Maca Vibe

Maca Vibe is a cruciferous plant originating in the central Andean of Peru and has been used in the traditional healing practices for above 2000 years. It has the benefits of increasing energy and endurance, promoting mental clarity and fixing hormonal imbalances. However, its best known use lies in its stimulating properties, because Maca is an aphrodisiac for both men and women. It works because the plant’s roots contain minerals and steroid glycosides which when correctly combined increase male and female potency and has the same immediate effect as Viagra, but without artificial additives. Maca also has high amounts of proteins, amino acids and vitamins which give it a revitalizing action. It is especially effective in the elderly and has been promoted for its geriatric actions.

Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2005 May 3;3(1):16
Lepidium meyenii (Maca) increases litter size in normal adult female mice.
Ruiz-Luna AC, Salazar S, Aspajo NJ, Rubio JA, Gasco M, Gonzales GF.

BACKGROUND: Lepidium meyenii, known as Maca, grows exclusively in the Peruvian Andes over 4000 m altitude. It has been used traditionally to increase fertility. Previous scientific studies have demonstrated that Maca increases spermatogenesis and epididymal sperm count. The present study was aimed to investigate the effects of Lepidium meyenii on several fertility parameters of female mice at reproductive age. METHODS: Adult female Balb/C mice were divided at random into three main groups: i) Reproductive indexes group, ii) Implantation sites group and iii) Assessment of uterine weight in ovariectomized mice. Animals received an aqueous extract of lyophilized Yellow Maca or vehicle orally as treatment. In the fertility indexes study, animals received the treatment before, during and after gestation. The fertility index, gestation index, viability index, lactation index and sex ratio were calculated. Sexual maturation was evaluated in the female pups by the vaginal opening (VO) day. In the implantation study, females were checked for implantation sites at gestation day 7 and the embryos were counted and weighed. In ovariectomized mice, the uterine weight was recorded at the end of treatment. RESULTS: Implantation sites were similar in mice treated with Maca and in controls. All reproductive indexes were similar in both groups of treatment. The number of pups per dam at birth and at postnatal days 4 was significantly higher in the group treated with Maca. VO day occurred earlier as litter size was smaller. Maca did not affect VO day. In ovariectomized mice, the treatment with Maca increased significantly the uterine weights in relation to values in their respective control group. CONCLUSIONS: Administration of aqueous extract of Yellow Maca to adult female mice increases the litter size. Moreover, this treatment increases the uterine weight in ovariectomized animals. Our study confirms for the first time some of the traditional uses of Maca to enhance female fertility.

J Ethnopharmacol. 2005 Apr 8;98(1-2):143-7.
Dose-response effects of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) aqueous extract on testicular function and weight of different organs in adult rats.
Chung F, Rubio J, Gonzales C, Gasco M, Gonzales GF.
Department of Biological and Physiological Sciences and Instituto de Investigaciones de la Altura, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Postal Office 1843, Lima, Peru.

Lepidium meyenii (Brassicaceae) known as Maca grows exclusively between 4000 and 4500 m over the sea level in the Peruvian central Andes. The dried hypocotyls of Maca are traditionally used as food and for its supposed fertility-enhancing properties. A dose-response study was performed to determine the effect of 7 days oral administration of an aqueous lyophilized extract of Maca at 0.01-5 g/kg (corresponding to 0.022-11 g dry hypocotyls of Maca/kg) on body and different organ weights, stages of the seminiferous tubules, epididymal sperm count and motility, and serum testosterone and estradiol levels in rats. In doses up to 5 g extract/kg, no toxicity was observed. Almost all organ weights were similar in controls and in the Maca extract-treated groups. Seminal vesicles weight was significantly reduced at 0.01 and 0.10 g extract/kg. Maca increased in length of stages VII-VIII of the seminiferous tubules in a dose-response fashion, with highest response at 1.0 g/kg, while caput/corpus epididymal sperm count increased at the 1.0 g dose. Cauda epididymal sperm count, sperm motility, and serum estradiol level were not affected at any of the doses studied. Serum testosterone was lower at 0.10 g extract/kg. Low-seminal vesicle weights correlated with low-serum testosterone levels (R2=0.33; P<0.0001) and low-testosterone/estradiol ratio (R2=0.35; P<0.0001). Increase in epididymal sperm count was related to lengths of stages VII-VIII. Highest effect on stages VII-VIII of the seminiferous tubules was observed at 1.0 g Maca aqueous extract/kg. The present study demonstrated that Maca extract in doses up to 5 g/kg (equivalent to the intake of 770 g hypocotyls in a man of 70 kg) was safe and that higher effect on reproductive parameters was elicited with a dose of 1 g extract/kg corresponding to 2.2 g dry Maca hypocotyls/kg.

