Lepidium meyenii, Maca

Peruvian Ginseng

Lepidium meyenii
(Photo by Vahe Martirosyan) (Wikimedia)

Maca root at the Chengdu Medicine Market (Adam, 2018)

Botanical name:
Lepidium meyenii (syn. L. peruvianum)

Parts used:
Root

Temperature & Taste:
Warm, moist. Sweet

Uses:
1. Warms and Strengthens the Kidneys:
-Aphrodisiac; increases Sperm
-Impotence
-Infertility (in men and women)
-useful for Menopause (loss of libido, flushing, low energy etc.)

2. Strengthens Spleen, Increases Qi:
-fatigue, Anemia
-Stress, Depression associated with deficiency

Dose:
Maca is eaten as a food in South America.
Powder: 1–3 grams (up to 5 grams), twice daily
Decoction: 4–12 grams

Substitute:
Maca is regarded as having similar effects (though weaker) to Ginseng; Ginseng or Codonopsis may be a suitable substitutes for Maca.

Main Combinations:
1. As an Aphrodisiac, Impotence:
i. Maca, Chinese Chive seed (or Leek seed)
ii. Maca, Epimedium Yin Yang Huo, Mucuna
iii. Maca, Withania, Tribulus,
iv. Maca, Yohimbine, Ginseng
v. Maca, Damiana, Saw Palmetto
2. Female Infertility:
i. Maca, Dang Gui, Asparagus Shatavari
3. Fatigue, Debility:
i. Maca, Withania, Licorice
ii. Maca, Ginseng, Atractylodes Bai Zhu, Citrus Chen Pi

Major Formulas:

Cautions:
None noted

Main Preparations used:

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• Extra Info
  
• Research

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1. GENERAL:
-[Chemical constituents of Lepidium meyenii].
-Chemical composition and health effects of maca (Lepidium meyenii).
-[Study on Chemical Constituents of Fat-soluble Extraction from Lepidium meyenii].
-[Research and application progress of Lepidium meyenii（maca）
-Composition analysis and antioxidant activity of essential oils, lipids and polysaccharides in different phenotypes of Lepidium meyenii.
-Aqueous Extract of Black Maca Prevents Metabolism Disorder via Regulating the Glycolysis/Gluconeogenesis-TCA Cycle and PPARα Signaling Activation in Golden Hamsters Fed a High-Fat, High-Fructose Diet.
-Maca polysaccharides: A review of compositions, isolation, therapeutics and prospects.
-[Recent researching progress of Lepidium meyenii (Maca)].

2. ANTI-INFLAMMATORY:
-Lepidium meyenii Walp Exhibits Anti-Inflammatory Activity against ConA-Induced Acute Hepatitis

3. ANTI-OXIDANT:
-Structure characterization of one polysaccharide from Lepidium meyenii Walp., and its antioxidant activity and protective effect against H2O2-induced injury RAW264.7 cells.
-Composition analysis and antioxidant activity of essential oils, lipids and polysaccharides in different phenotypes of Lepidium meyenii.
-Antioxidant and neuroprotector effect of Lepidium meyenii (maca) methanol leaf extract against 6-hydroxy dopamine (6-OHDA)-induced toxicity in PC12 cells.

4. ANALGESIC:
-Effects of a water extract of Lepidium meyenii root in different models of persistent pain in rats.

5. ANTI-VIRAL:
-(Influenza)-Antiviral activity of maca (Lepidium meyenii) against human influenza virus.

6. ANTI-FATIGUE:
-Structure analysis and anti-fatigue activity of a polysaccharide from Lepidium meyenii Walp.
-Structural Characterization and Antifatigue Effect In Vivo of Maca (Lepidium meyenii Walp) Polysaccharide.
-Anti-fatigue activity of polysaccharide fractions from Lepidium meyenii Walp. (maca).
-Effects of macamides on endurance capacity and anti-fatigue property in prolonged swimming mice.

