Maca is a plant grown in the Peruvian Andes over 4000m above sea level. Its root and hypocotyl – the bulbous stem below the leafy growth – have for centuries been part of the diet and culture of people in the region. Legend has it that Incan warriors consumed it prior to battle to increase their fighting spirit, and it has historically been used to enhance strength, stamina and libido. It presents a broad spectrum of nutrients, which combine to produce an adaptogen – something that helps the body balance its endocrine hormone and immune systems. It does not target specific symptoms but instead has an overall optimising effect on the body, helping it deal with adverse physical, chemical or biological influences. For this reason Maca is increasingly popular with athletes.

The core of Maca’s nutritional profile is carbohydrate, which is over half its volume. This is an energy source and vital to active people. The carbohydrate is balanced in Maca by a healthy dose of proteins, which assist the growth, repair and maintenance of muscle tissue. The calcium offered by Maca is also a vital resource for anyone, being required to create and maintain our bones and teeth. Our nervous system also needs calcium, and it has a part to play in our circulation. Maca provides several other vital minerals, too. Its iron content is required by us to help produce red blood cells, and so prevent anaemia, while its magnesium is required by every cell in the body. It is essential for efficient nerve and muscle function and helps us absorb protein properly. The vitamin content of Maca is significant, too. It contains Vitamin B1, necessary in our diets for proper function of both the muscles and the nervous system. Vitamin B2 helps us extract the energy from Maca’s carbohydrate content, as well as producing red blood cells. Vitamin C helps heal wounds and regulate blood flow, but is also highly antioxidant.

A signature component of Maca is dietary fibre, an absolutely essential part of our intake and one which many modern foods lack in sufficiency. Fibre stabilises blood sugar, fluctuations in which have a significant impact on performance during sports. It helps prevention of and recovery from gastrointestinal problems, and helps lower blood pressure. Lack of dietary fibre is associated with heart disease, stroke, diabetes and obesity.

There are several slightly-differing variants of Maca, which express themselves in the colour of the root and hypocotyl. Maca can be cream, yellow-gold, green, red, purple, grey or black. Fundamentally these have the same basic nutritional profile, but they exhibit small shifts in the proportions of secondary phytonutrients they present. Scientific study has begun to confirm the established dietary opinion that different colours of Maca have slightly different beneficial properties. Rainforest Foods Maca capsules contain a blend of 4 different phenotypes of Maca powder of Lepidium peruvianum Chacon – a specific type of maca  – designed to provide optimal benefits to people consuming it as a system optimiser and stabiliser. Rainforest Foods Maca capsules are designed to support general good health. They are antiseptic and antifungal, they promote good sexual health and help smooth passage through episodes of hormonal flux such as menstruation, menopause and andropause. This is a great supplement to maximise your energy and function at your best.

Production
Rainforest Foods Maca is cultivated in Peru, at high altitude (over 4000m). The growing season is eight months long, which gives time for the nutritional profile to develop fully. A further three months is given to a natural, open-air drying process. The dried roots are cleaned and broken into small pieces. These are then processed to reduce the starch content to make the nutrients more easily absorbed by the human body and more concentrated. This finished maca powder contains the full array of nutrients that maca offers with just the levels of starch being reduced. It takes over 5kg of maca root to make 1kg of our maca root 5:1 powder with each 500mg capsule containing the equivalent of 2500mg of maca root.

The powder is encapsulated in the UK by a leading GMP (Good Marketing Practice)-registered pharmaceutical manufacturer. GMP registration requires rigorous inspection by the MHRA (Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency), the government agency responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices work and are safe. Regular GMP audits enforce optimum quality standards in the encapsulation process. Rainforest Foods capsule casings are made from HPMC, a plant-based cellulose material approved for vegetarian and vegan use by the Vegetarian Society, and Halal and Kosher-certified. HPMC is about as biologically neutral a foodstuff as it is possible to find, and the only other ingredient in the casings is water. Read our blog article on the subject for more information. The capsules are 100% pure, using no fillers, binders or bulking agents. Each capsule contains 500mg of powder.

Organic Certification
Rainforest Foods Maca capsules are certified by the Soil Association, one of a handful of organic certification bodies in the UK. These are regulated in their turn by DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). The role of the Soil Association is to ensure that all foods sold as organic are definably so. It does this by auditing every stage of the supply chain, through growth, export and processing. Soil Association certification – indicated by the Soil Association logo and the EU organic leaf symbol on our packaging – is a guarantee that our customers are purchasing an organic product. All organically-certified products must also carry a certification code on their packaging. For UK companies such as Rainforest Foods this has the format GB-ORG-XX, XX indicating the certifying body. If this is not present, a product is not organic. The Soil Association code on our products is GB-ORG-05.

Ingredients
Organic Maca root 5:1 powder. HPMC plant-based cellulose capsule casings, Vegetarian Society-approved, Halal and Kosher-certified.

Suggested Use
We recommend that you take 1-2 capsules daily. There is no set dosage, however and you should experiment to find what works best for you. Store your Maca capsules in a cool, dry place.

Nutritional Analysis
For details on nutritional content, please click on the back label image above.  For further information about Maca, please visit the Maca overview and read Maca articles on our blog.

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