The tremendous amounts of vitamins, minerals, proteins, fiber, carbohydrates, tannins, and amino acids, as well as a number of complex alkaloids and up to 20 important fatty acids, coupled with a variety of other phytochemicals, made maca, also known as Peruvian ginseng, highly prized by the Incans.
When we tell you that the Incan imperial warriors habitually consumed maca before battle to boost their "fighting spirit," strength, and libido, I honestly think you'll be shocked. Even though it was a little vegetable, it was so powerful that only royalty and their court were allowed to utilize it. The Incans valued this plant so highly that they even used it as payment.
Many athletes, including bodybuilders, still utilize maca today to improve their overall performance and strength.But, ladies and gentlemen, you should know that maca has another, lesser known benefit that researchers are only beginning to understand. This potent vegetable has the ability to balance hormones, which makes it invaluable for both men and women in various stages of life.
According to the experts, maca is especially good for women during menopause. Take a look at the article below and find out more about this.
Maca for Women
1. Regulates Hormonal Imbalances
First of all, you should know that maca is considered to be an endocrine adaptogen. Maca doesn’t contain any hormones, but it does contain the necessary nutrients to support normal hormone production within your body.One of these nutrients is DIM (Diindolylmethane), a phytochemical that is found in many cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, and cabbage. DIM has been found in numerous studies to greatly improve hormone balance (both estrogen and testosterone) in both men and women.
Maca is also effective against some forms of cancer. A recent study has revealed that maca can help to normalize hormone levels by working with your endocrine system.
For women, maca can be a lifesaver, especially when most conventional options typically involve synthetic forms of hormones that are proven to be dangerous, even causing such things as ovarian cancer, stroke, and asthma, among other things.
Bottom line – maca provides the nutrients your body needs to naturally produce its own hormones to effectively restore balance. The conventional hormone treatments introduce synthetically made chemicals that can wreak havoc on your endocrine system. Hormone regulation is vital as these substances are responsible for virtually every process in your body.
2. Reduces Symptoms of Menopause
As we said, maca can help you balance your hormones, which means that it’s extremely helpful for women to reduce the typical symptoms associated with menopause.
A recent study has discovered that maca can help to alleviate the negative physiological and psychological symptoms experienced by women in perimenopause, such as the frequency of hot flashes, the incidence of night sweats, interrupted sleep, nervousness, depression, and heart palpitations.
The lead researcher said:
“It appears that Maca-GO may act as a toner of hormonal processes, leading to alleviation of discomfort felt by perimenopausal women, hence, its potential use as non-hormonal alternative to HRT program.”
Another study revealed that for women, maca is able to successfully restore hormone balance. The researchers have concluded that the changes in hormone levels was accompanied by a substantially-reduced feeling of discomfort associated with menopause.
Unfortunately, many women complain of “brain fog” during menopause, which has been linked to fluctuating hormones levels. Maca can improve this type of memory loss and it’s a potent neuroprotective agent, which makes it a potential treatment to help prevent or slow disease, and possibly, even in the case of injury, halt or at least slow, the loss of neurons.
3. Lowers Cholesterol Levels
You should know that maca is loaded with plant sterols, including sitosterol, campestrol, ergosterol, brassicasterol, and ergostadienol. According to the experts, these chemicals are essentially the equivalent of the cholesterol found your body.
These sterols help to form the cell membranes in plants. YES, there are different types of plant sterols, but they all have a similar chemical structure and have been shown by researchers to help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol in humans as well as combat three of the most common types of cancer.
4. Lowers Glucose Levels
Study has revealed that after just two weeks, subjects who took maca experienced significantly improved glucose tolerance, and lowered levels of glucose in their blood.
5. Reduces High Blood Pressure
Study confirms – maca can significantly inhibit the hypertension relevant angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE).
Maca for Women… And Men?
– Reduces Prostate Size
As we said, this super healthy powder is very beneficial for men as well. Study – a specific type of maca (red maca) can suppress prostatic growth and even reduce prostate size, which makes it a valuable tool for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a problem older men often face.
A group of experts have revealed that maca may be as potent as finasteride (a popular drug used to treat BPH) in reducing prostate size.
– Increases Fertility
Maca can also be a potential treatment for male infertility, especially if it is a result of lead exposure. Maca can effectively improve sperm production and motility.