J Ethnopharmacol. 2005 Feb 28;97(2):391-5. Epub 2005 Jan 13.
Study of the hypoglycaemic activity of Lepidium sativum L. aqueous extract in normal and diabetic rats.
Eddouks M, Maghrani M, Zeggwagh NA, Michel JB.
UFR PNPE P.B. 21, Errachidia 52000, Morocco. m.eddouks@caramail.com

The hypoglycaemic effect of an aqueous extract of Lepidium sativum L. (LS) seeds was investigated in normal and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. After a acute (single dose) or chronic (15 daily repeated administration) oral treatments, the aqueous LS extract (20 mg/kg) produced a significant decrease on blood glucose levels in STZ diabetic rats (p < 0.001); the blood glucose levels were normalised 2 weeks after daily repeated oral administration of aqueous LS extract (20 mg/kg) (p < 0.001). Significant reduction on blood glucose levels were noticed in normal rats after both acute (p < 0.01) and chronic treatment (p < 0.001). In addition, no changes were observed in basal plasma insulin concentrations after treatment either in normal or STZ diabetic rats indicating that the underlying mechanism of this pharmacological activity seems to be independent of insulin secretion. We conclude that the aqueous extract of LS exhibits a potent hypoglycaemic activity in rats without affecting basal plasma insulin concentrations.

Asian J Androl. 2005 Mar;7(1):71-6. Related Articles, Links
Lepidium meyenii (Maca) reduces spermatogenic damage induced by a single dose of malathion in mice.
Bustos-Obregon E, Yucra S, Gonzales GF.
Independencia 1027 P.O. Box 70061, Santiago 7, Chile. Tel: +56-2-678-6450, Fax: +56-2-737-3158, E-mail: ebustos@med.uchile.cl.

Aim: To observe the effect of the aqueous extract of hypocotyls of the plant Lepidium meyenii (Maca) on spermatogenic damage induced by the organophosphate insecticide malathion in mice. Methods: Mice were treated with 80 mg/kg of malathion in the presence or absence of an aqueous extract of Maca, which was orally administered 7, 14 or 21 days after injection of the malathion. Stages of the seminiferous epithelium were assessed by transillumination on days 0, 7, 14 and 21. Results: The administration of Maca increased significantly the length of stage VIII on days 7, 14 and 21 of treatment compared with the controls. An increase in the length of stage IX occurred on day 14 of treatment. Malathion affected spermatogenesis by reducing the lengths of stage IX on day 7, stages VII and IX-XI on day 14 and a recovery of stages IX-XII on day 21. The magnitude of alteration in the length of stage IX produced by malathion was significantly reduced by Maca on days 7 and 14. The length of stage VIII was increased when Maca was administered to mice treated with malathion. Assessment of the relative length of stages of the seminiferous epithelium showed that Maca treatment resulted in rapid recovery of the effect of malathion. Conclusion: Maca enhances spermatogenesis following spermatogenic damage caused by the organophosphorous pesticide.

J Agric Food Chem. 2005 Feb 9;53(3):690-3. Related Articles, Links
New alkamides from maca (Lepidium meyenii).
Zhao J, Muhammad I, Dunbar DC, Mustafa J, Khan IA.
Department of Pharmacognosy and National Center for Natural Products Research, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA.

