Organ Specific Guide - Raintree Nutrition, Inc

MACA CAPSULES
Description: Maca is growing in world popularity due to its energizing, fertility-enhancing, nutritious, and
tonic effects. Raintree's maca capsules are sold in bottles of 100 capsules with 500 milligrams per capsule
of pure ground Maca root, rich in active and beneficial phytochemicals which occur naturally in this plant.
We use no binders or fillers so the capsules are 100% pure finely milled maca powder. Raintree's maca has
been organically grown in the Andes Mountains of Peru.
Traditional uses by organ or system: Adrenal: To nurtritionally support adrenal and endocrine function.
Reproductive/Hormonal: To reduce fertility problems (both male and female), and to balance and support
female hormones.
Ingredients: 100% pure maca root (Lepidium meyenii).
Suggested Use: Take 4 capsules twice daily or as desired.
Contraindications: None reported.
Drug Interactions: None reported.
Other Practitioner Observations and Possible Precautions: None reported.
Synopsis of research: (Please the online Tropical Plant Database for Maca for all cited research.)
Maca's fertility-enhancing properties were reported as early as 1961, when researchers discovered that
it increased fertility in rats. Marketing and resulting sales of maca for sexual function has been fueled by
clinical research since. The majority of this research, however, has been performed or funded by two main
marketers of maca products in the U.S. and abroad. Also suspect to the independent scientific community
are studies that "measure libido enhancement"—these are known to be highly subjective. Study protocols
can also be easily orchestrated to provide desired outcomes and results; therefore, many trained industry
and medical professionals note this brand of (product-sponsored) research with mild interest at best.
The first study reporting maca's effect on sexual function was published in 2000 (and performed by a
marketer of maca) and described the beneficial effects of using maca in impotent mice and rats. Another,
published a year later, indicated similar effects in male rats. Studies in 2001 reported a beneficial effect on
male sperm production in rats and improvement of sperm count and motility in nine healthy adult men. In
2002 a study reported improved sexual performance in inexperienced male rats; another "self-perception
on sexual desire" test in healthy men reported aphrodisiac or libido enhancement effects. In several of the
rat and mice studies, the animals were administered up to 4 g per kg of body weight of a "concentrated
maca extract" to achieve the reported results. This would (approximately) equate to a 300 g (10 oz.) dose
for an average (170 lb.) man. None of these studies, however, indicated a possible mechanism of action,
or related these observed effects to constituents or chemicals contained in maca root.
The benefits and anecdotal reports touting maca for hormonal balancing, endocrine and thyroid function
enhancement, and even immune system enhancement are likely related to maca's amino acid and nutrient
content. The endocrine system drives many functions in the body, including the production of many types
of hormones (which, in turn, regulate many other bodily processes). Although hormones are chemically
diverse, they are constructed simply from amino acids and cholesterol. If given sufficient levels of starting
materials (natural amino acids), the body may use them as needed to construct hormones which keep the
body in balance. Where diet and nutrition are poor (a common problem in the Andes, home to so few green,
leafy vegetables), maca is a vital part of the diet—providing the necessary nutrients to keep the body
healthy and functioning efficiently. The marketing claim made that maca actually increases testosterone,
estrogen or sex hormones has been clinically disproved. In a 2003 double-blind placebo human trial, men
taking a maca root extract (1.5 to 3 g daily) evidenced no changes in any reproductive hormonal level
tested, including testosterone (which actually showed a slight decrease).