Maca for Fertility

How Maca Improves Fertility in both Men and Women

Maca is growing in popularity as a supplement that you can take to boost your fertility. But, can maca help you conceive? Tracing the history of maca will help us understand why it has been gaining this reputation in our present day setting.

This root plant with the scientific name Lepidium meyenii, is the only plant that grows in the inhospitable climate of the high Andean mountains in Peru and Bolivia. The altitude of this place is about 4,000 meters above sea level. The ancient Incas of 2,000 years ago used this plant for food and medicine. Modern researchers have branded maca as a superfood because of its ability to improve the performance of all organs of the body, especially those related to our sexual functions.

The Discovery of Maca’s Ability To Boost Fertility
From the pages of history, we can take a glimpse of how maca was discovered as a potent agent in boosting one’s sexual function. During the time of the Spanish conquest, the Spaniards noticed that they were losing their sex drive. At that very high altitude and extreme climate conditions of the Andes Mountain, the sexual functions of both Spanish men and women were adversely affected. They experienced problems with conception and carrying their pregnancies into their full term. The same thing happened to their domesticated animals. Even their animals stopped producing their normal litters.

They noticed that nothing of that condition has happened to the native Incas. One thing they observed was that the natives were eating a root plant which can only be found in the Andes Mountain. They cooked the root plant, powdered it and consumed it regularly. Their animals also dug up the root plants to eat them. The Spaniards then began to give maca to their animals and they themselves ate them too. Their began to recover their sex drive and so do their animals. Soon they were back to their normal sexual functions once again. Eventually the word spread out to the west reaching down to our time. Maca began to be known as a powerful aphrodisiac. Modern doctors began using it in the ‘80s and the ‘90s. Now, maca is being marketed in different forms, in pills, capsules, powder form and gelatinized.

How Maca Will Help Improve Your Fertility
Maca nourishes your endocrine system and helps the efficient functioning of your granular system as well. These include your thyroid glands, adrenal glands and pituitary glands which are all essential in attaining hormonal balance. Although maca does not produce hormones, it will induce your body to produce the required hormones in a balanced way. With women, maca will help in achieving the correct ratio between estrogen and progesterone which is optimal for fertility. With men, maca will help in the right production of estrogen and testosterone which will help treat erectile dysfunction, and increase sperm count.

Using Maca For Fertility
Here are some of the fundamental things you need to follow when using maca for fertility purposes.

• Whenever possible, use only maca powder of the highest quality. Look for maca roots that are grown organically.
• Consume maca in dosages specifically suited for you. People will react to maca differently therefore don’t use other people’s dosage even if they experience improvement in their conditions. Use a therapeutic dosage since you are using it therapeutically.
• If it is possible, use red maca. This variety is more potent for fertility enhancement. It is the most nutritionally packed form of maca.
• You and your partner should use maca to achieve maximum results. It can give both of you additional health benefits which can help in your objective of fertilization.
• Consider detoxifying your system. If your system is cleansed of toxins, absorption of healthy nutrients will be maximized. This condition will help your system absorb the medicinal benefits of maca in optimum amounts.

Maca is available in pills, capsules, powder, tincture and in gelatinized form. The easiest to digest is the gelatinized maca because most of the starch content is removed. It is also the most concentrated form of maca.

Recommended Dosages of Maca
It is safe to think that since maca is a food, there is no way you can take an overdose. Even then, it is better to start slowly. The usual dose for a beginner is 500 to 1,000 mg per day. As soon as you can, increase it to the regular daily recommended dosage which is 3,000 to 5,000 mg per day. This is approximately 1 to 2 teaspoons of maca powder. Some even take about 1 tablespoon per day. If you are taking it in capsule form, three to six capsules per day will give you good results.

Divide these doses equally three times a day. It is always safe to start with lower doses then increase the doses to the optimum level as soon as you are able to. For safety purposes, if you have high blood pressure or if you are using a heart pace maker, consult a health professional first before taking maca for fertility.

Related Articles:

The Role That Maca Can Play In Infertility In Women- Many women have used maca to help with their infertility problems. We consider the role that maca plays in these cases.

Can Maca Help Infertile Men? - Discover what maca can do to help men's fertility.