Maca supplement: stimulating & soothing (sexuality, etc.)

Super Maca is a dietary supplement containing maca standardised to 0.6% macamides and macaenes, the most active compounds for supporting sexual function. This is the highest amount on the market.

Ethically-produced on the high plateaus of the Peruvian Andes, it helps to stimulate sexual desire and invigorate the body in both men and women, as does extract of Tongkat ali.

Who is Super Maca aimed at?

Super Maca is designed for several different groups of people:

• men suffering from erectile dysfunction (1) ;
• anyone wishing to improve their sexual performance (2) ;
• men looking to regain normal spermatogenesis (3) (though the ‘black’ maca ecotype appears to be more effective in this respect [4]) ;
• men with benign prostatic hyperplasia or enlarged prostate (though the ‘red’ ecotype appears to be more effective in this respect) ;
• those with general weakness and fatigue, lacking in vitality.

Which of maca’s compounds are responsible for its alleged effects?

Traditionally, maca would have been dried till it was rock-hard, after which it was boiled to make a juice.

When dried, maca contains 60% carbohydrates, 10% protein, numerous sterols including sitosterol, ergosterol, campesterol, brassicasterol and ergostadienol, glucosinolates (known for their anti-proliferative activity and thus beneficial for the prostate) as well as two essential compounds, macamides (also called benzylalkamides) and macaenes (5). It is these last two compounds which are responsible for maca’s effects on sexual function. They are polyunsaturated fatty acids which normally account for 0.012% of the total dry mass. In Super Maca, however, they represent 0.6% of dry matter as a result of a proprietary extraction process.

Maca’s impact on sexual function does not appear to come from any effect on testosterone production. Instead, maca appears to influence androgenic receptors and activate the production of IGF-1 in specific tissues (6). Several studies have demonstrated its aphrodisiac properties, both in animals (7) and humans (8-9).