Home > Anti-aging Research > Maca

Maca (Lepidium meyenii)

Specific Recommendations:

• Maca extract at Amazon.com
• Maca products at iHerb

News & Research:

• Natural Sex Boosters Gaining Ground - WebMD, 5/5/04
• Herbs Dr. Ruth Should Know - Natural Foods Merchandiser, 11/01
• Tropical Remedies - Natural Foods Merchandiser, 5/00

Abstracts:

• Use of Tribulus terrestris and Lepidium meyenii extract in rats: reproductive, biochemical and body parameters - Andrologia 2021 Dec 28 - "It is concluded that the association of T. terrestris and L. meyenii has positive effects on serum testosterone, sperm concentration and epididymal morphology, with no evidence of effects in the testis, liver, spleen and kidneys" - See Tribulus terrestris at Amazon.com and Maca extract at Amazon.com.
• Glucosinolate-Enriched Fractions from Maca ( Lepidium meyenii) Exert Myrosinase-Dependent Cytotoxic Effects against HepG2/C3A and HT29 Tumor Cell Lines - Nutr Cancer 2021 Jul 20 - "The consumption of glucosinolate (GL)-rich foods, including Brassica vegetables, such as mustard, broccoli, and maca, is associated with decreased risk of developing cancer. The GL content in maca, which is recognized as a "superfood", is approximately 100-times higher than that in other brassicas. Although maca is a potential dietary source of GLs, limited studies have examined the bioactivity of maca GLs using the combination of chemical characterization and bioassays ... These results suggest that the anticancer properties of maca can be attributed to GLs and corroborate the categorization of maca as a "superfood."" - See maca extract at Amazon.com.
• Maca Root ( Lepidium meyenii) Extract Increases the Expression of MMP-1 and Stimulates Migration of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells - Nutr Cancer 2021 Feb 9 - "triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) ... maca may be dangerous due to the upregulation in MMP-1 expression and the increase in TNBC migrated cells"
• Inflammatory pathway employed by Red Maca to treat induced benign prostatic hyperplasia in rats - Andrologia. 2020 Jan 28 - "The Peruvian plant known as Red Maca (RM) (Lepidium meyenii) inhibits BPH in rats and mice. The aim of the study was to assess the inflammatory effect of RM and finasteride in rats with testosterone enanthate (TE)-induced BPH. Thirty rats were divided into 5 groups: Control, TE (50 mg/rat), TE + F (0.6 mg/kg), and two groups of TE + RM 40/80 (40 or 80 mg). After treatments, tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFa), interleukin 4 (IL4) and interferon gamma (INFg) as well as testosterone and oestradiol were evaluated and inflammatory cells (neutrophils, mast cells and lymphocytes) in prostate were quantified. Red Maca and finasteride treatments decreased inflammatory cells counts in prostate, inhibiting TNFa by different pathways. Finasteride increased IL4 whereas Red Maca increased INFg. In conclusion, data suggest that finasteride acts on Th2 response by increasing IL4 in prostate, while Red Maca acts on Th1 response mediated by INFg" - See Red Maca (RM) (Lepidium meyenii) at Amazon.com.
• The Effects of Lepidium Meyenii on Grip Strength, Fatigue, and Sexual Behavior - J of Exec and Nutri, 3/19 - "Males in the treatment group showed significant improvements over the placebo group in fatigue (mean±SD: -3.3 ± 3.9 vs. 1.3 ± 6.2), handgrip (4.6 ± 7.5 vs. -0.4 ± 5.4), and sexual behavior (3.83 ± 4.3 vs. 0.7 ± 2.1). Conclusions: Maca supplementation may lessen fatigue, improve strength, and enhance sexual functioning in otherwise healthy men" - [Nutra USA] - See maca extract at Amazon.com.
• Long-term feeding of hydroalcoholic extract powder of Lepidium meyenii (maca) enhances the steroidogenic ability of Leydig cells to alleviate its decline with ageing in male rats - Andrologia. 2017 Mar 10 - "Overall testosterone production by cultured Leydig cells decreased to about a half from 35 to 48 weeks of age. These results suggest that feeding the maca extract for a long time to male rats may enhance the steroidogenic ability of Leydig cells to alleviate its decline with ageing, whereas it may cause only a transient increase in blood testosterone concentration in sexually maturing male rats"