What are the Key Benefits of Natural Factors MacaRich Formula?
- Increases energy and endurance
- Reduces physical and mental stress
- Help to enhance libido and sexual function
- Balances hormones
- Relieves symptoms of menopause and andropause
- Inhibits free radicals and protects cells from oxidative stress
- Strengthens immunity
- Promotes healthy blood sugar balance
Where Does Maca Come From?
For many centuries, the people of the Andes mountains in Peru and Bolivia used the root of the maca plant (Lepidium meyenii) for increasing energy and stamina, relieving stress, strengthening the immune system, easing symptoms of menopause and enhancing libido and sexual function in both men and women. They also eat the root as a vegetable. Maca is rich in minerals, especially selenium, calcium, magnesium and iron. It also contains vitamins B1, B2, C and E plus healthy fatty acids, amino acids and antioxidants. As a member of the cruciferous vegetable family, maca contains glucosinolates which are known for their anticancer effects.
How Does Maca Work?
Maca’s ability to improve sexual function may be a result of its high concentration of proteins and nutrients that are essential for the human reproductive system. Maca does not directly affect the level of sex hormones in the body, rather it seems to work on the pituitary and hypothalamus glands that synchronize all hormones including from the adrenal and thyroid glands. This may contribute to maca’s effects on stress, mood, energy and endurance.
Maca is considered an adaptogen, meaning it helps the body respond to stress and has earned the nickname “Peruvian ginseng”. A review conducted at a university in Peru reported on randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials with human subjects that showed maca increases energy, elevates mood, and may also decrease anxiety (Gonzales, 2009). Other Research found that maca increases endurance, physical strength, oxygen in the blood and neurotransmitter production (Wolfe).
In a randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study performed in England, they tested eight highly-trained male cyclists. To establish a baseline, each of the eight participants completed a 40-km cycling time trial before supplementation. Then they received maca extract supplement for 14 days and placebo for 14 days, in either order, completing a 40-km cycling time trial after each 14-day period. The researchers found that 14 days of maca supplementation significantly improved performance compared to the initial baseline test (Stone).
One of maca’s most renowned benefits is the enhancement of sexual desire and function for both men and women. Placebo-controlled clinical trials confirm these properties, including maca’s support for erectile function. Maca shares similar properties with red Korean ginseng, which also helps to balance the endocrine glands. They work together in this formula to enhance overall health and well-being.
Does Maca have an effect on Menopause?
Maca has been used to relieve the symptoms of menopause, including anxiety, depression, and sexual dysfunction. Fourteen postmenopausal women completed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial. They received 3.5 g/day of powdered maca for six weeks and a matching placebo for six weeks, in either order. At baseline and at weeks six and 12, blood samples were collected to measure hormones, and the women completed the Greene Climacteric Scale to assess the severity of menopausal symptoms. No differences were seen in serum concentrations of the relevant hormones between baseline, maca treatment, and placebo. However, the Greene Climacteric Scale revealed a significant reduction in the psychological symptoms after maca supplementation, compared with both baseline and placebo. Anxiety, depression, and sexual dysfunction all improved significantly for the women taking supplemental maca (Brooks).
Each Capsule contains:
Organic Maca Powder 4:1|500mg
Korean Ginseng Powder|200mg
Take 1 Capsule, 3 times daily with meals, or as directed by a healthcare practitioner.
Brooks N.A., et al., “Beneficial effects of Lepidium meyenii (Maca)on psychological symptoms and measures of sexual dysfunction in postmenopausal women are not related to estrogen or androgen content”, Menopause, 2008 Nov-Dec; 15(6):1157-62
Dording C.M., et al., “A double-blind, randomized, pilot dose-finding study of maca root (L. meyenii) for the management of SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction”, CNS Neurosci Ther, 2008 Fall;14(3): 182-91
Gasco M., et al., “Dose-response effect of Red Maca (Lepidium Meyenii) on benign prostatic hyperplasia induced by testoster-one enanthate”, Phytomedicine, 2007 Aug; 14(7-8): 460-4
Gonzales G.F., et al., “Effect of Lepidium meyenii (MACA) onsexual desire and its absent relationship with serum testoster-one levels in adult healthy men”, Andrologia, 2002 Dec; 34(6):367-72
Gonzales G.F., et al., “Lepidium meyenii (Maca): a plant from the highlands of Peru – from tradition to science”, Forsch Komplementmed, 2009 Dec; 16(6): 373-80
Piacente S., et al., “Investigation of the tuber constituents of maca (Lepidium meyenii Walp.)”, J Agric Food Chem, 2002 Sep 25; 50(20): 5621-5
Rubio J., et al., “Effect of three different cultivars of Lepidium Meyenii (Maca) on learning and depression in ovariectomized mice”, BMC Complement Altern Med, 2006 Jun 23; 6: 23
Stone M., et al., “A pilot investigation into the effect of maca supplementation on physical activity and sexual desire in sports-men”, J Ethnopharmacol, 2009 Dec 10; 126(3): 574-6 Wolfe D., Superfoods: the food and medicine of the future, 2009,North Atlantic Books
Zenico T., et al., “Subjective effects of Lepidium meyenii (Maca)extract on well-being and sexual performances in patients with mild erectile dysfunction: a randomised, double-blind clinical trial”, Andrologia, 2009 Apr; 41(2): 95-9
