Maca Root

Maca Root: How the “Passion Plant” of the Andes
Can Help Put the Fire Back Into Your
Furnace Almost Overnight!

This powerful herbal supplement dramatically boosts both male and female libido, by restoring and balancing the body’s natural hormone production levels. While it is not a hormone itself, it regulates hormones naturally, bringing abnormally low levels up, and abnormally high levels down. The result is a more youthful balance of hormones that really puts the fire back into the fireplace!

Experts say that when used as recommended, Maca Root has no adrenal-inhibiting side effects as are common with synthetic hormone prescriptions, nor does Maca Root have any of the potentially dangerous side effects of Viagra (heart attack/vision disruption).

Observers warn that the FDA may soon move to block importation of this beneficial herb, just as they moved to ban the nutritional hormone supplement androstenedione in order to help protect pharmaceutical company profits and shore up flagging sales of Viagra and the new prescription testosterone “patch”. So be sure to stock up on Maca Root now while it is still legally available!

An Exclusive Interview with George Foss

Former general manager of Kayser Nutrition, southern California’s health food store chain to the wealthy and famous for 52 years, George has been called a “walking repository of nutritional supplement research knowledge,” and is a long-time consultant to the nutritional supplement industry. Featured on a variety of television and radio news broadcasts over the past 20 years, he is widely considered by west coast news media outlets to be the nutritional supplement industry’s “go to” guy on natural health topics.

Life & Health: George, thanks for joining us again. Today we’re going to be talking about Maca Root. As you know, this popular herb has long been referred to as the “passion plant” of the Andes due to its dramatic libido-boosting properties. Could you tell us a little bit about it? For example, is it like Viagra or any of the prescription medications that work through the body’s nitric oxide cycle?

George Foss: Actually, the Maca Root herb is quite different from prescription drugs like Viagra. First of all, those types of drugs are used almost exclusively by men, for the express purpose of achieving an erection. Maca Root, on the other hand works for both men and women. And instead of forcing a particular organ of the body to function, it increases overall sexual drive and libido. In other words, one of its chief characteristics is that it boosts the flagging desire for sex, whether the person taking it is male or female.

Life & Health: How does it do this?

George Foss: Several clinical studies have demonstrated that Maca works primarily on the hypothalamus gland in the brain, triggering specific biochemical and neurochemical processes directly related to increased sexual drive and arousal.

However, some preliminary research has demonstrated that Maca also helps regulate sex hormones naturally, bringing abnormally low levels up, and abnormally high levels down. Either way, the result is a more youthful and energetic sexual drive, regardless of gender.

Life & Health: We’ll talk about some of the clinical research that’s been conducted on Maca in a moment. But first, can you be a little bit more specific about the difference between Maca and prescription drugs like Viagra?

George Foss: Sure. First of all, Viagra, the so-called “little blue pill,” is a chemical drug, rather than a natural substance. It works by inhibiting a very specific enzyme called phosphodiesterase 5, or PDE5, which is found primarily in the penis. This enzyme has one particular job, which is to deactivate a chemical called cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP).

Now don’t let all of these chemical terms throw you. It is really a very simple process. You see, cGMP is used by the body to help relax the smooth muscles in the penis, allowing for greater blood flow into the penis when a man becomes sexually aroused, thereby producing a firmer erection. But when the enzyme known as PDE5 inhibits cGMP, the smooth muscles fail to relax, and blood flow is restricted. And with restricted blood flow it is very difficult to produce a firm erection.

Viagra actually stops PDE from inhibiting cGMP. This allows the smooth muscles of the penis to relax, and once the subject becomes fully sexually aroused, the blood begins to flow strongly into the penis. Of course, the end result is a firm erection.

The problem is this: Viagra’s work is largely mechanical. By that I mean it cannot trigger the more complex emotional, mental and biochemical processes that lead to sexual arousal in the first place. It can only trigger a mechanical reaction, which is to say, blood flow to the penis.

Maca, on the other hand, goes straight to the heart of the matter: It boosts desirefor sex. It’s a true libido booster that stimulates sexual arousal by triggering the complex biochemical processes involved in sexual desire.

Life & Health: So Maca works primarily in the brain?

George Foss: Yes. And it’s really not surprising. Maca is a light stimulant – a little stronger, for example, than caffeine. And stimulants that work chiefly on the brain very often trigger sexual arousal. For example, in a study printed in the journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behaviour, it was found that even caffeine could trigger sexual arousal in women to a certain degree, particularly if they were not regular coffee drinkers. So it stands to reason that somewhat stronger neural stimulants like Maca Root would trigger even greater sexual arousal. Again, it is the actual physical desire for sex that is dramatically increased when Maca Root is used. To put it crudely, Maca Root turns you on. It makes you horny. Sexually, it makes you feel like a kid again.

Life & Health: How long does it take to work?

George Foss: Believe it or not, for most people it starts working right away. Some people have to take Maca daily for a week or so, and allow it to build up in the body. They tend to notice a gradual increase in energy, stamina and even mental acuity on a day by day basis, which rather quickly translates into increased sexual energy and desire. Other people get quite a boost out of it right away, the very first time they take it.

When I was at Kayser Nutrition in southern California, our feedback indicated more than 80 percent user satisfaction by the end of the first week, and 90 percent by the end of the second week.

Life & Health: That’s tremendous! But why not just take prescription hormone drugs like testosterone for men, or estrogen and progesterone for women, instead of Maca?

