Forty years of extensive
research has been undertaken of Maca's nutritional
and medicinal values (Obreg—n. 1998),
confirming the traditional claims of Maca's
health benefits. Maca's high nutritional
value comes from the fact that it contains
about 59% carbohydrates, 14% proteins, 9%
fiber and 2% lipids among other components.
Large
number of essential amino acids:
such as alanine, arginine, aspartic, aspartime,
glutamine, glycine, histidine, OH-proline,
isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine,
phenylalanine, proline, sarcosine, serine,
threonine, tyrosine, and valine. (19 out
of 20 Amino Acids)
20
Fatty Acids: laric, myristic, palmitic,
palmitoleic, linoleic, arachidic, steric,
behanic, nervonic, oleic, lignoceric, tridecanoic,
7-tridecanoic, perntadecanoic, 7-pentadecanoic,
heptadecanoic, 9-heptadecanoic, nonadecanoic,
11-nonadecanoic, and 15-eicosenoic.
Minerals:
calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus,
potassium and zinc
Vitamins:
Thiamine (B1), Riboflavin (B2), B3, B12
and high in Vitamins A, C, D and E; isothiocyanate,
p-methoxybenzyl, isothiocyanate, and I-ecdysone
along with saponins, tannins, carbohydrates,
protein, and benzyl, makes the Maca plant
one of the most powerful medicinal plants
on earth (Garró, 1972
and Deni A., et al, 1994).
The
major importance of Maca, however, comes
from the combination of its nutritional
elements with other components giving heightened
nutritional and medicinal effects. Thus:
1) 4 alkaloids named macaina 1, 2, 3 and
4 have been detected, which
stimulate the reproductive system of both
sexes (Chac—n,
1962; Garr—, Le—n, and Julca,
1993); it is considered that the alkaloids
in Maca activate the calcitonine hormone
that regulates calcium and phosphorus metabolism
and activates the parathonnone involved
with same metabolism
2) The high presence of the
amino-acids lysine and arginine in Maca
has an effect on the female and
male fertility respectively; arginine
constitutes 80% of male reproductive cells,
thus, Maca could solve problems related
to deficiency of these amino acids, leading
to lack of sexual desire and supporting
male and female fertility
3) Among its components are
certain sterols, (Espinoza and Poma, 1995):
Brassycosterol, Ergosterol, Carnpesterol,
delta 7.22 Ergostadienol, and specially
Sitosterol (Dini A. et al, 1994). Balancing
of menopause and an increase in female fertility
are attributed to Maca sterols and lysine
4) Glucosinolates have been
found, specially benzyl isotiocyanate (Johns,
1980); this author finds that worldwide,
plants with glucosinolates, like Maca, are
consumed because of their action on reproductive
hormonal processes
5) Fructose, a monosaccharide
sugar with 173.3 degree of sweetness, superior
to glucose, is present; fructose is recommended
for combating athletes' fatigue; fructose
is a sugar utilized by seminal plasma to
give energy to spermatozoids.
Nutritional Profile
of Maca
TABLE 1. Composition of Maca
Components |
% |
| Water |
10.4 |
| Proteins |
10.2 |
| Lipids |
2.2 |
| Hydrolyzable
carbohydrates |
59.0 |
| Whole fiber |
8.5 |
| Ash |
4.9 |
Source:
Table taken from: D. Deni, G. Migliuolo,
L. Rastrelli, P. Saturnino, O. Schettino,
¿Chemical Composition of Lepidium meyeniiî,
in Food Chemistry 49, USA1994;
and Garr‹, Virginia, Macro y micro elementos
de la Maca, Mimeo, Lima, 1999.
TABLE 2. Vitamins
Vitamins |
mg |
| B1 Thiamine |
0.20 |
| B2 Riboflavin |
0.35 |
| C |
10.00 |
| E |
87.00 |
Source: B1 and
B2 from Chac‹n, Gloria, La importancia
deLepidiumPeruvianum (Maca) en la alimentaci‹n
, y salud del ser humano, Lima, 1997;
C and E from Garr‹ Virginia, Op.Cit
(1999).
