It's small and smelly, and it looks like a radish. But many Peruvians consider it the combined answer to ginseng and Viagra.
Maca, a frost-resistant root that grows in the frigid Andean highlands, has been used in this South American country for centuries to boost stamina and sex drive.
Archaeologists have discovered traces of maca cultivation at sites dating back 2,000 years in the central Andes mountains, where the plant thrives naturally at 3,900mabove sea level.
PHOTO: AP
Spanish conquistadors are said to have accepted bushels of the protein-rich root from local communities during the 16th century as tax payments.
Chroniclers also reported that Peru's various pre-Hispanic groups bartered with maca, used it for peace offerings and offered it to their mountain and sun gods.
Today, Peruvians eat maca fresh, dried, boiled into porridge or ground into powder and mixed with water or milk in a drink that tastes somewhat like butterscotch with an earthy aftertaste.
Just as the Incas did centuries ago, many Peruvians swear by maca's energizing and aphrodisiacal powers. It is also touted as a tonic for a host of other health problems, including post-menopause syndrome and stress.
For scientists, the verdict is still out.
Nutritionists say the root packs a powerful dose of amino acids, vitamins and minerals, particularly magnesium and phosphorous. But no major independent studies have been published about its effects.
"It's still what you call an alternative medicine. There is still no scientific basis," says Dr. Alberto Tejada, a urologist at the Fertility Institute in Lima.
But Tejada and many Peruvian doctors recommend maca to patients anyway.
"What we do know is that it is energizing, that it increases sexual stimulus, that it improves the disposition toward sexual activity and improves mood," he says.
Hersil, a Peruvian pharmaceutical company that plans to market maca-based tablets internationally, says small-scale research it financed at Peru's Cayetano Heredia University found maca increased men's sex drive and sperm counts.
Dr. Fernando Cabieses, a neurologist who for two decades has studied Peru's treasure trove of medicinal plants, supervised the study, which involved 60 volunteers who were divided into two groups. One group took maca tablets for 12 weeks, the other placebos.
"It's a very interesting study, with interesting results, which need to be corroborated by other scientific groups to see if this repeats,'' Cabieses says.
Jose Luis Silva, Hersil's assistant general manager, sees opportunities for maca to compete for some of the US$2 billion now spent around the world each year on ginseng, a root highly prized in Asia for its energy-giving and curative properties. Overseas sales would be a boon for this impoverished nation's rural farmers.
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
RSS