Maca: benefits, dosage, contraindications
Other name(s)
Ayuk willku, Ayak chicira, Maca maca, maka, maino,
Scientific name(s)
Lepidium meyenii
Family or group:
Plants
Indications
Scoring methodology
EFSA approval.
Sexual disorders ✪✪✪✪✪
Maca is used in Peru as a sexual stimulant, energizer, and nutritional food. Due to the lack of large randomized controlled trials testing maca's effects on sexual function, it is difficult to draw definitive conclusions about its efficacy; however, the available evidence is promising and supported by animal and human research. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial involving 57 healthy men aged 21 to 56, testing doses of 1.5 and 3 g of maca per day, concluded that maca improves sexual desire in men by 40% to 42.2% over 8 to 12 weeks. Another double-blind clinical trial of 50 men with mild erectile dysfunction, using 2400 mg of dried maca for 12 weeks, concluded that there was a small but significant effect of maca supplementation on the subjective perception of general and sexual well-being. A recent study was conducted on men around 65 years old who were experiencing symptoms associated with decreased function of male sex hormones, a phenomenon often encountered with aging known as late-onset hypogonadism. This study found that consuming 1.66 g three times a day for 12 weeks could improve symptoms related to physical, sexual, and psychological health. However, it is important to note that despite these improvements, maca had no significant effect on testosterone levels compared to placebo. On the other hand, maca root may help relieve sexual dysfunction induced by selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). A small trial of 10 patients with recurrent depression showed an improvement in sexual dysfunction and libido when taking 3 g/day for 12 weeks.
Posologie
By mouth: root
1.5 - 4 g
12 - weeks
Efficacy and Safety of Maca ( Lepidium meyenii) in Patients with Symptoms of Late-Onset Hypogonadism: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial
Subjective effects of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) extract on well-being and sexual performances in patients with mild erectile dysfunction: a randomized, double-blind clinical trial
Traditional plant aphrodisiacs and male sexual dysfunction
Maca (L. meyenii) for improving sexual function: a systematic review
Effect of Lepidium meyenii (MACA) on sexual desire and its absent relationship with serum testosterone levels in adult healthy men
Menopause ✪✪✪✪✪
Maca has been used to reduce menopausal symptoms as an adjunct to hormone replacement therapy. Two randomized controlled trials support the use of maca to relieve several menopausal symptoms. A multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial in women with early menopause taking maca at 2 g/day resulted in a significant reduction in menopausal symptoms over the 8 weeks of the trial. A second randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 14 postmenopausal women showed that treatment with Maca at a dose of 3.5 g/day for 6 weeks significantly reduced psychological symptoms, including anxiety and depression, as well as sexual dysfunction, compared with placebo.
Posologie
By mouth: root
2 - 3.5 g
8 - weeks
Beneficial effects of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) on psychological symptoms and measures of sexual dysfunction in postmenopausal women are not related to estrogen or androgen content
Benign prostatic hyperplasia ✪✪✪✪✪
In a preclinical study, aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts of red maca reduced prostate size but not yellow or black maca. It is noteworthy that serum testosterone and estradiol levels did not change with all types of maca evaluated; however, red maca prevented a testosterone treatment-induced increase in prostate weight. rnrn
Posologie
Oral: root
1.5 - 3 g
Male fertility disorders ✪✪✪✪✪
Research using animal models is promising and suggests an improvement in spermatogenesis. Peruvian researchers have shown that maca helps mitigate altitude-related effects on the fertility of sheep and guinea pigs through actions on the female and male reproductive systems.rnrnPreliminary clinical research shows that taking a maca product at 1.5 to 3 g per day for 4 months increases semen volume, sperm count, and sperm motility in healthy men aged 22 to 44 years.rnrnIn patients with reduced sperm motility and/or low sperm counts, taking 2 g of maca per day for 12 weeks increases sperm concentration but does not affect semen volume, motility, or sperm morphology compared with placebo.rnrnHowever, a recent meta-analysis of two small clinical trials in infertile men shows that taking 2 to 2.8 g of maca daily for 12 to 16 weeks does not improve sperm concentration compared with placebo.rnrnAt this stage, the quality of the studies and their heterogeneity do not allow a definitive conclusion to be drawn.rnrn
