Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy
Clinical Support and Doctor Testimonial for Maca
While Maca's use as a hormone balancing supplement is relatively new, there has already been some significant research and findings on how Maca works. Below are some highlights from the body of this research.
Background Research on how Maca Works
Peruvian medical doctors say that maca root works in a fundamentally different way than HRT, promoting optimal functioning
of the hypothalamus and the pituitary, thereby improving the functioning of all the endocrine glands.
They isolated four alkaloids from the maca root and carried out animal studies with male and female rats given either
powdered maca root or the alkaloids. Females receiving either root powder or alkaloids showed multiple egg follicle
maturation, while in males, significantly higher sperm production and motility rates were noted than in control groups.
They established that it was the alkaloids in the maca root, not its plant hormones, that produced fertility
effects on the ovaries and testes of the rats. "These effects are measurable within 72 hours of dosing the animals," they
said. They deduced that the alkaloids were acting on the hypothalamus-pituitary axis, which explains why both male
and female rats were affected in a gender-appropriate manner. This also explains why the effects in humans are
not limited to ovaries and testes, but also act on the adrenals, giving a feeling of greater energy and vitality, and
on the pancreas and thyroid as well.
Implications of the discovery of the pituitary-stimulating effects of maca are enormous. What it means is that
hormone replacement therapy - even the natural varieties - will no longer be the gold standard for optimizing
health from a holistic point of view.
Maca is making major strides as an alternative medicine
- Quality Company™ MacaXX™ was presented at a special meeting of the United Nations that explored inexpensive alternative remedies. The fact that MDs would present Maca to the UN shows the confidence MDs have in Maca as an effective herbal supplement.
- Quality Company™ MacaXX™ was also presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association as a natural alternative to antidepressant medications.
Ailments that Doctors are using Maca to treat
Dr Jorge Aguila Calderon, Dean of the Faculty of Human Medicine at the National University of Federico Villareal in Lima,
prescribes maca for a wide variety of conditions, including osteoporosis and the healing of bone fractures in
the very elderly. He says, "Maca has a lot of easily absorbable calcium in it, plus magnesium, and a fair amount of
silica, which we are finding very useful in treating decalcification of bones in children and adults."
Dr Calderon has also helped patients overcome male impotence, male sterility and female sterility by employing
maca therapy. Additional problems he treats with maca are rickets, various forms of anaemia, menopausal symptoms such
as hot flashes and night sweats, climacteric and erectile difficulties in men, premature ageing, and general states of
weakness, such as chronic fatigue.
Hugo Malaspina, MD, Works with Maca
Now practising complementary medicine with an emphasis on the use of medicinal herbs, one of the modern pioneers in the therapeutic use of this ancient herb for an urban population is Hugo Malaspina, MD, a respected cardiologist in Lima. Dr Malaspina has been using the maca root in his practice for a decade and makes the following observation: "There are different medicinal plants that work on the ovaries stimulating them. With maca, though, we should say that it regulates the ovarian function." Dr Malaspina, who uses maca therapy for both his male and female patients, recalls that he first heard about this extraordinary herb through a group of elderly gentlemen who, while well along in years were still lively and interested in enjoying sexual activities. "One of this group (they were all over 70) started taking maca and found he was able to perform satisfactorily in a sexual relationship with a lady friend. Soon everyone in the group began drinking the powdered maca as a beverage and enjoying the boos that the root was giving their hormonal functions. " I have several of these men as my patients and their improvement prompted me to find out more about maca and begin recommending it to my other patients", Dr. Malaspina stated. What makes maca so effective, according to Dr. Malaspina, is that rather than introducing hormones from outside the body, maca encourages the ovaries and other glands to produce the needed hormones. The cardiologist said, "Maca regulates the organs of internal secretion, such as the pituitary, the adrenal glands, the pancreas, etc. I have perhaps 200 female patients whose premenopausal and postmenopausal symptoms are alleviated by taking maca."
American Physician Gabriel Cousens, MD, Uses Maca
Physicians in the United States believe this herb has the potential of a balanced answer to the effects of ageing on the endocrine system. Many who have tried phytoestrogens and/or precursor hormones such as DHEA or pregnenelone, or even natural hormone replacement therapy and have been dissatisfied, are getting excellent results from their use of maca root. Gabriel Cousens, MD, practicing internal medicine in Arkansas, says: "Whenever possible, I prefer to use maca therapy rather than hormone replacement therapy because HRT actually ages the body by diminishing the hormone-producing capability of the glands. Maca has proven to be very effective with menopausal patients in eliminating hot flashes and depression and in increasing energy levels. To find the right dosage level, sometimes I started the patient on maca treatment with a half a teaspoon of powder or three capsules a day. In some cases I have raised the dosage to a teaspoon or six capsules a day for full effectiveness."
