Maca (Lepidium meyenii) is a herbaceous biennial plant or annual plant grown at altitudes from approximately 12,500-14,500 feet in the Andes in Peru. It is used as a root vegetable and its Spanish and Quechua names include maca-maca, maino, ayak chichira, and ayak willku. Botanically, maca is related to the turnip and radish. The edible part of the radish is known as a "hypocotyl"; maca is the only member of its genus with a fleshy hypocotyl. Its hypocotyl is roughly 10-15 cm long and 3-5 cm long in each plant. The plant spreads entirely by seeds which germinate within 5 days, given good conditions, and have no dormancy. Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms (as opposed to folk taxonomy). ... Divisions Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta - liverworts Anthocerotophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongues Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering plants Adiantum pedatum (a fern... Classes Magnoliopsida- Dicots Liliopsida- Monocots The flowering plants (also called angiosperms) are a major group of land plants. ... Young castor oil plant showing its prominent two embryonic leaves (cotyledons), that differ from the adult leaves An example of a trimerous and non-eudicot flower: Magnolia Dicotyledons or dicots are a group of flowering plants whose seed typically contains two embryonic leaves or cotyledons. ... Families See text The Brassicales are an order of flowering plants, belonging to the rosid group of dicotyledons. ... Genera See text. ... Lepidium is a genus of plants of the family Brassicaceae with at least seven members including Cress and Pepperweed. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... This article is about the plants used in cooking and medicine. ... Look up Biennial in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Biennial is a term referring to a period of two years, much in the same way centennial refers to 100 years. ... An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers and dies in one year. ... The Andes between Chile and Argentina The Andes form the longest mountain chain in the world. ... Root vegetables are underground plant parts used as vegetables. ... Quechua (Standard Quechua, Runasimi Language of People) is an Native American language of South America. ... Turnip can refer to three vegetables, which are described under the articles Turnip (brassica rapa), Rutabaga, and Jicama. ... Binomial name Raphanus sativus L. bunch of radishes The radish is a root vegetable of the Brassicaceae family. ... In a botanical sense, germination is the process of emergence of growth from a resting stage. ...

Maca grows well only in very cold climates with relatively poor soil. Though it has been cultivated outside the Andes it is not yet clear that it has the same constituents or potency when this is done. Hypocotyls do not form in greenhouses or in warm climates.

For approximately 2000 years maca has been an important traditional food and medicinal plant in its growing region. It is regarded as a highly nutritious food and as a medicine that enhances strength and endurance and acts as an aphrodisiac. During Spanish colonization maca was used as currency. An aphrodisiac is an agent which acts on the mind and causes the arousal of the mood of sexual desire. ...

Uses and preparation

The nutritional value of dried maca root is high, similar to cereal grains such as rice and wheat. It contains 60% carbohydrates, 10% protein, 8.5% dietary fiber, and 2.2% fats. Maca is rich in essential minerals, especially selenium, calcium, magnesium, and iron, and includes fatty acids including linolenic, palmitic and oleic acids, and polysaccharides. Maca's reported beneficial effects for sexual function could be due to its high concentration of proteins and vital nutrients. The updated USDA food pyramid, published in 2005, is a general nutrition guide for recommended food consumption. ... This article is about grains in general. ... Species Oryza glaberrima Oryza sativa Rice refers to two species (Oryza sativa and Oryza glaberrima) of grass, native to tropical and subtropical southeastern Asia and to Africa, which together provide more than one fifth of the calories consumed by humans[1]. Rice is an annual plant, growing to 1-1. ... Species T. boeoticum T. compactum T. dicoccoides T. dicoccon T. durum T. monococcum T. spelta T. sphaerococcum References:   ITIS 42236 2002-09-22 Wheat (Triticum spp. ... Carbohydrates are chemical compounds that contain oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon atoms. ... A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin, showing coloured alpha helices. ... Dietary fibers are the indigestible portion of plant foods that move food through the digestive system and absorb water. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... SE redirects here. ... General Name, Symbol, Number calcium, Ca, 20 Chemical series alkaline earth metals Group, Period, Block 2, 4, s Appearance silvery white Atomic mass 40. ... General Name, Symbol, Number magnesium, Mg, 12 Chemical series alkaline earth metals Group, Period, Block 2, 3, s Appearance silvery white Atomic mass 24. ... General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Atomic mass 55. ...

Small-scale clinical trials performed in men have shown that maca extracts can heighten libido and improve semen quality. Larger studies are needed to confirm these preliminary results. In particular, studies on men with sexual dysfunction and known infertility are needed. None of the studies conducted so far show any effect of maca on sex hormone levels. No toxicity has been reported. Libido in its common usage means sexual desire, however more technical definitions, such as found in the work of Carl Jung, are more general, referring to libido as the free creative, or psychic, energy an individual has to put toward personal development, or individuation. ... Semen is a fluid that contains spermatozoa. ... Sexual problems, also called sexual dysfunction or sexual malfunction, are defined as difficulty during any stage of the sexual act (which includes desire, arousal, orgasm, and resolution) that prevents the individual or couple from enjoying sexual activity. ... Infertility is the inability to naturally conceive a child or the inability to carry a pregnancy to term. ... A hormone (from Greek horman - to set in motion) is a chemical messenger from one cell (or group of cells) to another. ...

Traditionally, maca has been used to enhance fertility in people and animals, for libido, energy and other medicinal purposes.

Maca is consumed in several ways in Peru. Pit-roasted maca hypocotyl is the most common preparation and is called matia. A thick, sweet decoction of maca is made by boiling it in water for several hours (necessary given the altitude). Dried maca roots are also commonly mixed with milk to form a porridge. It is frequently mixed with other vegetables, grains, or potatoes or made into flour for baking. A weak beer made from fermented maca is known as chica de maca. Maca smoothies, made by pureeing maca with water or milk, honey, cinnamon, and fruit are also gaining popularity (Ed Smith). A selection of bottled beers A selection of cask beers Beer is the worlds oldest and most popular alcoholic beverage. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

References

• Brinkmann, Josef, and Smith, Ed. Photoessay. Maca Culture of the Jenin Plateau. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Volume 10, Number 3, 2004

• Gonzales GF, Cordova A, Gonzales C, Chung A, Vega K, Villena A. Lepidium meyenii (maca) improved semen parameters in adult men. Asian J Androl 2001;3(4):301-3.

• Gonzales GF, Cordova A, Vega K, et al. Effect of Lepidium meyenii (maca) on sexual desire and its absent relationship with serum testosterone levels in adult healthy men. Andrologia 2002;34(6):367-72.

• Gonzales GF, Cordova A, Vega K, et al. Effect of Lepidium meyenii (maca), a root with aphrodisiac and fertility-enhancing properties, on serum reproductive hormone levels in adult healthy men. J Endocrinol 2003;176(1):163-8.

• Smith E. Maca root: Modern rediscovery of an ancient Andean fertility food. J Amer Herbalists Guild. 2003;4(2):15-21.

• Valentova K, Ulrichova J. Smallanthus sonchifolius and Lepidium meyenii - prospective Andean crops for the prevention of chronic diseases. Biomed Pap Med Fac Univ Palacky Olomouc Czech Repub. 2003 Dec;147(2):119-30.

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