Posologie
Oral: root
1.5 - 3 g
12 weeks
Properties
Fertility effect
Traditionally, maca has been used to improve the fertility of livestock living at high altitude, and also as an aphrodisiac for men and women. Lipid extracts of macaene and macamide appear to increase sexual activity and correct erectile dysfunction in laboratory animals. Also in animal models, maca increases spermatogenesis and sperm count, as well as testicular weight. However, when different types of maca are compared in rats, only the black variety appears to improve spermatogenesis. Studies in men and mice suggest an aphrodisiac action whose underlying mechanism has not been fully elucidated. Recent research has explored maca's impact on hormone levels in men. Interestingly, these studies suggest that maca does not significantly alter serum concentrations of several key hormones in healthy men or in those with fertility problems. In healthy men, maca consumption does not appear to affect levels of testosterone, estradiol, or 17-hydroxyprogesterone. Similarly, in men suffering from various fertility-related conditions, such as oligospermia, asthenozoospermia, teratozoospermia, or azoospermia, a daily intake of yellow maca for 16 weeks did not show a notable effect on luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, prolactin, estradiol, or testosterone levels.
Usages associés
Hexanic Maca extract improves rat sexual performance more effectively than methanolic and chloroformic Maca extracts
Effect of a lipidic extract from lepidium meyenii on sexual behavior in mice and rats
Evaluation of the effect of Lepidium meyenii Walpers in infertile patients: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Effect of short-term and long-term treatments with three ecotypes of Lepidium meyenii (MACA) on spermatogenesis in rats
Lepidium meyenii Walp. improves sexual behavior in male rats independent of its effect on spontaneous locomotor activity
Neurological
Black maca has a neuroprotective effect in an animal model of memory disorders induced by scopolamine (an atropine-type parasympatholytic). The activity may have been due to polyphenols, quercetin, and anthocyanins. In vitro studies have demonstrated potential neuroprotective properties in a dose-dependent manner.rnrn
Adaptogen
Maca is often cited for its ability to mitigate the effects of stress, which could be due to its ability to prevent an increase in corticosterone, a key hormone in the stress response.rnrnSeveral researchers have suggested that maca may stimulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, thereby improving the body's overall resilience to a variety of harmful stimuli and stressful situations. rnrnHowever, it is important to note that the exact mechanisms by which maca would act on this axis remain unclear to date and are still under investigation.rnrn
Usages associés
Bone density
Maca increases bone density in ovariectomized rats and acts in a different way than hormone replacement therapy. The effect of maca was more pronounced in regions rich in trabecular (spongy) bone than in those rich in cortical bone. The exact mechanisms regulating the endocrine system are not clear. Some researchers suggest that the effect is not due to phytoestrogens or plant hormones, but to maca alkaloids that act on the hypothalamic-pituitary axis.
Antioxidant
Maca is recognized for its antioxidant properties, having the ability to neutralize free radicals and protect cells against oxidative stress. In vitro studies have shown that maca's antioxidant activity plays a crucial role in the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), essential for maintaining the balance between oxidants and antioxidants in the body. Moreover, research on cultured muscle cells designed to simulate oxidative damage resulting from physical exercise has demonstrated that maca extract can attenuate oxidative effects. It acts by preserving dehydrogenase activity and maintaining mitochondrial function in skeletal muscles. These findings are supported by animal model studies, where pretreatment with maca extract before intense exercise showed a reduction in muscle damage caused by oxidative stress, by decreasing levels of reactive oxygen species in the blood and muscles.
Safe dosage
Adult: 1.5 g - 3 g
In general, the dosage is 1.5 to 3 g/day for 6 to 12 weeks. Regarding toxicity, studies have shown safety of use at 7.5 g/kg (in rats) and 15 g/kg (in mice), suggesting that maca is safe at high doses.rnrn
Precautions
Pregnant women: avoid
Avoid use due to insufficient information.
Breastfeeding woman: avoid
Avoid use due to insufficient information.
