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If I were the British Prime Minister, I would put maca on the NHS for everyone.

Only it wouldn’t be the National Health Service, it would be the Nation of Happy Superfooders. Maca is an adaptogen, so it assists the body in restoring balance; whatever your health problem, whatever stresses you are under, maca will support your body in correcting any imbalances. It has also been demonstrated to regulate hormones, so is particularly beneficial for women. I very rarely meet anyone who has not felt a tangible improvement in their well-being from taking maca. And unlike taking a supplement like iron drinks, or calcium tablets, where you are not really sure if you are noticing the benefits, everyone feels maca instantly. Almost immediately, users report increased energy levels and improved stamina.

Maca is a root vegetable, from the same family of cruciferous vegetables as broccoli and cauliflower. It looks a little like a very large radish, and is used in food preparation in the same way as other starchy root vegetables such as parsnips and potatoes: boiled and mashed, baked or fried. It is native to Peru, where it grows high in the Andes Mountains. The history of maca is a fascinating tale. In 1989, it was declared one of the “lost crops of the Incas,” and the plant was in danger of extinction. But over the past couple of decades, interest in this amazing crop has grown in America, Europe and Japan, primarily for its effects on the libido, but also as a natural alternative to steroids for athletes, and a natural alternative to HRT for women. In 1979, there were only 25 cultivated hectares of maca in Peru; now there are over 2,000. This is a very good thing for the native people of Peru, whose communities are benefiting from job creation, increased cash flow, and recognition for their culture; not just from the growth in the maca industry, but other native crops such as lucuma, yacon, and cacao. On the whole, these crops are being traded fairly, with respect for the indigenous population. Peru is one of the poorest countries in the world, and their land is notoriously inhospitable. The Peruvian government is very protective of its native species, and will not allow the seeds to be exported, so that they can maintain the monopoly on their precious assets. Only the powders or extracts are allowed to be exported. That is why you never see whole maca root (or yacon or lucuma) outside of South America.

Maca has been popular among the indigenous peoples of Peru for as long as five thousand years. The Incans valued it so highly, they only permitted its use in the royal courts. When the Spanish conquistadors came to Peru in the sixteenth century, they were close to leaving, worn down by the harsh living conditions and their declining fertility levels. It was the discovery of maca that enabled them to stay in Peru, and they would trade in maca in preference to gold. Like cacao, maca has strong associates with gold energy, the ray that lifts us up to the sun, creates inner fire, auric expansion, and vibrational ascension.

Maca is one of the most powerful of the superfoods, so consequently you have to be very careful with it initially and use it with respect. It can have strong rebalancing and detoxifying effects. For instance, say you suffer badly from premenstrual tension every month. For your first cycle of taking maca, your PMS is likely to be more severe than ever. But by the second cycle, it should start to balance out, and by the third or fourth cycle will be disappearing completely. Or perhaps you suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome. After a few days of taking maca, you might start to feel more tired and wiped out than ever. But stick with it, and within a week those symptoms will pass, your energy levels will start to rebuild, and gradually you will recover a sustained energy and drive. I always advise people to start off with half a teaspoon of maca. If after three or four days that doesn’t seem a lot, and you aren’t noticing any effects, or conversely if it tastes wonderful to you and you are craving more, then up the dose to a teaspoon. Keep upping it by half a teaspoon every three or four days until you reach your threshold. By this I mean the point at which you feel you have as much energy as you can cope with, and your detox symptoms start to reveal themselves. At this point, you might want to lower the dose again, although it is important not to stop taking it completely if you want its magic to work. Once your detox has passed, and you have flushed out the imbalances you can take as much maca as you like. Remember, it is just a vegetable. In Peru, they eat it like we eat potatoes; they fry it and serve it as chips with chili sauce at roadside stalls, or they mash it and make a kind of porridge with it. They also enjoy it as an alcoholic beverage, making beers, liqueurs, and cocktails with it. Once your body has readjusted itself, you do not need to limit the amounts you are taking; I take up to two tablespoons a day.

Maca is the plant that grows at the highest altitudes in the world, nine to eleven thousand feet above sea level; there is no other plant that grows in such inhospitable terrain. For this reason, it gives us that energy to climb that mountain: if life seems like an uphill struggle to you, if you can’t see how you can reach your goals, the peak of your personal mountain, maca will provide you with that inner fire and insight to keep on going. The maca plant has a very high frost tolerance, so it gives you the strength to battle against the cold. I am known amongst my friends for having little sensitivity to the cold, and refusing to put the central heating on in winter! I am sure this is due in part to the large amounts of maca in my diet, as well as the long time I have been raw. It’s not that I don’t notice the cold, it’s just that it doesn’t bother me, it doesn’t disturb my internal balance. In fact, maca grows under a variety of extreme conditions: frost, intensive sunlight and high winds. Hence it gives us that really sturdy, invincible energy.