Henry Campanile, MD, offers Adrenal Balancing Maca root
In keeping with its mode of acting through the hypothalamus and pituitary, maca has a balancing and nourishing effect on the adrenal glands. Henry Campanile, MD, a 50-year old specialist in internal and family/complementary medicine practising in Florida states: "I happen to have been born with only one adrenal gland just like my father. I started taking cortisone in my late twenties to relieve the fatigue which I was already feeling. Knowing the dangers of long term cortisone use, I looked around for an alternative, and this circumstance is what got me interested in complementary medicine. I started using pregnenelone about 10 years ago and it has been fairly satisfactory. But one of my patients told me about Maca and I started taking it about a month ago.
It is phenomenal! I haven’t felt this good since I was 20 years old. I have so much energy and look so well, my patients have remarked on it and told me how rested I seem. I’ve got so much energy now, that I’ve started an exercise program". After trying it on himself, Dr Campanile began using maca with his patients. My first patient to take maca capsules was experiencing hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms. She started feeling much better after using this herb for only four days. I’m also employing it with patients who have a low adrenal function."
Harold Clark, M.D. Makes Maca a Key Treatment
Another American doctor who has recently begun to use maca therapeutically for some patients is Harold Clark, MD, of New Rochelle, New York. Dr Clark, who utilizes chelation therapy and ozone therapy in addition to herbs, b vitamins and minerals in his practice stated, "I’m amazed at how fast maca worked on two patients that I have been concerned about for some time." He described one patient as 55 year-old Mary T, a postmenopausal woman. Mary T was possessed of numerous sugar, hypertension, atrial fibrillation and hypomagnesemia. She had been acutely ill for two months with osteomyelitis and generalised sepsis. Unable to work, she was suffering from great fatigue and depression and feeling "worse and worse" over the last five years. "Within just four days of taking the maca capsules, Mary T went through an enormous turnaround," said Dr. Clark. "She has gone out to shop in the stores; she’s cleaned her house; she feels strong and vigorous; and her depression is gone."
Maca as an Anti-Ageing Herb for both Men and Women
Garry P Gordon, MD, former president of the American College for Advancement in Medicine, now Founder and President of the International College of Advanced Longevity Medicine, located in Chicago, Illinois, bases his appreciation of maca on his own experience with it. Dr Gordon says: "We all hear rumors about various products like maca. But using this Peruvian root myself, I personally experienced a significant improvement in erectile tissue. I call it "nature’s answer to Viagra." "What I see in maca is a means of normalizing our steroid hormones, like testosterone, progesterone and estrogen. Therefore it has the capability to forestall hormonal changes of ageing," Dr Gordon believes. "It acts on men to restore them to a healthy functional status in which they experience a more active libido." Lots of men and women who previously believed their sexual problems were psychological are now clearly going to look for something physiological to improve quality of life in the area of sexuality", says Dr Gordon. "Of course, as someone interested in longevity, I’m aware that mortality comes on much sooner for those individuals whose sexual activity is diminished or non existent. In other words, I believe that people who engage in sex twice a week or more live longer. I’ve found sexual activity to be a reliable marker for overall ageing."
Dr Burton Goldberg, President of Future Medicine Publishing in Tiburon, California, whose latest book, An Alternative Medicine Definitive Guide to cancer, is another enthusiast of maca. He says that when he tried maca he was very pleased with the results and began taking it regularly. "I’m a 72-year old man and this maca has taken 25 years off my ageing sex life", "That’s pretty important to me!, declares Dr Burton Goldberg.
LTC. Mark H. Smith, MD, practices medicine at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Dr. Smith uses MacaXX™ for his cardiovascular workouts and says it is probably the most effective supplement he has ever used to increase stamina and endurance. Quality Company Health Support Team™ member.
Sue Chavez RN, MEd. is one of the nurses you will speak with when you contact the Quality Company Health Support Team™. Sue is in menopause and knows what life was like without MacaXX™. "I slept with a bucket of ice water and a face cloth next to my bed for months before using MacaXX™. After one week, my hot flashes and night sweats were gone!"
MacaXX™ - Composition and Nutritional Values
Since the 1960s, serious research has been undertaken in relation to MACA's nutritional and medicinal values (Obreg'n. 1998), confirming the traditional claims of MACA's contribution to human health.
