Many guys say that Maca is good to reverse sides.
But why maca is good ? and why caffeine not ?
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Rivaridge had success with Maca and L-Arginine:
viewtopic.php?t=220&highlight=maca
J89 didn’t:
viewtopic.php?t=97&highlight=maca
Maca (Lepidium meyenii) is an adrenal adaptogen and stimulant, similar to ginseng, that is a root-based food product consumed on a daily basis in some South American countries (thus should be safe/non-toxic). Maca comes from the Andes in Peru, is purported to have energy, libido and fertility enhancing properties, and may lower cortisol.
There are 3 extracts of Maca – yellow, red, and black. However, there is also literature that says certain extracts (Red Maca) can affect the prostate, ie shrink it – which is what Finasteride did – which might mean affecting erectile function. It may also potentially have slight, though likely inconsequential, estrogenic effects.
It would appear that YELLOW Maca is the one to take – it increased T levels in rats, and did not shrink prostate in rats hardly at all, unlike Red maca.
Here are some reports that highlight Maca’s effects:
Libido boosting effects:
A pilot investigation into the effect of maca supplementation on physical activity and sexual desire in sportsmen
sciencedirect.com/science?_o … a56490d657
MACA: FROM TRADITIONAL FOOD CROP TO ENERGY AND LIBIDO STIMULANT
sciweb.nybg.org/science2/pdfs/mb … r_2002.pdf
EFFECT OF A LIPIDIC EXTRACT FROM Lepidium meyenii ON SEXUAL BEHAVIOR IN MICE AND RATS
cmp.org.pe/comites/cmtac/doc … logy00.pdf
Lepidium meyenii Walp. improves sexual behaviour in male rats independently from its action on spontaneous locomotor activity
sciencedirect.com/science?_o … cbd4ac247e
Acute and Chronic Dosing of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) on Male Rat Sexual Behavior
blackwell-synergy.com/doi/ab … 07.00437.x
Prostate shrinking effects of RED MACA:
Red maca (Lepidium meyenii) reduced prostate size in rats
rbej.com/content/3/1/5
Effect of two different extracts of red maca in male rats with testosterone-induced prostatic hyperplasia
blackwell-synergy.com/doi/ab … 07.00228.x
Dose–response effect of Red Maca (Lepidium meyenii) on benign prostatic hyperplasia induced by testosterone enanthate
sciencedirect.com/science?_o … 828c2bf6dc
Hormonal effects:
Lowered Cortisol – Short and Long-Term Physiological Responses of Male and Female Rats to Two Dietary levels of Pre-Gelatinized Maca (Lepidium Peruvianum Chacon)
ijbs.org/User/ContentFullTex … artPage=15
No effect on hormones in men – Effect of Lepidium meyenii (Maca), a root with aphrodisiac and fertility-enhancing properties, on serum reproductive hormone levels in adult healthy men
joe.endocrinology-journals.org/c … /176/1/163
Fertility enhancing effects:
Lepidium meyenii (Maca) improved semen parameters in adult men
asiaandro.com/1008-682X/3/301.htm
Effect of short-term and long-term treatments with three ecotypes of Lepidium meyenii (MACA) on spermatogenesis in rats
sciencedirect.com/science?_o … a38535494c
Effect of chronic treatment with three varieties of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) on reproductive parameters and DNA quantification in adult male rats.
pt.wkhealth.com/pt/re/andr/abstr … 28!8091!-1
Lepidium meyenii (Maca) reversed the lead acetate induced—Damage on reproductive function in male rats
sciencedirect.com/science?_o … b1a61fa90e
Dose–response effects of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) aqueous extract on testicular function and weight of different organs in adult rats
sciencedirect.com/science?_o … 5f56010cb2
Effect of Black maca (Lepidium meyenii) on one spermatogenic cycle in rats
blackwell-synergy.com/doi/ab … 06.00733.x
Potential estrogenic effects:
The in vitro biological activity of Lepidium meyenii extracts
springerlink.com/content/p02nt65307x3m137/
Misc effects:
Lepidium meyenii (Maca) does not exert direct androgenic activities
sciencedirect.com/science?_o … eb083a4296
Effect of three different cultivars of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) on learning and depression in ovariectomized mice
pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articl … id=1534053
The Influence of Maca ( Lepidium meyenii ) on Antioxidant Status, Lipid and Glucose Metabolism in Rat
springerlink.com/content/t216811632567x40/
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I did not have success with this.
I was on Maca for about a month.