TABLE
3. Amino Acids
| Amino
acids
|
mg concentration/g
protein |
| Aspartic acid |
91.7 |
| Glutanic acid
|
156. 5 |
| Serine
|
50.4 |
| Histidine |
21.9 |
| Glycine |
68.3 |
| Threonine
|
33.1 |
| Cystine |
n/d |
| Alanie
|
63.1 |
| Arginine |
99.4 |
| Tyrosine |
30.6 |
| Phenylalanine
|
55.3 |
| Valine
|
79.3 |
| Methionine |
28.0 |
| Isoleucine |
47.4 |
| Leucine |
91.0 |
| Lysine |
54.3 |
| Tryptophan |
n/d |
| H.O. Proline |
26.0 |
| Proline
|
0.5 |
| Sarcosine |
0.7 |
Source: data
taken from D. Din , O Migliolo, L. Ratrelli,
P. Saturnino, O. Schettino, ¿Chemical Composition
of Lepidium meyeniiî in
Food Chemistry, 49, USA, 1994,
TABLE 4.
Sterols (as steryl acetate derivatives)
Sterol |
%
of Sterol mixture |
Retention time (min.) |
Brassicasteryl
acetate |
9.1 |
22.4 |
Ergosteryl
acetate |
13.6 |
23.8 |
Campesteryl
acetate |
27.3 |
25.0 |
Ergostadientyl
acetate |
4.5 |
27.5 |
Sitosteryl
acetate |
45.5 |
19.5 |
Source: table taken from A. Dini, G. Migliuolo and others, Op. cit. 1994.
TABLE 5.
Fatty Acids (as methyl ester derivatives)
| Fatty
acids |
% of methyl
ester mixture |
| Dodecanoic (lauric) |
0.8 |
| 7-tridecenoic |
0.3 |
| Tridecanoic |
0.1 |
| Tetradecanoic
(myristic0 |
1.4 |
| 7-pentadecenoic |
0.5 |
| Pentadecanoic |
1.1 |
| 9-esadecenoic
(palmitolete) |
2.7 |
| Esadecanoic
(palmitic) |
23.8 |
| 9-heptadecenoic |
1.5 |
| Heptadecanoic |
1.8 |
| 9,12 octadecadienoic
(linoliec) |
12.6 |
| 9-octadecenoic
(oleic) |
11.1 |
| Octadecanoic
(stearic) |
6.7 |
| 11- nonadecanoic |
1.3 |
| Nonadecanoic |
0.4 |
| 15-eicosenoic |
2.3 |
| Eicosanoic (archidie) |
1.6 |
| Docosanoic (behenic) |
2.0 |
| 15 tetracosenoic
(nervonic) |
0.4 |
| Tetracosanic
(lignoceric) |
0.4 |
| Fatty acid saturated
(%) |
40.1 |
| Unsaturated
(%) |
52.7 |
| Saturated/unsaturated
ratio |
0.76 |
Source: data from A. Dini, G. Migliuolo, L. Rastrelli, other, Op. Cit,
(1994)
TABLE 6. Minerals (mg/100g)
| Minerals |
mg/100g
|
| Fe
Ferric=Iron |
16.6 |
| Mn
Manganese |
0.8 |
| Cu
Copper |
5.9 |
| Zn
Zinc |
3.8 |
| Na
Sodium |
18.7 |
| K
Potassium |
2,050.0 |
| Ca
Calcium |
150.0 |
Source: data from A. Dini, G. Migliuolo and others
Op. cit, (1994)
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You should not use the information contained
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You should read carefully all product packaging.
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*Maca
Live™ is not recommended
for women on birth control.
We cannot guarantee that
you will not get pregnant.
**If you are on Thyroid
medication check with your
doctor after being on maca
for a few months. It has
been know to stimulate the
thyroid to work and you
may need to lower your medication.
It can be dangerous if you
have too much thyroid medication
in your system.
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