Maca (Lepidium meyenii) has been used as a food in Peru for thousands of years. More recently a wide array of commercial maca products have gained popularity as dietary supplements, with claims of anabolic and aphrodisiac effects, although the biologically active principles are not fully known. In an earlier chemical investigation, two new alkamides and a novel fatty acid, as well as the N-hydroxypyridine derivative, macaridine, were isolated from L. meyenii. Further examination has led to the isolation of five additional new alkamides, namely, N-benzyl-9-oxo-12Z-octadecenamide (1), N-benzyl-9-oxo-12Z,15Z-octadecadienamide (2), N-benzyl-13-oxo-9E,11E-octadecadienamide (3), N-benzyl-15Z-tetracosenamide (4), and N-(m-methoxybenzyl)hexadecanamide (5). Their structures were established by spectrometric and spectroscopic methods including ESI-HRMS, EI-MS, (1)H, (13)C, and 2D NMR, as well as (1)H-(15)N 2D HMBC experiments. In addition, the identity of N-benzyl-15Z-tetracosenamide (4) was confirmed by synthesis. These compounds have been found from only L. meyenii and could be used as markers for authentication and standardization.

J Endocrinol. 2004 Jan;180(1):87-95.
Effect of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) on spermatogenesis in male rats acutely exposed to high altitude (4340 m).
Gonzales GF, Gasco M, Cordova A, Chung A, Rubio J, Villegas L.
Instituto de Investigaciones de la Altura, and Departamento de Ciencias Biologicas y Fisiologicas Facultad de Ciencas y Filosofia, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, PO Box 1843, Lima, Peru.
Lepidium meyenii (Maca) is a Peruvian hypocotyl that grows exclusively between 4000 and 4500 m in the central Andes. Maca is traditionally employed in the Andean region for its supposed fertility-enhancing properties.The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that Maca can prevent high altitude-induced testicular disturbances. Adult male rats were exposed for 21 days to an altitude of 4340 m and treated with vehicle or aqueous extract of Maca (666.6 mg/day). The lengths of the stages of the seminiferous epithelium and epididymal sperm counts were obtained at 0, 7, 14 and 21 days of exposure. The stages of the seminiferous tubules were assessed by transillumination. A dose-response study was also performed at sea level to determine the effect of Maca given to male rats at doses of 0, 6.6, 66.6 and 666.6 mg/day for 7 days on body weight, seminiferous tubule stages and epididymal sperm count. The length of stage VIII and the epididymal sperm count were increased in a dose-dependent manner in Maca-treated rats but treatment reduced the length of stage I. At the highest dose, sperm count increased 1.58 times, the length of stage VIII increased 2.4 times and the length of stage I was reduced 0.48 times compared with the value at dose 0. Exposure to high altitude resulted in a reduction in epididymal sperm count after 7 days and lower values were maintained up to 21 days. Altitude reduced spermiation (stage VIII) to half and the onset of spermatogenesis (stages IX-XI) to a quarter on days 7 and 14 but treatment with Maca (666.6 mg/day) prevented these changes. Data on transillumination and epididymal sperm count in the Maca-treated group exposed to high altitude were similar to those obtained at sea level. Maca increased the sperm count on day 21 of exposure to high altitude to values similar (1095.25+/-20.41x10(6) sperm, means+/-S.E.M.) to those obtained in the Maca-treated group at sea level (1132.30+/-172.95x10(6) sperm). Furthermore, in the Maca-treated group exposed for 21 days to high altitude, epididymal sperm count was higher than in the non-treated group at sea level (690.49+/-43.67x10(6) sperm). In conclusion, treatment of rats with Maca at high altitude prevented high altitude-induced spermatogenic disruption.

Asian J Androl. 2003 Dec;5(4):349-52.
Effect of alcoholic extract of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) on testicular function in male rats.
Gonzales GF, Rubio J, Chung A, Gasco M, Villegas L.
Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Postal Office 1843, Lima, Peru.
AIM: To evaluate the effect of the alcoholic extract of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) on the spermatogenesis in male rats. METHODS: In Holtzman rats, Maca alcoholic extract (5 %) was given by oral route at doses of 48 mg/day or 96 mg/day for 7 days, 14 days and 21 days. Testicular function was assessed by measurements of lengths of different stages of seminiferous epithelia and by epididymal sperm count. RESULTS: Ethanolic extract of Maca increased the length of stages IX-XI of seminiferous epithelium at treatment day 7, day 14 and day 21. Progression of spermatogenesis was evident only after day 21 when lengths of stages XII-XIV of seminiferous epithelium were increased; at day 7 and day 14, no important change in spermatogenesis was observed. Epididymal sperm count was increased with 48 mg/day at all times. With 96 mg/day an increase in sperm count was observed at day 7, but it was reduced at day 14 and day 21 of treatment. Serum testosterone levels were not affected. CONCLUSION: The alcoholic extract of Maca activates onset ant progression of spermatogenesis at 48 mg/day or 96 mg/day in rats.

