Maca is a root vegetable that is only found growing high up in the mountain ranges of the Peruvian Andes. This superfood has found stardom in the USA over the past 5 years or so in a supplement form of a ground down powder. The incredible nutritional profile of maca has helped a variety of people with the many health benefits it can provide, especially concerning improvements of physical energy levels, sexual health and glandular/hormonal functions.
One study that was conducted by the School of Psychology and Sports Sciences, Northumbria University, UK discovered that maca supplementation had a profound effect upon the performance levels of male cyclists. In this experiment the cyclists were divided into two groups and given maca supplementation everyday for 14 days (although the study doesn’t state the dosage) or a placebo. The cyclists were timed to see how quickly they could perform a 40km trial, once at the beginning and once at the end of the 14 days. The results were astoundingly different. For those cyclists who were given the maca supplementation their performance increased significantly after the 14 days compared to basically no improvements in those cyclists who were given the placebo!
In the very same study the cyclists also completed psychological evaluations to measure if there was any changes in their sex drive also. The results mimicked that of the cycling time trials. Those cyclists who were given the maca supplements reported a major increase in their libido while the placebo group reported no differences!
Besides the scientific evidence so far there are many people who have given testament to how maca has helped improve their daily energy levels and helped improve their sex drive. Some menopausal women have also found maca to be a very effective natural remedy to help them through the hormonal changes that occur during the menopause. Typically estrogen levels will drop during the menopause accompanied by less interest in sex, but maca can help to keep estrogen levels more balanced and help maintain more balanced sexual interest.