Maca and Libido! Who Knew!!

This next tip many of you have probably heard of, Maca. Native to Peru and grown in the Andes mountains.

YES, it is a cruciferous vegetable, meaning that it is related to broccoli, cabbage, and kale.

I think a lot of Americans only use Maca in their smoothies for the incredible health benefits that I'll list below, but in Peru the locals use this root and its powder in many of their regular dinner dishes. It provides a nice earthy flavor. Some of friends actually don't like maca in smoothies as it can taste chalky, but I personally don't mind it.

Here are some of the most well known health benefits of Maca:

1) Potential to increase libido: There is some scientific evidence to support this claim.There was a study back in 2002 that reported that men who took 1.5 or 3 grams (g) of maca per day experienced increased libido compared to those who received a placebo.

2) Reducing erectile dysfunction (ED): A small study in 2009 looked at the effect of consuming 2.4g of maca root per day for 12 weeks on participants' perception of their general and sexual well-being. Ladies, share your smoothie with your man, or cook some puruvian maca potatoes tonight!

3) Improving Mood: Maca contains flavonoids, which are thought to reduce anxiety. A small study on postmenopausal women found that maca may reduce feelings of anxiety and depression.

4) Reducing menopause symptoms: Some proponents of maca root believe it may help balance levels of the hormone estrogen. During perimenopause, the stage before a woman reaches menopause, estrogen levels fluctuate and cause a variety of symptoms.

5) Improving learning and memory: Maca may help improve learning and memory performance. There is some evidence to suggest that maca can improve learning and memory.