What is Maca?
Posted by The Maca Team on 5th Aug 2024
Odds are the only maca root you’ve ever encountered has been powdered, bagged, and labeled for purchase. The truth is, most people don’t really know where their food comes from anymore. It’s too easy to trust the “organic” label on the food you buy at the grocery store. Even if you’re only trying to eat more conscientiously, making any drastic changes to your diet should involve a good deal of research, and a visit to a licensed medical professional besides. We can help you with the research part!
What is Maca?
Perhaps because it’s most commonly found in its ground and powdered form, a lot of people seem to think maca works similarly to products like protein powders you might take before or after a workout. That’s one misconception it’s important to address. Maca isn’t a supplement, it’s a food - namely, it’s a root. Maca, sometimes referred to by its scientific name of Lepidium meyenii, is a Peruvian plant of the Brassicacae family that for many years grew exclusively in the Peruvian Andes. Brassicaceae or Cruciferae is a family of plants that includes mustard, broccoli, and radish. So what makes maca special? Besides the fact that it’s rich in fiber, essential amino acids, and other nutrients, it also contains glucosinolates, which are anti-inflammatory, cancer-fighting agents. These are only some of the benefits that earn maca its title as not just any food, but a superfood.
Where Does Maca Come From?
Part of a health-conscious lifestyle is knowing where your food comes from. If you want to be sure that the food you eat is really doing your body good, you should probably try to have an idea of where it’s grown and who is responsible for its care.
Maca originates in the Andes mountains, where it’s been grown and harvested for consumption by humans and livestock for over 2,000 years. All of our maca products start in the same place: the Junin River Plateau in the Peruvian Andes. This is where maca root was first recognized for its numerous associated benefits including higher energy, improved mental clarity and focus, and increased fertility.
Today, maca root is such a valuable cultural and economic commodity that the Peruvian government has banned the export of whole maca plants, roots, and seeds. So we’ve partnered with a co-op of farmers who use traditional growing methods that allow the ground time to rest and replenish.
Our maca products, including our raw powdered maca and liquid maca extracts, are all 100% fair trade, non-GMO, organically-grown Fair Trade maca root all the time.
The maca grown in our fields goes through minimal processing before being shipped to us in small batches, which allows us to ensure that our customers get the freshest maca possible. For the most part, that means our maca roots are sorted by color - red, black and yellow - before being sun-dried and ground into powder for export. It’s a simple procedure, very nearly the same the original farmers of maca root would have used, and we think that’s one of the best things about it.
Why Buy From The Maca Team?
As purveyors of the highest quality maca on the market, we’ve worked hard to be a one-stop shop for information on maca root. We’ve collected everything from testimonials to verifiable scientific research on the effectiveness of maca root from a variety of reliable sources. Between our Maca FAQs and regular blog posts, we’re doing our part to help you make informed choices when choosing the right maca products to add to your diet. If you have any questions for us, please don’t hesitate to Contact Us using our web form, or call us toll-free at 888-919-8616.
Enjoy the Day!