Department of Biological and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Sciences and Philosophy and High Altitude Research Institute, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Honorio Delgado 430, Lima 31, Peru.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:193496. doi: 10.1155/2012/193496. Epub 2011 Oct 2.
Lepidium meyenii (maca) is a Peruvian plant of the Brassicaceae family cultivated for more than 2000 years, which grows exclusively in the central Andes between 4000 and 4500 m altitude. Maca is used as a food supplement and also for its medicinal properties described traditionally. Since the 90s of the XX century, an increasing interest in products from maca has been observed in many parts of the world. In the last decade, exportation of maca from Peru has increased from 1,415,000 USD in 2001 to USD 6,170,000 USD in 2010. Experimental scientific evidence showed that maca has nutritional, energizer, and fertility-enhancer properties, and it acts on sexual dysfunctions, osteoporosis, benign prostatic hyperplasia, memory and learning, and protects skin against ultraviolet radiation. Clinical trials showed efficacy of maca on sexual dysfunctions as well as increasing sperm count and motility. Maca is a plant with great potential as an adaptogen and appears to be promising as a nutraceutical in the prevention of several diseases.
玛咖（Lepidium meyenii）是十字花科植物，原产于秘鲁，已有 2000 多年的种植历史，主要生长在海拔 4000-4500 米的安第斯山脉中部。玛咖既可作为食品补充剂，也因其传统的药用价值而被使用。自 20 世纪 90 年代以来，世界许多地方对玛咖产品的兴趣日益增加。在过去的十年中，秘鲁的玛咖出口额从 2001 年的 141.5 万美元增长到 2010 年的 617 万美元。实验科学证据表明，玛咖具有营养、能量补充和生育增强特性，可用于治疗性功能障碍、骨质疏松症、良性前列腺增生、记忆和学习障碍，并能保护皮肤免受紫外线辐射。临床试验表明，玛咖对性功能障碍具有疗效，能提高精子数量和活力。玛咖是一种具有巨大潜力的适应原，作为一种天然药物，有望预防多种疾病。
