Viridian Organic Maca 60 Capsules

What is Organic Maca?

Organic Maca (Lepidium Meyenii) from south america sometimes referred to as ‘Peruvian Ginseng’, is a radish-like root vegetable native to Peru. The root grows in the mountains of Peru at high altitudes of 4000 to 4500 meters, making it one of the highest altitude growing plants in the world. The local population in the Peruvian Andes have used organic Maca root traditionally for energy and stamina.

Organic Maca root contains significant amounts of amino acids, carbohydrates, and minerals including calcium, phosphorous, zinc, magnesium, iron, as well as vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C and Vitamin E and is often referred to as a superfood. It is also rich in fibre and contains significant levels of protein and essential fatty acids.

Organic Maca root has been described as an adaptogen, increasing the body’s ability to defend itself against physical and mental stressors, and improve immune systems, cognitive development and lots of potential benefits.

Maca naturally occurs in different colours including black, red and yellow. Some experimental research has suggested that the colour of the maca influences the phytochemical characteristics of the root and may have an impact on its actions. However, the type of maca consumed traditionally and used in human clinical research is a ‘mixed blend,’ which incorporates all these colours.

There has been suggestion that cooking maca influence the phytonutrient profile (positively and/ or negatively) however arguments that attempt to support this notion refer to other vegetables including broccoli, sweet potato and tomatoes, but not maca. Thus, how cooking affects maca is not known. Traditionally maca is dried to be stored and in turn becomes very hard thus Peruvians traditionally boil maca in order for it to be edible. The human clinical studies to date have used raw, mixed blend, dried maca root typically taken in a capsule at a dose of 1500-3000 mg daily.

Potential health benefits of MACA Extract

– Maca is traditionally prized a nutritionally dense food and is used as a nutritional tonic from childhood. A study in people who traditionally consume maca as a food in this way in the Peruvian central Andes (over 4000 meters altitude) found that maca consumption is associated with higher score in health status, lower rate of fractures, and lower mountain sickness. In addition, maca consumption was associated with lower body weight, inflammation and blood pressure.

Maca helps with female libido (sex drive).

Maca has been shown to act as a natural aphrodisiac and mood enhancer, without having any effect on hormones. In postmenopausal women 3500 mg per day of maca for 6-weeks was shown to reduce psychological symptoms, including anxiety and depression, and lowers measures of sexual dysfunction independent of estrogenic and androgenic activity.

A common side effect of the anti-depressant drugs, selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is sexual dysfunction, including loss of libido. In women with SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction 3000 mg per day of maca was able to significantly improve depressive symptoms as well as libido.

MACA FOR MALE SEXUAL HEALTH

A clinical study of men suffering from erectile dysfunction showed modest but important improvements in erectile function and sexual health after 12- weeks of supplementation with 2400 mg of maca, compared to placebo. Erectile dysfunction has been found to affect up to 52% of the male population.

Maca has also been shown to improve sperm volume, count and motility. In a preliminary study a dose of 1500 or 3000 mg of maca per day significantly increased seminal volume, sperm count and sperm motility without modification in sexual hormones serum level. This effect was further supported by two subsequent follow-up studies, both 3-months in duration and utilizing the same dose of 1500-3000 mg per day.

Maca improves Fertility

Maca is traditionally used to enhance male and female fertility and while there is no direct evidence in the scientific literature, maca has been shown to increase sperm health in men, and experimental studies suggest maca may improve fertility in women as well. Maca has been shown not to influence testosterone or oestrogen levels, but alternative explanations for its traditional use to enhance fertility include nutritional and anti-oxidant effects that may improve sperm quality in men. And maca may enhance luteinizing hormone, which plays an important role in fertility, in women.

Maca helps with menopause

In menopausal women the use of maca has been shown to favorably improve hormonal profiles and reduce menopausal symptoms. A study exploring the use of maca (2000 mg daily for 4-months) as an alternative treatment to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for menopausal symptoms found favorable improvements in hormonal profiles, a reduction in symptoms and improvements in blood pressure, body weight, triglycerides and cholesterol levels. This was again confirmed in a study showing reduced frequency and severity of menopausal symptoms (hot flushes and night sweating in particular) with the study investigators concluding that maca is an “attractive non-hormonal addition to the choices available to early-postmenopausal women in the form of a natural plant alternative to HRT - hence, reducing dependence on hormone therapy programs.

 Maca gives you ENERGY 

Traditionally maca has been used to help improve energy levels and reduce fatigue. In one study, involving a group of male cyclists, supplementation with 2000 mg of maca per day for 14-days helped to improve subjective energy levels when compared to placebo. In this study maca also improved ratings of sexual desire and cycling performance as measured by 40 km cycling time.

Daily dose of maca

Take one to three capsules daily with food.

Potential benefits of Maca

Fatigue, libido, sexual dysfunction, erectile dysfunction, menopause, hot flushes, night sweats, fertility,

low sperm count and motility.

Contraindications/ Adverse Effects of Maca

None known.

Interactions and adverse side effects of Maca

None known.

Vegan, Organic, Veg Caps

Certified organic, high-potency, full-spectrum Maca (Lepidium meyenii), an Andean plant prized for centuries due to its unique nutritional properties.

Take one to two capsules, twice daily with food or as recommended by a healthcare practitioner.

One capsule contains:

Organic Peruvian Maca root extract