Nutritional Properties of MACA LIVE™                              

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.

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