Maca Root Benefits

Lepidium meyenii and peruvian ginseng are two other names of maca. Maca is basically a perennial plant that is native to the Andes mountains in Bolivia and Peru. The tree grows in some of the harshest regions of the world. The tree is characterized by its taproot that has number of health benefits. Maca has been cultivated for more than 2,000 years. The maca roots serve as root vegetables and medicinal herbs. Maca root herb is associated with a myriad of health benefits that include increased fertility, relief from menstrual pain, increased libido, etc. Given below are some of the important maca root benefits.

Benefits of Maca Root

The maca root is known for its adaptogenic properties. An adaptogen is nothing but a natural herb that increases the body's stamina towards stress, anxiety, trauma and fatigue. Thus, consuming maca root supplements help to boost the immune system and increases the resistance power towards physical and mental problems. Some of the properties of maca are said to alleviate pain caused due to arthritis.

Benefits for Women

Consumption of maca root supplements is said to benefit the hormonal imbalance and infertility problems in women. Many of the naturopaths consider consumption of maca root supplement as an effective treatment to fix hormonal imbalance than Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT).

Menopause is the permanent cessation of the menses in women and is accompanied by various symptoms. Irregular periods, mood swings, hot flashes, sleep disturbances, vaginal dryness, etc., are some of the menopause symptoms. Many of these symptoms can be reduced to some extent by having maca root in supplement or natural form. It has been observed that maca helps to relieve the pre-menopause, menopause and post-menopause symptoms.

Maca root helps to maintain the balance of hormones without posing any problem to the woman's body. Menstruation causes severe pain and discomfort. These problems can be fixed by having maca root. Given below is brief list of benefits of maca root for women.

• Increases energy and treats chronic fatigue.
• Treats hormonal imbalance and mood swings.
• Relieves menopausal symptoms.
• Sexual stimulation.
• Solves sleeping problems (insomnia).

Benefits for Men
Use of maca supplements has proved to solve infertility problems in men. According to some studies, maca directly affects the production of sperms and also increases the semen volume. Moreover, it also benefits men who face low libido problems. Maca helps to alleviate depression, thereby helping to increase the libido levels. It treats impotency and solves erectile dysfunction problems in men. Consumption of maca root supplements helps to increase male sex hormone levels like testosterone and progesterone. Thus it treats hormonal imbalance in males also. Consuming maca is considered as a natural method to increase libido, desire and performance. Benefits of maca root for men can be listed as below.

• Treats erectile dysfunction.
• Improves mental and physical well-being.
• Treats infertility.
• Helps to increase stamina.

This was all about maca root benefits for men and women. Maca root supplements are available in powdered dried form, capsules and tablets. Maca root should be consumed in a controlled manner. The recommended dosage is 1500 to 3000 mg/day. Over dosage of maca root may give rise to some side effects. It is also observed that not everyone who consumes maca root develops side effects. So, it is recommended that one should consult a physician before consuming maca roots, since maca root has shown allergic symptoms in some people.