Truly, maca provides one of the best sources of energy I have ever come across. It is instant and long-lasting. It makes me feel strong and grounded, calm and in control, not wild and over-excited like too much chocolate can! Pollen is a brilliant source of energy too, but it is high in sugar and too much can affect blood glucose levels. Because maca is a root vegetable, the energy it provides is much steadier. It is a natural partner to cacao, and also goes very well with oats, which provide the same sort of slow-release, sustained boost. It mixes well with coconut in sweets to provide a very clear, wholesome treat. It is not unpleasant tasting, and has been compared to Horlicks and butterscotch because it has a kind of malty flavor. Not quite sweet, but not bitter either, it combines equally well in sweet and savory dishes. Maca powder starts to react once it is mixed with water, so if you are putting maca in your recipes be sure to eat them within a few days, or they get a strange, sickly aftertaste.

Like aloe vera and suma, maca is an adaptogen. This is a term coined by scientists in the 1930s to describe a plant that has a non-specific reaction in the body, and no harmful side effects. Adaptogens provide the body with “adaptation energy” and enable it to resist whatever stresses it is under and pressures it is suffering from. Thus adaptogens assist the body in maintaining homeostasis, a state of inner balance and core strength. This is why when you read about these plants, it sounds like they are good for everything. Aloe vera is reputed to help with immune system disorders like lupus and HIV, gut imbalances like colitis, Crohn’s disease and IBS, skin conditions eczema and psoriasis, respiratory problems, joint inflammations, as well as being anti-aging and immune-boosting. Directly, it is not treating any of these ailments. But indirectly, it goes to where the body needs it, it gives strength to the body and promotes self-healing. That is why adaptogens are so powerful: they are getting to the very root cause of the symptoms, not trying to treat the outward signs of disease, but enabling the body to rebalance and dissolve the patterns that are creating the disease. They are dealing with cause rather than effect. Once health challenges are dealt with in this way, they are much less likely to reoccur than when only the outward manifestations of bad health are addressed and the inner roots left untouched.

Nutritionally, maca is a brilliant source of the B vitamin group including the elusive B12. The B vitamins are depleted in the body by stress; taking a food high in B vitamins like maca, pollen or gojis helps the body recover more quickly from stress and keep moving forward. The twenty-first-century lifestyle is a very stressful one due to environmental pollution and the fast-paced lives we lead; these superfoods are so valuable in giving us that energy to keep on keeping on, meet the demands placed on us, and rise to the challenges life presents us with. Maca is a good source of bioavailable protein, containing 11% amino acids, and 18 out of the 22 amino acids needed to build protein in the body. It contains 31 different minerals and trace minerals, including significant amounts of calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper, zinc, iron, phosphorous, selenium and manganese, all of which are in a readily accessible form to the body. These minerals can help protect against osteoporosis, especially in menopausal women. The cruciferous family of vegetables is known for the glucosinates it contains, that have been demonstrated to have anti-cancer properties and inhibit tumor growth. The plant sterols in maca, like those in aloe vera, can be used as a natural and healthy alternative to steroid drugs, boosting performance for athletes, and helping the body fight challenges such as eczema. It helps with chronic fatigue not only because it provides healthy balanced energy levels, but also because it assists the adrenal glands and raises cortisol levels. Maca also provides many fatty acids, including lauric acid and linoleic acid (also known as omega-3, the EFA in which many of us are deficient).

As maca is a hormone balancer, it is beneficial for women at any time of their lives: if you have been on the pill, if you have irregular periods, if you suffer with premenstrual tension, if you have exceptionally light or heavy periods, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, if you are entering adolescence, if you are premenopausal, in the menopause or postmenopausal. There are very few women that don’t fit into one of those categories! Because it is rich in bioavailable calcium, it is particularly beneficial for breastfeeding mothers because it will balance your hormones, provide you with your extra calcium intake, and help you deal with all those sleepless nights. As a hormone balancer, it is also known as Nature’s Viagra. It improves libido in both men and women, and also improves fertility. Maca and cacao together are an indisputable aphrodisiac. Maca does not itself contain hormones, so there is no danger of overdoing it. Rather, it supports the body’s endocrine system which produces the hormones. The hypothalamus is the master gland that stimulates and balances the other glands in the body, and is also considered to be the brain’s sex center; the beneficial effects maca has on the hypothalamus gland are central to its adaptogenic properties and aphrodisiacal effects. Maca also contains alkaloids which have been shown to increase fertility in humans—in a study done in 2000, the sexual activity of rats fed maca increased by 400%!

Children love maca. It is not unpalatable, and easily mixes into their cereal, porridge, or yogurt. It boosts their protein and calcium levels, building strength in the bones and teeth. As a hormone regulator, it can help prevent toddler tantrums, which are often just a result of hormonal surges overwhelming little bodies. It makes them strong, sure and confident in their bodies. When my children first had maca, they literally started climbing the walls! Reuben discovered how to straddle the door frame and climb it to reach the ceiling, and would show off his newfound skills to any and all visitors to our house. I’m also finding it very useful as they enter their teenage years, as a powerful way to lift them up out some of that teenage angst and returning them to good spirits.

Maca is so much more than the sum of its nutritive value. It is the actual energy of the plant that we are ingesting that has such a powerful effect on us holistically. Sure, it is a great source of protein, minerals, and plant sterols. But it is that adaptogenic effect, that “survival against all odds” element that it contains in its cells, that is so beneficial to us in the West at this time in history, when we are battling against so much within our culture, and trying to adapt to the new millennium unfolding before us. That’s what makes maca magic!