Maca: A Potential Functional Food and Nutraceutical
- Maca, a nutrient-dense food and medicinal plant of the Brassicaceae family, has been used for centuries to enhance energy and fertility. Researchers have identified up to 17 different colors of maca, and environmental factors and processing methods can affect its nutrition content, phytochemical profile, and clinical applications. This review discusses the available preclinical and clinical trials on the nutrition, phytochemicals, and various colors of maca, including black, red, yellow, purple, and gray, based on available research. The gaps, deficiencies, and conflicts in the studies are detailed, along with quality, safety, and efficacy criteria, highlighting the need for future research to specify all these factors of the maca used in publications.
- Maca, also known as Lepidium meyenii and Lepidium peruvianum, is a nutrient-dense food and medicinal plant that has been used for centuries to enhance energy and fertility. Environmental factors and processing methods can affect its nutrition content, phytochemical profile, and clinical applications. This review discusses the available preclinical and clinical trials on the nutrition, phytochemicals, and various colors of maca, including black, red, yellow, purple, and gray, based on available research. The gaps, deficiencies, and conflicts in the studies are detailed, along with quality, safety, and efficacy criteria, highlighting the need for future research to specify all these factors of the maca used in publications.
- Maca is a nutrient-dense food and medicinal plant that has been used for centuries to enhance energy and fertility. Environmental factors and processing methods can affect its nutrition content, phytochemical profile, and clinical applications. This review discusses the available preclinical and clinical trials on the nutrition, phytochemicals, and various colors of maca, including black, red, yellow, purple, and gray, based on available research. The gaps, deficiencies, and conflicts in the studies are detailed, along with quality, safety, and efficacy criteria, highlighting the need for future research to specify all these factors of the maca used in publications.
- Maca is a nutrient-dense food and medicinal plant that has been used for centuries to enhance energy and fertility. Environmental factors and processing methods can affect its nutrition content, phytochemical profile, and clinical applications. This review discusses the available preclinical and clinical trials on the nutrition, phytochemulants, and various colors of maca, including black, red, yellow, purple, and gray, based on available research. The gaps, deficiencies, and conflicts in the studies are detailed, along with quality, safety, and efficacy criteria, highlighting the need for future research to specify all these factors of the maca used in publications.
- Maca is a nutrient-dense food and medicinal plant that has been used for centuries to enhance energy and fertility. Environmental factors and processing methods can affect its nutrition content, phytochemical profile, and clinical applications. This review discusses the available preclinical and clinical trials on the nutrition, phytochemicals, and various colors of maca, including black, red, yellow, purple, and gray, based on available research. The gaps, deficiencies, and conflicts in the studies are detailed, along with quality, safety, and efficacy criteria, highlighting the need for future research to specify all these factors of the maca used in publications.