Maca Dosage Peruvian root information 500 mg, 1000 mg, review of benefits and risks
Maca is a root-like vegetable shaped like a radish that grows high in the harsh climate of the Andes Mountains in South America at elevations up to 15,000 feet. For more than two millennia, native Peruvians have used maca as food and medicine, to promote endurance and improve sexual interest and fertility. The right maca dosage depends on many factors including age, weight, whether it is a maca powder or maca extract, and each person's sensitivity to herbs. In most cases, a maca dosage of 500 mg or the root powder is sufficient.
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Maca aphrodisiac
Feeding high dosages of maca extracts to normal male mice tripled the frequency
with which they coupled with female mice. It also reduced by half the time that rats with
erectile dysfunction needed between successive couplings.
Another study with rats indicates
that maca feeding prevented high altitude disruption in sperm formation.
Additional research indicates feeding maca to rats decreases the size of their
prostate gland.
A human study confirms the rodent findings. Researchers at the
Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, in Lima, Peru, performed a 12-week double blind,
placebo-controlled, randomized trial in which active treatment with different doses of
maca was compared with placebo. Men aged 21-56 years received 3 g of maca. An improvement
in sexual desire was observed with maca at 8 weeks of treatment. Serum testosterone and
estradiol levels were not different in men treated with maca than in those treated with
placebo. Maca has been tested in fertility issues.
Maca for sperm health
Another study was designed to determine the effect of a 4-month
oral treatment with tablets of maca on seminal analysis in adult normal men aged 24-44
years old. Nine men received tablets of maca (1500 or 3000 mg/day) for 4 months. Serum
luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone, prolactin, testosterone and estradiol
levels were measured before and after treatment. Treatment with maca resulted in increased
seminal volume, sperm count per ejaculation, and sperm motility. Serum hormone levels were
not altered.
How does maca work?
Maca contains sterols, uridine, malic acid, macamides, and glucosinolates. Oil
components include phenyl acetonitrile and benzaldehyde. Many of the compounds in maca
have an effect on the central nervous system. The mechanism of action of maca is presently
not well understood, but probably seems to be independent of a hormonal effect since studies show maca does not influence blood levels of hormones, for instance testosterone.
Most people who take maca notice more
energy.
Menopause
Hi, I was at your website looking for side effects on maca when I noticed
someone asking whether maca works for menopause. I have hot flashes and really
bad night sweats, to the point where I would wake up a lot during the night. I
heard about maca and started taking it. The first week I took 6 - 500mg capsules
a day the first week. The second week I took 3 a day. By the middle of the
second week all my symptoms were gone. Not just alleviated, but actually gone. I
couldn't have been happier. My mood swings and depression were gone too! By the
end of the second week, I developed a bad case of diarrhea that lasted for two
weeks. I stopped taking the maca at the onset of the diarrhea. I waited about
two weeks before I tried the maca again. This time I started with 3 capsules
right after I ate. About an hour later I felt very nauseous and threw up. I felt
better right away. I'm going to try again in a few days to see if I'm having a
reaction from the maca or if it was some kind of fluke.
Effect of Maca on spermatogenesis in male
rats acutely exposed to high altitude (4340 m).
Gonzales Universidad Peruana
Cayetano Heredia, PO Box 1843, Lima, Peru.
J Endocrinol. 2004 Jan;180(1):87-95.
Maca is a Peruvian hypocotyl that grows exclusively between 4000 and 4500 m in the central Andes.
Maca is traditionally employed in the Andean region for its supposed
fertility-enhancing properties. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis
that Maca can prevent high altitude-induced testicular disturbances. Adult male
rats were exposed for 21 days to an altitude of 4340 m and treated with vehicle
or aqueous extract of Maca (666.6 mg/day). The lengths of the stages of the
seminiferous epithelium and epididymal sperm counts were obtained at 0, 7, 14
and 21 days of exposure. The stages of the seminiferous tubules were assessed by
transillumination. A dose-response study was also performed at sea level to
determine the effect of Maca given to male rats at doses of 0, 6.6, 66.6 and
666.6 mg/day for 7 days on body weight, seminiferous tubule stages and
epididymal sperm count. The length of stage VIII and the epididymal sperm count
were increased in a dose-dependent manner in Maca-treated rats but treatment
reduced the length of stage I. At the highest dose, sperm count increased 1.58
times, the length of stage VIII increased 2.4 times and the length of stage I
was reduced 0.48 times compared with the value at dose 0. Exposure to high
altitude resulted in a reduction in epididymal sperm count after 7 days and
lower values were maintained up to 21 days. Altitude reduced spermiation (stage
VIII) to half and the onset of spermatogenesis (stages IX-XI) to a quarter on
days 7 and 14 but treatment with Maca (666 mg/day) prevented these changes.
Data on transillumination and epididymal sperm count in the Maca-treated group
exposed to high altitude were similar to those obtained at sea level. Maca
increased the sperm count on day 21 of exposure to high altitude to values
similar to those obtained in the Maca-treated group at sea level. Furthermore,
in the Maca treated group exposed for 21 days to high altitude, epididymal sperm
count was higher than in the non-treated group at sea level sperm). In
conclusion, treatment of rats with Maca at high altitude prevented high
altitude-induced spermatogenic disruption.
