Top 5 Maca Root Benefits

Although maca itself contains no actual hormones, most of maca root’s benefits are attributed to its ability to help restore sexual, endocrine (hormonal), and mental health. Here is how maca may be able to benefit both men and women:

1. PMS, Menopause, and Women with Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

Maca Root is well known to help with hormone balance that often contributes to improving the symptoms of PMS and Menopause. In females with PCOS, maca is believed to help by controlling estrogen levels in the body.

Estrogen levels that are either too high or too low can make it difficult for a women to ovulate and become pregnant.  Therefore balancing the amount of estrogen that a women produces, and in turn the amount of related progesterone produced, is very important for increasing reproductive health, fertility, and decreasing symptoms related to PCOS- like irregular menstrual cycles, excess hair growth, and more. (4)

 
2. Women’s Hormones, Fertility, and Sexual Health

A 2008 study from the journal Menopause showed thatmaca benefits had positive results on boosting menopausal women’s moods and decreasing levels of anxiety and depression.

The same study also showed that the improvement in mood led to increased sexual libido. (5)  A separate study done in 2008 by CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics showed that maca had the ability to increase sexual libido in women, likely due to its positive effects on serotonin levels, the “feel good” hormone. (2)

In one study done using animals and maca, it was found that in female animals taking maca, multiple egg follicles were able to successfully mature, which is important for ovulation and reproductive health. (4)

Maca is believed to restore women’s hormonal balance by supporting the endocrine system and aiding in the regulation of healthy adrenal and thyroid hormone production. (3)

The adrenal gland and thyroid gland play a major part in regulating many feelings – everything from stress levels to appetite. Restoring the health of these glands is paramount for someone wanting to feel their best.

3. Male’s Testosterone Levels and Fertility

In clinical studies, serum levels of testosterone were not shown to be affected by maca. Black maca however, has been shown to have positive effects on sperm production, more than yellow maca and red maca.

Red maca has its own benefits for male hormonal health.  It has been shown to reduce prostate size in studies done on male rats. This points to the conclusion that maca may possibly help improve human prostate health as well.

In other studies, maca has also been shown to improve sperm production, mobility, and volume, all important factors of increasing fertility.

In another 2010 report summarizing the results of 4 clinical trials carried out by BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, maca was able to show benefits related to improving sexual dysfunction and sexual libido in adult men and women. However the other two trials did not show the same positive results, so more formal research is still needed to determine the exact power of maca on fertility.

Continue more Next