What Is Maca?
Over the past decade, the supplement industry has experienced monumental and exponential growth. People are stepping outside the proverbial pharmaceutical umbrella to seek out alternative remedies for their health problems. One of those substances is called maca.
History
Maca has actually been around for thousands of years. It was first cultivated in Peru and Peru is still the biggest supplier. The Incan Indian Tribe as well as the Spanish Royalty used to use maca for energy and nutrition. But after a while, the novelty wore off and maca retreated to just a handful of Peruvian communities. After scientists spent some time inspecting botanicals in Peru in the 60s and again in the 80s, maca then came back to prominence. Maca is now being sought after by everyone from athletes to the elderly to everyone in between for its reputation as a medicinal powerhouse.
Identification
Maca is actually a root. It is a distant cousin to the radish and it has the same appearance. Maca is filled to the skin with amino acids, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and proteins.
Features
One of the main features of maca is the amazing amount of vitamins and minerals it contains. It has more calcium than milk, it is loaded with fiber from cellulose and lignans, it contains over 20 fatty acids--the healthy fats--and it has a wealth of iron. If that's not good enough, it also has a generous amount of Vitamin C, B1 and B2.
Another thing about maca is it is an adaptogen. This is something that raises a body's weakness and brings it back to a normal level with no . In other words, it is said to give a feeling of euphoria.
Benefits
There have been many known benefits of taking maca. One of the primary reasons women take it is for its ability to regulate hormone levels and its positive effects on the endocrine system. In addition to this, it has also been known to increase energy, increase libido, enhance cognitive skills and brain function, improve athletic performance, speed recoveries, reduce anxiety and speed wound healing.
Potential
With so many people suffering from stress related issues, depression, chronic fatigue and brain fog these days, the possibilities of maca being a household item are wide open. This also goes hand in hand with the fact that a lot of people searching for alternatives to prescription drugs that may have harmful side effects. To date, maca has been shown to be side effect free.
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