Maca
vegetable
Lepidium meyenii, known as maca or Peruvian ginseng, is an edible herbaceous biennial plant of the family Brassicaceae that is native to South America in the high Andes mountains of Peru and Bolivia. It was rediscovered for commercial purposes at the Meseta de Bombón plateau close to Lake Junin in the late 1980s. It is grown for its fleshy hypocotyl that is fused with a taproot, which is typically dried but may also be freshly cooked as a root vegetable. As a cash crop, it is primarily exported as a powder that may be raw or processed further as a gelatinized starch or as an extract. If dried, it may be processed into a flour for baking or as a dietary supplement.
Conditions addressed
How to use
- Eat steamed, roasted, stir-fried, or raw in salads.
- Lightly cooking increases digestibility.
Interactions & contraindications
May affect hormone levels
Watch for: Hormone therapies, oral contraceptives, and tamoxifen or similar medications
Some herbs have mild phytoestrogenic or hormone-modulating activity that can interact with hormonal medications.
May have a stimulant effect
Watch for: Other caffeine-containing products, MAOIs, and stimulant medications (for ADHD or weight loss)
Additive stimulant effects can raise heart rate and blood pressure.
May have a calming/sedative effect
Watch for: Benzodiazepines, sleep medications, other sedative herbs, and alcohol
Combined CNS-depressant effects can cause excessive drowsiness or impaired coordination.