J Endocrinol. 2003 Jan;176(1):163-8.
Effect of Lepidium meyenii (Maca), a root with aphrodisiac and fertility-enhancing properties, on serum reproductive hormone levels in adult healthy men.
Gonzales GF, Cordova A, Vega K, Chung A, Villena A, Gonez C.
Instituto de Investigaciones de la Altura, and Department of Biological and Physiological Sciences (Faculty of Sciences and Philosophy), Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, PO 1843, Lima, Peru.
Lepidium meyenii (Maca) is a Peruvian hypocotyl that grows exclusively between 4000 and 4500 m in the central Andes. Maca is traditionally employed in the Andean region for its supposed aphrodisiac and/or fertility-enhancing properties. This study was a 12-week double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, parallel trial in which active treatment with different doses of Maca Gelatinizada was compared with a placebo. The study aimed to test the hypothesis that Maca has no effect on serum reproductive hormone levels in apparently healthy men when administered in doses used for aphrodisiac and/or fertility-enhancing properties. Men aged between 21 and 56 Years received 1500 mg or 3000 mg Maca. Serum levels of luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, prolactin, 17-alpha hydroxyprogesterone, testosterone and 17-beta estradiol were measured before and at 2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks of treatment with placebo or Maca (1.5 g or 3.0 g per day). Data showed that compared with placebo Maca had no effect on any of the hormones studied nor did the hormones show any changes over time. Multiple regression analysis showed that serum testosterone levels were not affected by treatment with Maca at any of the times studied (P, not significant). In conclusion, treatment with Maca does not affect serum reproductive hormone levels.

Clinical studies:
The preliminary observations of the pharmacological studies were positive in the sense that the histological findings in rats show a clear and defined stimulation of the maturation of follicles. An increase in the quantity of spermatozoids in the seminiferous tubes, as well as an increase of mitosis and espermatogonia is observed in the females and males.
In laboratory animals, it has shown a positive effect as a food and as a medicine, with benign effects on blood and the reproductive system, thus scientifically confirming the Andean people's belief about its medicinal kindness in human and animal development.
The action of the alkaloids, calcium and iron of maca could be used to fight against anemia and as stimulants in the formation of red corpuscles and in human and animal reproduction. It could also be used to help fighting against certain illnesses currently being researched, such as leukemia, aids, alcoholism, menopause anemia and other blood-referred illnesses, after getting the results of the corresponding experiments (Chacón 1997).
Its properties have been researched in different parts of the world. The studies have been conducted in rats and mice; only one study has been conducted in healthy human beings.
An increase in the number of coitus is observed in the rodents within this group of benefits. It also favors the spermiation, which is the release of spermatozoids through the seminiferous tubules, and it improves the weight when the second generation of rats are born, after a dietetic substitution of maca with the balanced food.
Chinese research on mice with erectile dysfunction that were treated with maca should be deepened before being disclosed, since they are prone to be misinterpreted, and such research says maca is an Andean viagra or a vegetable viagra, while the true effect of this plant does not consist of merely gonad-related action.
The study carried out in humans reports an action of maca in its gelatinized tablet form (maca La MolinaÒ), on the improvement of the seminal liquid quality. This is the only study so far conducted in human beings and it corroborates -for the benefit of many people- the fact that the experimental studies in laboratory animals are encouraging.
It is noteworthy that the studies should be serious and should report to the consumer that this plant is not an aphrodisiac. It has more properties and it is rich in compounds. There is a lot to be researched about it.
From Hersil.com