7. SEXUAL FUNCTION:
-Effects of combined extracts of Lepidium meyenii and Allium tuberosum Rottl. on erectile dysfunction.
-Beyond tribulus (Tribulus terrestris L.): The effects of phytotherapics on testosterone, sperm and prostate parameters.
-Effect of phytoestrogens on sexual function in menopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
-Herbal Dietary Supplements for Erectile Dysfunction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
-Effect of Lepidium meyenii (maca) on testicular function of mice with chemically and physically induced subfertility.

8. REPRODUCTION/SPERMOGENESIS:
-Chemical Analysis of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) and Its Effects on Redox Status and on Reproductive Biology in Stallions
-Effect of Lepidium meyenii on in vitro fertilization via improvement in acrosome reaction and motility of mouse and human sperm.
-Influences of dietary supplementation with Lepidium meyenii (Maca) on stallion sperm production and on preservation of sperm quality during storage at 5 °C.
-Aqueous extract of yellow maca (Lepidium meyenii) improves sperm count in experimental animals but response depends on hypocotyl size, pH and routes of administration.
-Is the hype around the reproductive health claims of maca (Lepidium meyenii Walp.) justified?
-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.

-Feeding hydroalcoholic extract powder of Lepidium meyenii (maca) enhances testicular gene expression of 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in rats.
-Effect of butanolic fraction of yellow and black maca (Lepidium meyenii) on the sperm count of adult mice.
-The use of maca (Lepidium meyenii) to improve semen quality: A systematic review.
-Effect of Lepidium meyenii Walp. on Semen Parameters and Serum Hormone Levels in Healthy Adult Men: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study.
-Feeding hydroalcoholic extract powder of Lepidium meyenii (maca) increases serum testosterone concentration and enhances steroidogenic ability of Leydig cells in male rats.

9. MENOPAUSE:
-Effect of phytoestrogens on sexual function in menopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
-Effect of ethanolic extract of Lepidium meyenii Walp on serum hormone levels in ovariectomized rats.

10. PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA:
-Protective Effects of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) Aqueous Extract and Lycopene on Testosterone Propionate-Induced Prostatic Hyperplasia in Mice.

11. IMMUNOMODULATORY:
-Physicochemical and functional properties of a protein isolate from maca (Lepidium meyenii) and the secondary structure and immunomodulatory activity of its major protein component.
-Isolation, purification, structural characterization and immunostimulatory activity of water-soluble polysaccharides from Lepidium meyenii.
-Structural Characterization and Immunomodulatory Activity of a Novel Polysaccharide from Lepidium meyenii.

12. ANTI-CANCER:
-Flavonolignans and other constituents from Lepidium meyenii with activities in anti-inflammation and human cancer cell lines.

13. HEPATOPROTECTIVE:
-Protective effect of polysaccharide from maca (Lepidium meyenii) on Hep-G2 cells and alcoholic liver oxidative injury in mice.

14. ALTITUDE SICKNESS:
-Identification and characterization of microRNAs and their targets in high-altitude stress-adaptive plant maca (Lepidium meyenii Walp).

15. NEUROPROTECTIVE:
-Neuroprotective activity of macamides on manganese-induced mitochondrial disruption in U-87 MG glioblastoma cells.
-Antioxidant and neuroprotector effect of Lepidium meyenii (maca) methanol leaf extract against 6-hydroxy dopamine (6-OHDA)-induced toxicity in PC12 cells.

16. DEPRESSION:
-Maca reduces blood pressure and depression, in a pilot study in postmenopausal women.
-Antidepressant-like behavioral, anatomical, and biochemical effects of petroleum ether extract from maca (Lepidium meyenii) in mice exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress.

17. COGNITIVE FUNCTION:
-Preservation of Cognitive Function by Lepidium meyenii (Maca) Is Associated with Improvement of Mitochondrial Activity and Upregulation of Autophagy-Related Proteins in Middle-Aged Mouse Cortex.

18. PARKINSON'S DISEASE:
-Forestalling the Epidemics of Parkinson's Disease Through Plant-Based Remedies.

19. PROMOTES HEALING:
-Red Maca (Lepidium meyenii), a Plant from the Peruvian Highlands, Promotes Skin Wound Healing at Sea Level and at High Altitude in Adult Male Mice.