Forty years of extensive research has been undertaken of Maca's nutritional and medicinal values (Obreg—n. 1998), confirming the traditional claims of Maca's health benefits. Maca's high nutritional value comes from the fact that it contains about 59% carbohydrates, 14% proteins, 9% fiber and 2% lipids among other components.
Large number of essential amino acids: such as alanine, arginine, aspartic, aspartime, glutamine, glycine, histidine, OH-proline, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, proline, sarcosine, serine, threonine, tyrosine, and valine. (19 out of 20 Amino Acids)
20 Fatty Acids: laric, myristic, palmitic, palmitoleic, linoleic, arachidic, steric, behanic, nervonic, oleic, lignoceric, tridecanoic, 7-tridecanoic, perntadecanoic, 7-pentadecanoic, heptadecanoic, 9-heptadecanoic, nonadecanoic, 11-nonadecanoic, and 15-eicosenoic.
Minerals: calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc
Vitamins: Thiamine (B1), Riboflavin (B2), B3, B12 and high in Vitamins A, C, D and E; isothiocyanate, p-methoxybenzyl, isothiocyanate, and I-ecdysone along with saponins, tannins, carbohydrates, protein, and benzyl, makes the Maca plant one of the most powerful medicinal plants on earth (Garró, 1972 and Deni A., et al, 1994).
The major importance of Maca, however, comes from the combination of its nutritional elements with other components giving heightened nutritional and medicinal effects. Thus:
1) 4 alkaloids named macaina 1, 2, 3 and 4 have been detected, which stimulate the reproductive system of both sexes (Chac—n, 1962; Garr—, Le—n, and Julca, 1993); it is considered that the alkaloids in Maca activate the calcitonine hormone that regulates calcium and phosphorus metabolism and activates the parathonnone involved with same metabolism
2) The high presence of the amino-acids lysine and arginine in Maca has an effect on the female and male fertility respectively; arginine constitutes 80% of male reproductive cells, thus, Maca could solve problems related to deficiency of these amino acids, leading to lack of sexual desire and supporting male and female fertility
3) Among its components are certain sterols, (Espinoza and Poma, 1995): Brassycosterol, Ergosterol, Carnpesterol, delta 7.22 Ergostadienol, and specially Sitosterol (Dini A. et al, 1994). Balancing of menopause and an increase in female fertility are attributed to Maca sterols and lysine
4) Glucosinolates have been found, specially benzyl isotiocyanate (Johns, 1980); this author finds that worldwide, plants with glucosinolates, like Maca, are consumed because of their action on reproductive hormonal processes
5) Fructose, a monosaccharide sugar with 173.3 degree of sweetness, superior to glucose, is present; fructose is recommended for combating athletes' fatigue; fructose is a sugar utilized by seminal plasma to give energy to spermatozoids.
Nutritional Profile of Maca
TABLE 1. Composition of Maca
Components
|
% |
| Water |
10.4 |
| Proteins |
10.2 |
| Lipids |
2.2 |
| Hydrolyzable carbohydrates |
59.0 |
| Whole fiber |
8.5 |
| Ash |
4.9 |
Source: Table taken from: D. Deni, G. Migliuolo, L. Rastrelli, P. Saturnino, O. Schettino, ¿Chemical Composition of Lepidium meyeniiî, in Food Chemistry 49, USA1994; and Garr‹, Virginia, Macro y micro elementos de la Maca, Mimeo, Lima, 1999.
TABLE 2. Vitamins
Vitamins
|
mg |
| B1 Thiamine |
0.20 |
| B2 Riboflavin |
0.35 |
| C |
10.00 |
| E |
87.00 |
Source: B1 and B2 from Chac‹n, Gloria,
La importancia deLepidiumPeruvianum (Maca) en la alimentaci‹n , y salud del ser humano, Lima, 1997; C and E from Garr‹ Virginia, Op.Cit (1999).
TABLE 3. Amino Acids
| Amino acids |
mg concentration/g protein |
| Aspartic acid |
91.7 |
| Glutanic acid |
156. 5 |
| Serine |
50.4 |
| Histidine |
21.9 |
| Glycine |
68.3 |
| Threonine |
33.1 |
| Cystine |
n/d |
| Alanie |
63.1 |
| Arginine |
99.4 |
| Tyrosine |
30.6 |
| Phenylalanine |
55.3 |
| Valine |
79.3 |
| Methionine |
28.0 |
| Isoleucine |
47.4 |
| Leucine |
91.0 |
| Lysine |
54.3 |
| Tryptophan |
n/d |
| H.O. Proline |
26.0 |
| Proline |
0.5 |
| Sarcosine |
0.7 |
Source: data taken from D. Din , O Migliolo, L. Ratrelli, P. Saturnino, O. Schettino, ¿Chemical Composition of
Lepidium meyeniiî in
Food Chemistry, 49, USA, 1994,
TABLE 4. Sterols (as steryl acetate derivatives)
Sterol
|
% of Sterol mixture
|
Retention time (min.)
|
Brassicasteryl acetate
|
9.1
|
22.4
|
Ergosteryl acetate
|
13.6
|
23.8
|
Campesteryl acetate
|
27.3
|
25.0
|
Ergostadientyl acetate
|
4.5
|
27.5
|
Sitosteryl acetate
|
45.5
|
19.5
|
Source: table taken from A. Dini, G. Migliuolo and others, Op. cit. 1994.
TABLE 5. Fatty Acids (as methyl ester derivatives)
| Fatty acids |
% of methylester mixture |
| Dodecanoic (lauric) |
0.8 |
| 7-tridecenoic |
0.3 |
| Tridecanoic |
0.1 |
| Tetradecanoic (myristic0 |
1.4 |
| 7-pentadecenoic |
0.5 |
| Pentadecanoic |
1.1 |
| 9-esadecenoic (palmitolete) |
2.7 |
| Esadecanoic (palmitic) |
23.8 |
| 9-heptadecenoic |
1.5 |
| Heptadecanoic |
1.8 |
| 9,12 octadecadienoic (linoliec) |
12.6 |
| 9-octadecenoic (oleic) |
11.1 |
| Octadecanoic (stearic) |
6.7 |
| 11- nonadecanoic |
1.3 |
| Nonadecanoic |
0.4 |
| 15-eicosenoic |
2.3 |
| Eicosanoic (archidie) |
1.6 |
| Docosanoic (behenic) |
2.0 |
| 15 tetracosenoic (nervonic) |
0.4 |
| Tetracosanic (lignoceric) |
0.4 |
| Fatty acid saturated (%) |
40.1 |
| Unsaturated (%) |
52.7 |
| Saturated/unsaturated ratio |
0.76 |
Source: data from A. Dini, G. Migliuolo, L. Rastrelli, other, Op. Cit, (1994)
TABLE 6. Minerals (mg/100g)
| Minerals |
mg/100g |
| Fe Ferric=Iron |
16.6 |
| Mn Manganese |
0.8 |
| Cu Copper |
5.9 |
| Zn Zinc |
3.8 |
| Na Sodium |
18.7 |
| K Potassium |
2,050.0 |
| Ca Calcium |
150.0 |
Source: data from A. Dini, G. Migliuolo and others Op. cit, (1994)
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*Maca Live™ is not recommended for women on birth control.
We cannot guarantee that you will not get pregnant.
**If you are on Thyroid medication check with your doctor after being on maca for a few months. It has been know to stimulate the thyroid to work and you may need to lower your medication. It can be dangerous if you have too much thyroid medication in your system.
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