Organic Maca Powder

Maca is a plant cultivated high in the Andes at altitudes from 8,000 to 14,500 feet.

Maca is mostly found in an inhospitable region of strong sunlight, violent winds, and below-freezing weather. It has one of the highest frost tolerances among many species. This plant

was used about 2000 years ago by the Incas, and cultivation of maca has been found on archeological sites dating back to around 1600 B.C.

Native Peruvians have consumed maca since pre-Incan times for both nutritional and medicinal purposes. Maca contains a higher nutritional value than many of the other crops traditionally grown there. It is rich in sugars, protein, starches, and essential nutrients.

This unique plant is also referred to as Peruvian ginseng (even though maca is not considered part of the ginseng family). In Peruvian herbal medicine, maca is traditionally used as an immunostimulant. It is often used in cases of anemia, tuberculosis, menstrual disorders, menopause, and infertility, as well as to support cognitive activity. Maca has been used for many centuries in the Andes to promote fertility in humans and animals.

Maca root’s nutritional value is high, containing 60 to 75 percent complex carbohydrates, 10 to 14 percent protein, 8.5 percent fiber, and 22 percent lipids. The protein content of maca exists mainly in the form of polypeptides and amino acids, including significant amounts of arginine, serine, histidine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glycine, valine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, and threonine. Maca also contains about 250 mg of calcium, 2 grams of potassium, and 15 mg of iron in 100 grams of dried root, along with plenty of fatty acids, including linolenic, palmitic, and oleic acids. In addition to its rich supply of vitamins and minerals, maca root contains sterols, alkaloids, tannins, and saponins.