First of all, to get any sort of effect, you’re supposed to take like 2500 mg. And, the pills are 525… so you gotta take like 5 a day. Not only that, but they caused me terrible upset stomach.
The actual effects? dunno… I felt a little bit more libido, my semen quality enhanced a little?
But since quitting Maca my semen is more or less back to normal and my sexual desire is about where it used to be… it’s just the reduction of spontaneous erections and less potent orgasm that lingers still.
If you REALLY wanna’ know more, search the forum for “maca”. Two users have not had any success on it (add one more), one had success on it.
My advice: Give it a try if you’re desperate, otherwise, save your money and consider Zinc, Quercetin, DIM, etc. If you’re looking for a NATURAL route, that is.
dont get the pills , get the powder…
Does it make much of a difference?
The pill is just the powder encapsulated.
the difference is you get more value for money from powder and you can get useful doses
i had one teaspoon in the morning and one at night in a glass of water and it did good for my libido.i believe you would need to take at least 15 caps to get the same amount in capsule form
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How much does the package say one should take each day? If we take maca, should we take a little more than indicated?
I bought a bag of yellow maca and had it shipped to me from canada. It was expensive, tastes terrible, and I have no idea how much to take. My first dose was a table spoon of the powder mixed in with water. In the afternoon I felt throbbing/tingling in my mind, but no substantial change in libido. I’ll stay with it a while longer and see how it feels.
joetz,
You should either get some empty gelatin capsules (size 00 lets say) and encapsulate the powder, or, add something like 30 mg of stevia to every 10 grams of maca powder in order to make it more palatable.
An earlier poster on this thread thought zinc or DIM might be better things to try than maca. I would caution that zinc is a known strong 5AR2 inhibitor (effects like fin) and DIM also looks to be a 5AR2 inhibitor. I noticed about a year and a half ago that I felt worse when taking zinc daily.
I have empty gelatin capsules I can use. I will give that a try. I still have no idea how much to take though. Anyone know the proper dose per day?
I started taking 525 mg per day. I think it’s helping libido …
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Gives me gyno
My hope is that it will help dh’s sex drive and my overall energy/mood, as well as help us conceive. I’m planning on taking 1000mg and dh will take 1500mg per day. I figure it’s worth a shot, but I definitely wanted to see if anyone else had experience with it. I’ve got cautious hopes that it will live up to it’s lofty claims, but I guess it works differently for different people.
I have not used it, but from what I understand it is strong and it is better (for women) to take less than the recommended dose to start off. I have really been wanting to try it because my hormones are all screwy (thank you breastfeeding) but I am afraid of it hurting my milk supply.
Maca (Lepidium mayenii), also known as Peruvian ginseng, is a favorite herb in South America to increase sexual desire in both men and women. It only grows high in the Andes mountains in Peru. While traditionally prepared as a root vegetable similar to radishes, maca is used primarily in powder form in the U.S. Organic maca root powder is added to protein shakes or taken in capsules or tablets. Maca appears to be a scientifically proven aphrodisiac. The herb enhances both male and female libido and even relieves some post-menopausal symptoms with no apparent negative side effects.
Maca is proven to enhance male sexual desire without affecting male sex hormone levels
In 2001, the Asian Journal of Andrology published a study indicating that in men, maca improved seminal volume, sperm motility (the ability to move spontaneously), and sperm count. Nine adult men in their twenties through forties took either 1500mg or 3000mg maca for four months. Sexual hormone levels were tested as well as semen and sperm levels. Male sexual hormone levels were not affected at all from maca, but sperm count and motility were definitely improved by taking maca.
A year later, scientists wanted to know if elevated mood was the reason maca had a positive effect on male sexual desire. For twelve weeks, males between the ages of 21 and 56 also took either 1500mg maca, 3000mg maca, or a placebo. Tests were performed at four, eight, and twelve weeks during the study to determine how each man felt about his own sexual desire, evidence of clinical depression, and anxiety. After eight weeks on maca, the men noted an improvement in sexual desire. There was no change in male sex hormone levels in either the maca group or the placebo group.
I eat raw maca powder (yellow I think - Navitas brand). It definitely increases my sperm volume and makes my balls more puffy. Here and there people write that maca shouldn’t be consumed in raw form as it is more toxic this way. Once I’ve also read about a study that had better results with gelatinized maca. According to some people even peruians eat maca cooked.
Just to add that I take powdered Maca and I think its helping. I’ve read a lot of literature on the benefits to bone-loss.
i’ve been taking maca and l arginine for the past week but haven’t noticed much improvement.
What happened with maca? any benefits?
No effect on anything for me