12022-05-23T20:41:25-07:00Mellanie Gamero145cdb416835ae5f2fd6057c64393ce87cb5016c406882Maca seeds are extracted between the months of August and September from dried rosettes (or leaves) of the Maca bulbs via wind dispersion.plain2022-05-23T21:21:25-07:00Mellanie Gamero145cdb416835ae5f2fd6057c64393ce87cb5016c
12022-05-11T11:25:27-07:00Mellanie Gamero145cdb416835ae5f2fd6057c64393ce87cb5016cLepidium meyenii: The fertility rootJacqueline Duong145Maca… maybe you’ve heard of it, maybe you consume it on a daily basis. Maca is the highest elevation crop known today, and is native to the high elevation Andes mountains in Peru, growing in elevations up to 4500 m high! Maca has been a highly valued commodity for many indigenous peoples within the Andes mountains of Peru throughout history and persists to be valued today. Known for its turnip-like shape due to its bulbous hypocotyl, it is highly sought after for its roots. Consuming the roots will result in many notable benefits, such as nutritional benefits, mood improvements, and enhancements in energy, strength… even fertility, all which are backed by numerous studies. These benefits are all due to the numerous nutrients, fibers, bioactive compounds, and natural compounds lepidiline A and B that are contained within Maca. Combined, they all make Maca the nutritional powerhouse that is today. Once this nutritional powerhouse was advertised to the world, it became an immediate hit. The demand for Maca created a market boom and countries started trying to cultivate the plant to meet the demand. One country that cultivated Maca is China. In the high mountains of Yunnan, Maca was successfully cultivated and thus became a common ingredient in Chinese traditional medicine. As such, Maca remains an important dietary source not only in Peru, but as well as worldwide! With more research being done today to further explore what components are in Maca, only time will tell what additional health benefits Maca has to offer us. By Mellanie Gamero and Jacqueline Duongplain2022-06-03T09:19:27-07:00Jacqueline Duong7ba49d8122d8595d23dae05feddc88d987a1bee5