MACA's high nutritional value comes from the fact that its flour contains about 59% carbohydrates, 14% proteins, 9% fiber and 2% lipids among other components (Garr', 1972; Garr', Le'n y Julca, 1993, and Deni A., Migliuolo G.Rastrelli L., Saturnino P., and Schefino O.; 1994; Cabieses 1997). Specifically, MACA contains, 1) a large number of essential amino acids, such as aspartic acid, glutamic acid, serine, glycine, arginine, valine and lysine (Garr', 1972); 2) fatty acids: palmatic acids, linoleic acid and saturated fatty acids; 3) minerals (mg/100g), Fe 16.6, Mn 0.8, Cu 5.9, Zn 3.8, Na 18.7, K 2,050 and Ca 150, and 4) vitamins, Thyamine (B1), Riboflavin (B2), and Vitamin C (Garr', 1972 and Deni A., et al, 1994).
However, the major importance of MACA flour comes from the combination of its nutritional elements with other components giving heightened nutritional/medicinal effects. Thus, 1) 4 alkaloids named macaina 1, 2, 3 and 4 have been detected, which stimulate the reproductive system of both sexes (Chac'n, 1962; Garr', Le'n, and Julca, 1993); it is considered that the alkaloids in Maca activate the calcitonine hormone that regulates calcium and phosphorus metabolism and activates the parathonnone involved with same metabolism; 2) the high presence of the amino-acids lysine and arginine in MACA has an effect on the regulation of female and male fertility respectively; arginine constitutes 80% of male reproductive cells, thus, MACA could solve problems related to deficiency of these amino acids, leading to lack of sexual desire and originating certain types of male and female infertility; 3) among its components are certain sterols, (Espinoza and Poma, 1995): Brassycosterol, Ergosterol, Carnpesterol, delta 7.22 Ergostadienol, and specially Sitosterol (Dini A. et al, 1994). Correction of menopause problems and an increase in female fertility are attributed to Maca sterols and lysine; 4) glucosinolates have been found, specially benzyl isotiocyanate (Johns, 1980); this author finds that worldwide, plants with glucosinolates, like MACA, are consumed because of their action on reproductive hormonal processes, and 5) fructose, a monosaccharide sugar with 173.3 degree of sweetness, superior to glucose, is present; fructose is recommended for combating athletes' fatigue; fructose is a sugar utilized by seminal plasma to give energy to spermatozoids.
Tests have been carried out on guinea pigs, frogs, cattle, sheep and certain observations made with human beings, showing, 1) increase in female fertility and the production of seminal fluid in males; 2) animals fed with MACA had the same weight as those fed on other products, but, those fed with MACA were more active and energetic, that is to say, MACA is a great source of energy without fattening; 3) young born from female fed on MACA had higher birth weight; 4) it controls rickets and osteomalacia in children and adults; 5) it revitalizes physical and intellectual capabilities, 6) it is effective against premature aging and organic feebleness with the loss of energy, and 7) it controls different kinds of anemia.
In general, MACA can overcome energy wear and tear caused by the modern accelerated way of life, poor nutrition and inadequate social and hygienic environment.
Bibliography
Dini A., Migliuolo G., Rastrelli L., Saturnino P. and Schettino O., "Chemical composition of Lepidium meyenii", in Food Chemistry 49, London, UK, 1994.
Chac'n, G. Estudio fitoquímico de Lepidium meyenii Walp Thesis, Universidad Nacional Mayor San Marcos, Lima, 1962.
Espinoza, C.L. and Poma 1. P., Determinaci'n de amino ácidos esenciales de la maca (Lepidium meyenii) y elaboraci'n de una mezcla protéica a base de alimentos andinos, Thesis, Universidad Nacional del Centro del Perú, Huancayo, 1995
Fitomédica, "Maca, ginseng andino", in Fitomédica, Madrid, 1998.
Garr' V., Nuevo sistema de solventes para cromatografía de aminoácidos y participaci'n cuantitativa de L-valina y L-metionina, Doctoral Thesis, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, 1972.
Garr' V. Le'n E. and Julca T.B., " Extracci'n, separaci'n e identificaci'n por cromatografía de alcaloides de Lepidium meyenii Walp. (Maka), Instituto de Química Orgánica Aplicada a la Farmacia, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, VI Congreso Peruano de Farmacia y Bioquimíca, October, 1993.
Johns, Timothy A., Ethnobotany and phytochemistry of Tropaeolum Tuberosum and Lepidium Meyenii from Andean South America, Ph.D. Thesis, The University of British Columbia, Canada, 1980.
Obreg'n, L., Maca, Planta medicinal y nutritivo del Perú, Instituto de Fitoterapia Americana, Lima, Perú, 1998.
Maca Information:
Click here to read the Introduction on Maca
Click here to read why we selected MacaXX from Quality Company
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