George Foss: For some people, that may be the answer, particularly if their body is low in one specific hormone. But prescription hormone drugs – whether you are talking about testosterone for men or estrogen and progesterone for women – can have some very nasty side effects. What’s more, because of the hormonal complexity of the human body, taking any particular prescription hormone drug can actually throw the rest of the body’s hormones completely out of balance. So over the course of time, you can make the problem worse, instead of better. What’s more, taking prescription hormone drugs like testosterone and estrogen can lead to an excessive buildup in the body, which in turn can trigger the growth of certain cancers.

The bottom line is that flooding the body with hormones is not necessarily always the right approach. Always check with your doctor first, of course. But for many people, the right answer might be much simpler. A light neuronal stimulant like Maca, may be the real key to regaining youthful sexual desire.

Remember, unlike prescription hormone drugs, Maca is completely natural, and it seems to have a balancing effect on the body’s entire endocrine system. What’s more, it has a 200 year history of safe usage as an all-natural libido-booster for both men and women.

Life & Health: Tell us a little bit about the history of Maca.

George Foss: The scientific name of Maca is Lepidium meyenii. It is a root-like vegetable plant from the mustard family that’s shaped a bit like a radish. It grows high in the harsh climate of the Andes Mountains in South America at elevations up to 15,000 feet.

Maca is most frequently consumed in Peru as a health drink, and is often found blended at market stands with fruit or vegetables. The tuberous roots are also dried, boiled, and made into jam and pudding. It’s considered to be a super-food among the indigenous tribes of the Andes, and is widely prized as a general tonic for boosting stamina and relieving fatigue and malaise. But it is most highly prized as a sexual performance and fertility enhancer. Its ability to relieve frigidity in women and symptoms of low libido in men is now legendary among the Peruvians.

In fact, the ranchers of South Americans first began using the Maca plant about two hundred years ago when they noticed a startling phenomena: the cattle on their farms began mating more frequently and with greater passion whenever there was Maca herb growing naturally in their pasture. Since that time, native Peruvians have used Maca Root as both food and medicine, to promote endurance and improve energy, vitality, sexual virility and fertility.

Traditional Peruvian consumers of Maca have a saying: “Maca vida, Maca salud,” which roughly translated means “Maca is life, Maca is health.”

Life & Health: Have there been any studies on Maca Root?

George Foss: Yes. The Peruvian government considers Maca to be a national treasure, and has funded many studies. For example, researchers have found that feeding Maca Root extract to normal male mice dramatically increases the frequency with which they coupled with female mice. This study was actually published in the medical journal Urology, Volume 55, back in 2000.

A 12-week double blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial conducted at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, in Lima, Peru, confirmed the same results in adult males. And a study published in the Asian Journal of Andrology has demonstrated Maca’s ability to dramatically increase libido. In fact, researcher Gustavo Gonzales of the Peruvian Cayateno Heredia University demonstrated that over a period of three months, Maca raised sex drive by 180 to 200%, and doubled sperm production in males after only two weeks of use.

It was studies conducted by Dr. Gloria Chacon of Lima, Peru that documented the fact that Maca works on the hypothalamus-pituitary gland, which apparently is one reason why it has been found to be equally beneficial for both sexes. As Dr. Ray Sahelian, M.D., points out, when researchers at Australia’s Victoria University gave postmenopausal women daily doses of Maca for six weeks, and compared them to a group receiving placebo pills, they found that the women who received the Maca had a significant reduction in anxiety and depression, as well as improved sexual function.”

Life & Health: So it really works for both sexes?

George Foss: Absolutely. That’s why a lot of the well-known health and medical gurus are recommending it. For example, Burton Goldberg, editor of The Alternative Medicine Definitive Guide to Cancer, is an avowed Maca Root enthusiast. He stated in the prestigious Townsend Letter for Doctors, “I’m a 72 year old man and this Maca has taken 25 years off my aging sex life. That’s pretty important to me!”

Dr. Gary F. Gordon, former president of the American College for Advancement in Medicine has stated, “We all hear rumors about products like Maca. But using this Peruvian root myself, I personally experienced a significant improvement in erectile tissue response.” Dr. Gordon explains that unlike some libido products that work by boosting hormone levels, Maca works by normalizing levels of steroid hormones like testosterone, progesterone and estrogen which work together in the human body to influence libido. He takes great pains to point out that it works equally well for boosting libido in both males and females alike.

Life & Health: Are there any serious side effects?

George Foss: When used as recommended, Maca has none of the adrenal-inhibiting side effects that are common with the use of synthetic hormone prescription drugs. Nor does Maca have any of the potentially dangerous side effects of Viagra and similar prescription drugs (i.e., heart attack/vision disruption). It’s a very safe herb. When I was general manager of Kayser Nutrition, it was hard to keep Maca on the shelf. We had a very upscale clientele, including a number of well-known movie stars, millionaires, captains of business and industry who were strong proponents of natural health and natural remedies. And they just loved Maca.

Life & Health: George, we always appreciate your keen insights into nutritional supplement usage, as well as your ability to make complex issues easy to understand. Thanks for taking the time to speak with us today.

George Foss: It is my pleasure. Please allow me to remind readers that pure, high-potency Maca Root is available inexpensively through my good friends at Targeted Nutrients, by calling 1-888-528-0559. Or simply order online by clicking the button directly below.

[Special thanks to Life & Health Research Group, LLC, for permission to reprint this excerpt from their upcoming newsletter, The Foss Report on Nutritional Supplements.]