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Lepidium Peruvianum known to the layman as Maca, has changed countless
lives and it can do the same for you. This fact has been confirmed by thousands of satisfied users. Maca
has been scientifically proved to be an adaptogen, a true super food. The chemical analysis of maca root has
revealed 8 minerals and a full array of vitamins. Its greatest contribution is the occurrence of its 6 sterols,
(natural steroiods) and an assortment of proteins containing a total of 19 amino acids, eight of which are essential.
Maca also contains saponins and a few carbohydrates. The amino acids are listed below, as well as information
about saponins. Also included is a full explanation of the effects of an adaptogen and the roll they play in providing
you with optimum health.
Asparic
Acid: 91.7, Glutamine: 156.5 Serine: 50.4 Histidine:20.9 Glycine: 68.3 Threonine: 33.1 Alanine: 63.1 Arginine: 99.4 Tyrosine:
30.6 Phenylalanine: 55.3 Valine: 79.3 Methionine: 2gram8.0 Isoleucine: 47.4 Leucine: 91.0 Lysine: 54.5 OH-proline: 26 Proline:
0.5 Sarcosine: 0.7 (Dini, 1994) computation based on one gram of Lepidium Peruvianum (Maca).
Triterpenoid saponins have been the focus of most studies of adaptogen constituents. Saponins include ginsenoside from Panax ginseng, gypenosides from Gynostemma and eleutherosides from Eleutherococcus. The lipophilic properties of ginsenosides, for instance, favor
binding to intracellular steroid hormone receptors. Triterpenes also include phytosterols and phytoecdysteroids, both of which
are thought to have adaptogenic roles in mammals. Phytosterols have been studied more in food science than phytotherapy but
are known to have immune function. Phytoecdysteroids are in common use by athletes and weight lifters for the anabolic effects they produce.
Rhaponticum carthamoides is notable for these compounds. Oxylipins are fatty acids that have been oxidized and display prostaglandin-like activity
due to a shape similar to leukotrienes. Examples are the hydroxylated fatty acids in licorice, Glycyrrhiza glabra.
In addition to the above constituents, many adaptogens contain
polysaccharides that have been reported to stimulate immune system components and have immune system
enhancing benefits. Polysaccharide rich plants have a long history of use in traditional practices such as Chinese medicine.
In addition to stimulating the immune system, they are used to increase vital energy and considered qi tonics.
Adaptogens
that contain polysaccharides include: American ginseng, Asian ginseng, astragalus, cordyceps, eleuthero, licorice, lycium,
prince seng, reishi, rhaponticum, and shatavari.
Maca is an adaptogen which means that it is a
superfood. Adaptogens maintain homeostasis, they assist in maintaining a balance of the hormonal system
and offer support to the immune system as well, as the following quote explains:
"(A)daptogens... are products that help the body adapt through a broad range of physical and emotional
stressors, and are considered safe for long term use... (They)... have the effect of normalizing functions.
If a level
is too high, it is lowered, or if it is too low, it is raised...; (therefore) restoring the body’s natural state of
homeostasis or harmonic balance (Dr. Keneth Pelletier, Stanford University School of Medicine, 2000)." Adaptogen: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaThe word adaptogen is
used by herbalists to refer to a natural herb product that increases the body's resistance
to stresses such as trauma, anxiety and bodily fatigue. In the past they have been called rejuvenating herbs, qi tonics, rasayanas,
or restoratives. All adaptogens contain antioxidants, but antioxidants are not necessarily adaptogens and that is probably
not their primary mode of action.[1] Knowledge about adaptogens dates back
thousands of years to ancient India and China, but serious scientific study did not begin until the late 1940s. In 1947, Dr.
Nikolai Lazarev defined an adaptogen as an agent that allows the body to counter adverse
physical, chemical, or biological stressors by raising nonspecific resistance toward such stress, thus allowing the organism
to “adapt” to the stressful circumstances..[1] In 1968, Israel I. Brekhman , PhD, and Dr. I. V. Dardymov formally gave adaptogens a functional definition,
as follows: An adaptogen is nontoxic to the recipient. - An adaptogen produces a nonspecific response in the body—an increase in the power of resistance
against multiple stressors including physical, chemical, or biological agents.
- An adaptogen has a normalizing influence on physiology, irrespective of the direction of change from physiological
norms caused by the stressor.
Very simply, adaptogens are
nontoxic in normal doses, produce a nonspecific defensive response to stress, and have a normalizing influence on the body.
They normalize the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis). As defined, adaptogens constitute a new class of natural, homeostatic
metabolic regulators. It is claimed that adaptogenic herbs
are unique from other substances in their ability to balance endocrine hormones and the immune system, and they help the body
to maintain optimal homeostasis. [1] Adaptogens have a normalizing effect on the body and are capable of either toning down the activity of hyperfunctioning
systems or strengthening the activity of hypofunctioning systems. However they are also functional at the level of allostasis which is a more dynamic reaction to long term stress, lacking the fixed reference
points of homeostasis.
Adaptogenic Herbs Most herbal adaptogens that have been identified have long been used in either Ayurveda or Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Adaptogens with a significant level of scientific research [1][3] confirming their use include: Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), Cordyceps (Cordyceps sinensis), Dang Shen (Codonopsis pilosula), Eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus), Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum), Ginseng (Panax ginseng), Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia), Jiaogulan (Gynostemma pentaphyllum), Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), Maca (Lepidium meyenii), Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), Rhaponticum (Rhaponticum carthamoides or Stemmacantha carthamoides), Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea), Schisandra (Schisandra chinensis), Chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) [4] [5] and Shilajit (Ashphaltum bitumen). Possible adaptogens with less scientific research include: Amla (Emblica officinalis), Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus), He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum), Lycium (Lycium chinensis), Prince Seng (Pseudostellaria heterophylla), Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus) and Suma (Pfaffia paniculata).
Panax ginseng is an example of an adaptogen that has demonstrated an "overall normalizing effect." Among the active
ingredients found in Panax Ginseng are substances called ginsenosides. The herb contains ginsenosides Rg1, which can stimulate
the nervous system, and ginsenosides Rb1, which calms it. However ginsenosides alone do not determine the active strength
of ginseng and some preparations with higher ginsenosides have lower activity, indicating that cofactors are necessary to
potentiate the adaptogenic properties of ginseng.
Since
the 1940's, the soil in North America has been depleted of it's natural minerals by the use of artificial fertilizers,
created from the surplus nitrogen formally used in the manufacturing of bombs in WWII. This chemical nitrogen has
been used to replace the natural occurring microbial activity. These chemicals and the use of toxic pesticide sprays may be responsible
for the increase in desease as well as the lowered standard of health that has swept the USA in the
past 70 years.
Maca is
grown naturally in the Peruvian Andes without the use of toxic fertilizers or pesticides. Maca also contains nineteen amino
acids to provide your body with the protein required to launch you into better health quickly and with no side effects.
If you are seeking an increase in stamina as well as in increase in metabolism, or seeking a natural suplement to increase
libido, Maca may be for you. Maca can give you the natural nutrition that you require to restore balance to the endocrine
system as well as to provide a greater boost in immunity.
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