Effect of Lepidium meyenii (Maca), a root with aphrodisiac
and fertility-enhancing properties, on serum reproductive hormone levels in
adult healthy men.
Gonzales GF, peruvian maca, maca history,
maca root, maca information .Universidad Peruana
Cayetano Heredia, PO 1843, Lima, Peru.
Endocrinol. 2003 Jan;176(1):163-8.
Lepidium meyenii Maca is a Peruvian hypocotyl that grows exclusively between
4000 and 4500 m in the central Andes. Maca is traditionally employed in the
Andean region for its supposed aphrodisiac and/or fertility-enhancing
properties. This study was a 12-week double-blind, placebo-controlled,
randomized, parallel trial in which active treatment with different doses of
Maca Gelatinizada was compared with a placebo. The study aimed to test the
hypothesis that Maca has no effect on serum reproductive hormone levels in
apparently healthy men when administered in doses used for aphrodisiac and/or
fertility-enhancing properties. Men aged between 21 and 56 Years received 1500
mg or 3000 mg Maca. Serum levels of luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating
hormone, prolactin, 17-alpha hydroxyprogesterone, testosterone and 17-beta
estradiol were measured before and at 2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks of treatment with
placebo or Maca (1.5 g or 3.0 g per day). Data showed that compared with placebo
Maca had no effect on any of the hormones studied nor did the hormones show any
changes over time. Multiple regression analysis showed that serum testosterone
levels were not affected by treatment with Maca at any of the times studied (P,
not significant). In conclusion, treatment with Maca does not affect serum
reproductive hormone levels.
Maca Products
There are many maca products on the market including Maca Power, Maca Man by GNC,
Full Spectrum Maca extract by
Planetary Formulas, Royal Maca, Maca Gold, Maca Max, Maca Pure, etc.
Maca questions
Q. Can you tell me about MacaActive? It says on a website: MacaActive is a 100%
natural herbal supplement which can alleviate the most common health disorders
related to hormonal imbalance in both women and men. For women, MacaActive
relieves menopause symptoms, reduced libido, infertility, energy loss; for men,
MacaActive improves sexual functioning, erectile response, reduced libido,
energy loss, among others. It is all about hormones; it is all about having them
in balance, so it is all about MacaActive supplements! " They also claim that
maca is good for hormone balance.
A. We don't see any indication that MacaActive is any different or
better than a regular maca supplement. As far as maca and hormone balance, this
is a term used by laypeople who do not understand the complexity of hormones in
the body. Hormone balance has no good definition and different dosages of an
herb can have different effects on hormones, so we are not sure what they mean
regarding the use of maca and hormone balance.
Q. Do you have a review of
maca man GNC?
A. Maca Man by GNC has maca, yohimbe, arginine and ginkgo. These are all
herbs that can work for sexual enhancement, therefore it appears to be a good
product but yohimbe side effects can occur.
Q. Is herbal maca an aphrodisiac?
A. Yes, in some people, herbal maca has aphrodisiac properties.
Q. I just bought a product called Femmenessence
for post menopausal women. It is maca-go. What I would like to know, is it all
right to take it if your taking blood pressure medicine? The recommended dose on
their box is to take two twice a day, morning and evening. It shows they are
1000mg. Maca sounds great for many things and by what I've read, it can help me
in many other ways too, but I worry about the blood pressure meds.
A. We are not familiar with this Femmenessence product and do not
know the quality or potency of the herbs or herbal extracts in it.
Q. Is maca 750 mg too much?
A. A range of maca dosage 500 mg to 750 mg or 1000 mg seems fine.
Q. Can a woman use maca?
A. Yes, both a man and woman can use this herb.
Q. Can maca be eaten raw?
A. Good question, we are not 100 percent sure if it is eaten raw,
but our understanding is that native people cook maca before eating it.
Q. Where can I get maca
wholesale?
A. Try Physician
Formulas, they carry maca wholesale.
Q.
Maca peruana - is it an enhancer for sex?
A. Yes, maca is a sex enhancer, but it takes a few days to best
notice the effects.
Q. How is Imperial gold maca
different than other herbal maca?
A. In order to make their product different for marketing purposes,
many companies create good sounding names to charge more for their herbal
product. Almost all maca products on the market are, for practical purposes,
similar.
Q. Do you know of a maca organic bar? What about gelatinized?
A. We have not heard of maca organic bar or gelatinized maca yet.
Q. My gentleman friend who is 67 years old asked me to research an herbal
product for his erectile dysfunction problem. He understands he should not take
Viagra since he has high blood pressure and is on verapamil medication and an
aspirin daily. The verapamil is taken to slow down his heart beat. These are the
only medications he is on. He wants reassurances that the maca root would be ok
to take on occasion for the erectile dysfunction while he is on these
medications. Once we hear from you that it is OK we will want to place the order
right away.
A. We can only provide general info on herbs and we can't give
specific advice or assurances. Verapamil is known by the brand names Isoptin,
Verelan, and Calan.
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