Maca is a plant with great potential as an adaptogen and appears to be promising as a nutraceutical in the prevention of several diseases.

Maca has been used for centuries in the Andes for nutrition and to enhance fertility in humans and animals A complete description of the composition of dry maca shows 10.2% proteins, 59% carbohydrates, 2.2% lipids, and 8.5% of fibre. Free fatty acids are also present in maca, the most abundant being linoleic, palmitic, and oleic acids. Saturated fatty acids represent 40.1% whereas unsaturated fatty acids are present at 52.7%. Maca contains amino acids (mg/g protein) like leucine (91.0mg), arginine (99.4mg), phenylalanine (55.3mg), lysine (54.3mg), glycin (68.30mg), alanine (63.1mg), valine (79.3mg), isoleucine (47.4mg), glutamic acid (156.5mg), serine (50.4mg), and aspartic acid (91.7mg). Other amino acids present but in less proportion are histidine (21.9mg), threonine (33.1mg), tyrosine (30.6mg), methionine (28.0mg), hydroxyproline (26mg), proline (0.5mg), and sarcosine (0.70mg). Minerals reportedly found in maca were iron (16.6mg/100 g dry matter), calcium (150mg/100g dry matter), copper (5.9mg/100g dry matter), zinc (3.8mg/100g dry matter), and potassium (2050mg/100g dry matter). Maca has been found to increase sperm count and sperm motility. Different evidences suggest that maca, particularly black maca, improves learning and memory. Scientific evidences suggest that maca may be an energizer.

Loredana Cerroni

Dental Materials and Prosthetic Technologies 

University of Rome "Tor Vergata"

Head of the Education Master's degree in Natural Medicine

G. F. Gonzales. Ethnobiology and Ethnopharmacology of Lepidium meyenii (Maca), a Plant from the Peruvian Highlands Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012.