 47.4 mg | - |
| Glycine | 68.3 mg | - |
| Leucine | 91.0 mg | - |
| Lysine | 54.5 mg | - |
| Methionine | 28.0 mg | - |
| OH-Proline | 26.0 mg | - |
| Proline | 0.5 mg | - |
| Sarcosine | 0.7 mg | - |
| Serine | 50.4 mg | - |
| Threonine | 33.1 mg | - |
| Tyronsine | 30.6 mg | - |
| Phenylalanine | 55.3 mg | - |
| Valine | 79.3 mg | - |
