Maca is a cruciferous plant native to South America, originally from high-altitude mountain areas in the Andes, and is now cultivated in central and southern Peru, as well as in Yunnan and Xinjiang in China. The most common use of Maca is for kidney tonifying, yang fortifying, lung nourishing, and body fluid promoting. So what are the specific benefits, effects, and contraindications of Maca? Let's take a look together.
Anti-Fatigue
Maca contains high levels of iron, protein, amino acids, zinc, and other nutrients, which can effectively enhance the immune system, improve anemia, and fight fatigue.
Improving Sexual Function
Maca contains macamide and macaene, which have significant effects on improving sexual function. In addition, the starch component in Maca can enhance erectile function. Therefore, Maca has significant auxiliary therapeutic effects on improving sexual dysfunction, reducing sperm count in men, poor sperm vitality, decreased fertility in both men and women, irregular menstruation in women, breast hyperplasia, breast atrophy, and alleviating symptoms of menopause.
Improving Sleep
Maca contains various active ingredients that have a significant regulatory effect on the nervous system, making it an effective complementary treatment for insomnia.
Improving Blood Circulation
The amino acids and minerals in Maca can regulate the normal functions of various organs in the body. Linoleic acid in Maca combines with cholesterol in the body to form esters, which are easy to transport cholesterol to tissues outside the blood vessels, reduce cholesterol deposition in blood vessels, and promote the conversion of cholesterol into bile acids for excretion. Therefore, Maca can help regulate blood pressure, lower blood lipids, and enhance heart function.
Enhancing Brain Nutrition
The sugars in Maca are the only nutrients for the brain and nervous system. Consuming Maca can benefit the brain, making it clear and agile, improving work efficiency, promoting learning progress in students, maintaining memory capacity in middle-aged and elderly people, and keeping the mind clear and thoughts clear.
Relieving Anxiety
Maca can effectively improve anxiety caused by stress and neurosis. In Peru, Maca is used as a natural herb to relieve stress and eliminate anxiety. Additionally, Maca is also a good product for improving symptoms of insomnia and excessive dreaming.
Precautions for Consuming Maca
Recommended for:
1. Menopausal women
Menopause is a syndrome characterized by autonomic nervous system dysfunction and accompanied by neuro-psychological symptoms caused by hormonal fluctuations or decreases before and after menopause in women. The nutrients in Maca can help nourish the blood, regulate endocrine functions, and effectively alleviate the above symptoms in menopausal women.
2. People with physical fatigue
The abundant iron, protein, amino acids, minerals like zinc, and taurine in Maca can relieve physical fatigue, enhance physical and mental energy, and more.
3. People with sexual dysfunction
The macaene and macamide in Maca can enhance the activity of reproductive cells and improve the success rate of conception in people with sexual dysfunction.
Not recommended for:
1. Infants and young children
The unique components of macaene and macamide in Maca have the effect of regulating hormones, enhancing sexual desire, and sexual performance, which are not suitable for infants and young children to consume.
2. Breastfeeding women
Maca can enhance sexual desire, and whether the nutrients in Maca will have an impact on the composition of breast milk in breastfeeding mothers has not been formally studied. For safety reasons, it is not recommended for breastfeeding women to consume Maca.
3. Pregnant women
Maca can enhance sexual desire and sexual performance, which is not conducive to maintaining pregnancy. Additionally, it has not been clinically proven that the nutrients in Maca will not have a negative impact on the fetus. Therefore, it is not recommended for pregnant women to consume Maca.
4. People with thyroid disease
Maca contains a compound called glucosinolates, and since there is always some iodine intake in the diet, glucosinolates can combine with iodine, which may cause thyroid enlargement. This can have a series of effects on people with thyroid disease.
5. Minors
Minors are in a developmental stage when their bodies are growing. It is recommended to eat a variety of nutrient-rich vegetables and fruits. However, Maca can enhance sexual function in the body, which may promote early sexual maturation in minors. Therefore, it is not recommended for minors to consume Maca.
6. People with heatiness constitution
Maca can easily cause heatiness in the body, which may worsen symptoms of heatiness in people with a heatiness constitution and hinder their recovery.
Pregnant women:
Pregnant women should not consume Maca. Maca can enhance sexual desire and sexual performance, which is not conducive to maintaining pregnancy. Additionally, although there is no clinical evidence that the nutrients in Maca will not have a negative impact on the fetus, it is recommended for pregnant women to avoid consuming Maca for safety reasons.
Infants:
Infants and young children should not consume Maca. Although Maca is a natural food that can quickly replenish energy and improve sleep, it contains macaene and macamide, which regulate hormones and enhance sexual desire and sexual performance, making it unsuitable for infants and young children to consume.
Raw consumption:
Maca + goji berries: kidney tonifying and yang fortifying.
Dosage:
No special restrictions. Please follow the guidance of a healthcare professional.
