MACA POWDER

Description

Profile: Our maca powder is made from Lepidium meyenii, a Peruvian Andes herb. Quechas eat maca regularly. The plant survives in hard climates where little else can. Maca root has adaptogenic characteristics and can be combined into smoothies, baked into treats, or encapsulated.

Details:

Peruvian maca is used in biscuits, flan, smoothies, syrups, and liquor. Peruvian ginseng has a long history of use as a panacea. Adaptogenic and nutritional characteristics are prized. Late 1990s introduction to North America, Europe, and Japan prompted scientific research.

Maca features a fleshy hypocotyl and a rough pear-shaped to rectangular root that's red, yellow, or black. It's a Brassicaceae member with off-white flowers like many crucifers. Maca grows in Peru's Junin plateau, where temperatures drop below 14 degrees and intense winds and sun prevail. Only cruciferous vegetable unique to Puno and Moquegua in Peru's Andes Mountains. According to the author of Lost Crops of the Incas, "even most Andean Indians hardly know this plant, which is so rare." In this harsh, inhospitable location, maca makes agriculture feasible since it grows where little else can.

It's presently grown in economically impoverished Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina. Maca cultivation has attracted economic and scientific interest in recent decades. In the 1990s, North American cultivation exploded. Maca was ranked 21-40 in a 2012 survey, a 23% increase from previous years.

Maca has been used for hundreds of years as a love charm. The Inca began cultivating this root 2,000 years ago because they believed it a holy gift from the gods. The Spanish discovered maca when their horses struggled in the harsh climate. The Inca supposedly recommended maca. These Latin conquistadors saw the positive benefits on their animals and wanted to try it for themselves.

Peruvian delicacy: sweet, spicy root. Peruvians like the sweeter yellow root. It's made into pastries, flan, smoothies, beer, and a porridge called'mazzamora.' Seven years' worth of dried root. Maca is a highly valued product among indigenous people in this area, Peru, and other adjacent countries. Lower-elevation communities swap dried roots for rice. They reach Lima, Peru, this way.

NOTICE: DO NOT USE THIS PRODUCT IF PREGNANT OR NURSING.

**These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases.