Maca root: health benefits & uses

04/02/20221 min read

If you're looking for a food that can help with menopause symptoms while also lifting your libido, maca root might be exactly what you need. Here's all you need to know about maca, including its other health benefits.

Summary

1What is maca?

Maca – often sold as maca root or maca powder – is also known as Peruvian ginseng. Used for centuries in the Andes to help improve stamina and...

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2Tackle the menopause

Menopause often arrives with a number of uncomfortable symptoms such as: hot flushes, insomnia, vaginal dryness, anxiety...

Jump to details below

3Lift libido

Maca root is well known for its positive effect on libido and sexual health...

Jump to details below

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What is maca?
What can maca help?
Tackle the menopause
Lift libido
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Hormonal Health

Suffering from night sweats or hot flushes? Maybe your libido needs a boost? More and more of us swear by taking maca.

When the menopause hits, it can trigger a hormonal rollercoaster. Around 80% of women experience menopausal symptoms¹ including night sweats, hot flushes, joint pain and anxiety.

Our libido can also be affected when we get older, in both men and women. But a traditional remedy could help: maca.

Handpicked content: 11 natural remedies to ease menopausal symptoms

What is maca?

Maca – often sold as maca root or maca powder – is also known as Peruvian ginseng. It has been used for centuries in the Andes to help improve stamina and fertility.²

The plant is part of the brassica family, like broccoli, and is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, and active plant compounds called glucosinolates.³

Scientists are just beginning to discover how maca benefits our health, but the evidence already points to its positive effect on our hormones.

What can maca help?

Read on for the top benefits of maca, and what it can help with...

Tackle the menopause

Menopause often arrives with a number of uncomfortable symptoms such as:

Hot flushes
Insomnia
Vaginal dryness
Anxiety

A review of studies carried out by Korean researchers in 2011 concluded that maca had ‘favourable effects’ on menopausal symptoms, but that larger studies were needed.⁴

An earlier study published in the journal Menopause in 2008 found 3.5g of maca taken every day for six weeks could help relieve the anxiety and low mood associated with menopause.

It could also improve sexual desire.⁵

Lift libido

Maca root is well known for its positive effect on libido and sexual health.

In 2002, researchers from the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Peru reported that men taking at least 1,500mg of maca per day for 12 weeks had increased sexual desire after just eight weeks.⁶

A clinical review of four studies with over 130 subjects, published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine in 2010, also found there was evidence that maca could boost libido in both men and women.⁷

Sources

NHS Choices. Menopause – symptoms. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause/symptoms/
Gonzales GF. Ethnobiology and Ethnopharmacology of Lepidium meyenii (Maca), a Plant from the Peruvian Highlands. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3184420/
Gonzales GF. Ethnobiology and Ethnopharmacology of Lepidium meyenii (Maca), a Plant from the Peruvian Highlands. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3184420/
Lee MS, et al. Maca (Lepidium meyenii) for treatment of menopausal symptoms: A systematic review. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21840656
Brooks NA, et al. 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. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18784609
Gonzales GF, et al. Effect of Lepidium meyenii (MACA) on sexual desire and its absent relationship with serum testosterone levels in adult healthy men. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12472620
Shin BC, et al. Maca (L. meyenii) for improving sexual function: a systematic review. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20691074

Disclaimer

The advice in this article is for information only and should not replace medical care. Please check with your GP or healthcare professional before trying any supplements, treatments or remedies. Food supplements must not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.