By Manuela Lora

The central Andean region of Peru is the owner of the origin of a great treasure: maca, a plant with a cultivation history that spans more than two millennia.
This plant, scientifically known as Lepidium meyenii, is used as a food supplement for its nutritional value, which can be found both in its root and in the aerial parts of the plant.
A publication in the scientific journal Food and Chemistry highlights the main components of maca as starch, dietary fiber (beneficial for digestion and intestinal health), and proteins (essential for the growth and repair of body tissues).
In addition, it has components in smaller quantities, including minerals that fulfill key functions in the body, such as polysaccharides, polyphenols (including flavonolignans) with antioxidant properties, macaenes and macamides that are unique compounds of maca, glucosinolates that are precursors of bioactive substances, and alkaloids that can have effects on nervous and physiological activity.

Different varieties of maca are known, such as black, red or yellow, and over the years, studies have linked the consumption of Peruvian maca with an increase in sexual desire. For example, research in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine suggests that this food can have a positive effect on improving libido in both men and women, but stressed that the sample was small, so more information and further studies are needed. Due to its rich composition, which includes proteins, unsaturated fatty acids and essential minerals, maca is recognized for its qualities as an adaptogen, which means that it can contribute to increasing energy and resistance levels, as well as helping to mitigate the symptoms of stress and the feeling of fatigue.