Maca: Botanical Medicine from the Andes.
Maca (Lepidium meyenii, Walp) (Brassicaceae) is a biennial herbaceous plant widely
dispersed on high plateaus (altitudes between 4000 and 4500 masl) of the mountains in Peru,
particularly in Junin. The underground part of the plant, the tuber, is the main product used
for human consumption because of its nutritional value and phytochemical content. Maca
presents three major phenotypes, yellow, red and black based on their hypocotyl and stem coloration (Figure 1). Andean people use maca as boiled or roasted food, in soups, or to prepare
drinks, salads, jams, bread, coffee, substitutes, and even beer.
Maca is rich in sugars, starch, protein (13-16%), glucosinolates and essential minerals, such as iron and iodine. Maca also contains other compounds such as fatty acids (linoleic, palmitic, and oleic acid mainly), aminoacids (lysine and arginine), many microelements, tannins and saponins. An important component of maca is a mixture of alkaloids known as macaines 1,2,3 and 4 and alkamides (macamides), including alcamide 1 to 5.
Maca contains several compounds but their specific biological activity and mechanisms of action have not been fully elucidated as yet. Given the maca’s compounds potential as anticarcinogenic, antioxidant, performance exercise enhancer among other benefits such as its positive effects on fertility and sexual dysfunction, this plant needs much more intense examination in the future that include human studies. Particularly, continued studies related to glucosinolates in cruciferous vegetables, mainly maca will create more confidence in people whose tendency of healthy eating habits is incessantly growing.
Adv Food Technol Nutr Sci Open J. 2015; 1(2):e1-e6. doi: 10.17140/AFTNSOJ-1-e001
