“Say Yes to Maca for More Mojo!”
by Joanna L Steven
Many of us love the South American root vegetable Maca for its malty flavor in shakes, its complementary taste to raw chocolate, and its ability to repair our adrenal glands after too much stress or caffeine intake. But what few people know is that maca is an extraordinary food for enhancing fertility in women, increasing sperm count in men, and balancing hormones.
In women, Maca is thought to regulate cycles and cause an earlier than usual LH surge, the surge of hormones which triggers ovulation after an average of 24 hours. For this reason, women with very long or irregular cycle can benefit from taking a teaspoon of maca every day at any point during their cycle and might even prefer this natural alternative to invasive procedures or pharmaceutical drugs with bothersome side effects.
In men, Maca is thought to significantly increase sperm count and has been found to do so in studies on rats. According to Ray Sahelian, M.D., “treatment [of 9 men over a 4 month period] with maca resulted in increased seminal volume, sperm count per ejaculation, and sperm motility, which would indicate positive effects on fertility.”
While it may surprise some, even published studies on the benefits of Maca can easily be found.
A study from the Department of Urology in Forli, Italy, has found that after treating 50 men suffering of erectile dysfunction with Maca, those who took maca versus the placebo group did experience better sexual health. “Only Maca-treated patients experienced a significant improvement in physical and social performance-related SAT-P score compared with the baseline (+7 +/- 6 and +7 +/- 6, both P < 0.05). In conclusion, our data support a small but significant effect of Maca supplementation on subjective perception of general and sexual well-being in adult patients with mild ED.”
A study at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston found that “Maca root may alleviate SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction(…). Maca may also have a beneficial effect on libido.”
And a study from the Biomedical Sciences Department in Modena, Italy, found that oral administration of Maca “significantly improved sexual performance parameters in male rats.”
For best results, Maca should be eaten daily. Some people have found that they do not like its taste, and find it very hard to get enough of it without using pills. I personally love to add Maca to my fruit shakes, to my chocolates and to my nut milk blends. My husband and I use Maca to reduce the harmful effects of every day stress, but while I love its taste, my husband does not. Because of this, whenever I make a shake, I hide about 2 teaspoons of maca in it and my husband cannot even notice it is there. If your shake is flavorful enough, Maca will go unnoticed.
Also, try blending 2 parts strawberries with 1 part bananas in a little water, and boost the smoothie with 1 T Maca and 2 T hemp seeds. Or, try blending bananas in Brazil nut milk (rich in selenium for a healthy prostate) with 2 T cacao and 1 T maca, and enjoy phenomenal energy levels!
As with every food (especially many superfoods), it is recommended to take regular “breaks” from Maca. If you are using it to regulate your cycle, you can stop using it for a few days after your ovulation has taken place.