Maca: A New Herbal Sexual Stimulant for Men

Since the much-publicised arrival of Viagra on the pharmaceuticals market, a number of herbal products have gained new-found prominence for their ability to improve sexual function in men. One of these herbs (maca) may be a viable, more convenient and less expensive alternative to Viagra.

One of the problems with Viagra is that it only begins working after thirty minutes and is in full effect after an hour, therefore the time that a man takes it is paramount.

Maca (Lipidium meyenii and Lipidium peruvianum) is a herb native to the high Andes plateau of Peru. While it has a long-standing reputation as an aphrodisiac among Peruvian natives, it has only recently come to the attention of the West. Scientists are now validating many of the folklore claims for this traditional remedy.

Men who use maca may find that they are able to attain and sustain their erections easier and may be able perform in bed better. They may even find that their libido rockets to new levels. These effects have been described by many physicians who have prescribed maca to their patients.

How Maca Enhances Men's Sex Lives

Maca contains a group of unique alkaloids that appear to stimulate areas of the brain (the pituitary and the hypothalamus) to produce various hormones that are involved in libido and sexual activity.

Scientific Evidence

Two very recent studies on rats provide very strong evidence for maca's pro-sexual effects.

The first study (published in 2000) investigated the effects of maca on sexual behaviour in healthy male mice and on impotent male rats. Mice and rats were given either maca or a placebo compound for 22 days. Then two female virgin mice were placed into a cage with one male mouse thirty minutes after administration of either maca or the placebo and the number of completed instances of sexual intercourse in three hours was recorded. In another test, each male mouse was "given" five female mice on heat overnight and the number of impregnated female mice was recorded. An electrical stimulus was applied to stimulate the penis of impotent rats and the duration from the start of the impulse to full erection was measured.

In the normal male mice, the number of completed instances of sexual intercourse during the three hour period was 16 for the mice receiving placebo, 47 for the mice receiving low-dose maca and 67 for the mice receiving high-dose maca. The number of impregnated female mice was 0.6 (average) for the female mice with placebo-administered male mice and 1.5 in the maca-administered mice. Impotent rats that received the placebo took an average of 112 seconds to attain a full erection after stimulation, while impotent rats that received varying doses of maca took between 41 and 71 seconds (average 59 seconds) to attain a full erection after sexual stimulation.

The researchers concluded that oral administration of maca has aphrodisiac activity in males as it enhanced sexual performance, increased libido and increased the ability to obtain and sustain an erection in impotent subjects. The dosage used in this trial corresponds to a human dosage of 1,400 - 14,000 mg per day.

The second study (published during 2001) evaluated the effect of maca on sexual behaviour in male rats. Sixty sexually active rats given maca for 15 days. Although sexual behaviour is a difficult thing to measure scientifically, researchers measured various activities, including first mount (in human terms - foreplay), first intromission (in human terms - sexual intercourse), ejaculation (in our terms - male orgasm), postejaculatory latencies (in human terms - the amount of time it takes to "get it up" after sexual stimulation), intercopulatory interval (in human terms - the amount of time between two bouts of sexual intercourse) and copulatory efficacy (in human terms - a successful orgasm inside the vagina). In human terms maca was found to reduce the time taken to initiate foreplay, to complete sexual intercourse, to "get it up" after sexual stimulation and to re-initiate sexual intercourse after a previous bout. The researchers concluded that oral administration of maca significantly improves sexual performance in males.

Side Benefits

Maca has also been reported to increase sperm count and sperm motility. This means that maca could be useful for remedying infertility in men. It is also reported to increase energy levels and stamina, improve the ability to handle stress and increase alertness.

The Take-Home Message

• Initially, Men should use 1,400 mg of maca twice per day for a total of 2,800 mg per day. This is equivalent to five capsules of maca or one teaspoon of maca powder. This dosage should be maintained for the first two weeks of maca use or until beneficial effects become noticeable.
• After this initial period, the dosage can be reduced by half (to a 1,400 mg per day, as two divided doses of 700 mg each).