# Maca

> Maca (Lepidium meyenii) is a Brassicaceae root cultivated on the Peruvian altiplano above 4,000 m, eaten as a food staple and used traditionally for stamina and fertility. Its distinctive…

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Section: Plants and preparation
Last updated: 2026-10-20
Publisher: Library of Ashurbanipal (Van Kush Family Research Institute), https://wiki.soapbox.community

**Maca** (*Lepidium meyenii*) is a Brassicaceae root cultivated on the Peruvian altiplano above 4,000 m, eaten as a food staple and used traditionally for stamina and fertility. Its distinctive compounds are the **macamides** — N-benzylamide alkaloids found in no other food plant.

## Macamides and FAAH

Macamides are **FAAH inhibitors** and are reported as neuroprotective. Structurally they are **fatty acid N-benzylamides**, which is worth noticing: **anandamide** is itself a fatty acid ethanolamide. The macamides are structural analogues of the very substrate whose degrading enzyme they inhibit, which is a more coherent mechanistic story than most botanical enzyme claims can offer.

Macamide content depends heavily on **post-harvest processing** — traditional sun-drying over weeks generates them from precursor fatty acids and benzylamine. Fresh root has little; the traditional preparation is doing chemistry, not just preservation.

## Colours

Yellow, red and black maca are separate phenotypes and are not interchangeable in the literature: **black** maca is the one associated in trials with memory and with sperm parameters, **red** with prostate outcomes in rodent studies. Most commercial product is yellow, the most abundant.

## Gelatinised versus raw

**Gelatinised** maca has been heat- and pressure-treated to remove starch. This is standard in Peru for digestibility, and is not the same product as raw powder; the two behave differently in the gut and are frequently compared as though identical.

## Evidence

Small human trials support effects on **sexual desire** — independent of testosterone, which maca does not appear to raise — and on **menopausal symptoms**, with the mechanism unresolved. Fertility and energy claims are weaker. The FAAH and neuroprotection work is preclinical.

Maca contains **no** plant sterols or hormones, contrary to a persistent claim; whatever it does, it does not do by supplying hormone.

## Cautions

- **Goitrogens.** As a Brassicaceae it contains glucosinolates, which matter in iodine deficiency and in thyroid conditions, particularly in raw form and at the high intakes some protocols use.
- **Hormone-sensitive conditions** — maca is not oestrogenic, but it does affect menopausal symptoms by some route, and that route is not characterised.
- **Stimulation and sleep** — commonly reported; taking it late is a common complaint.

See also: FAAH · Cannabinoid Oilahuasca · Anandamide and 2-AG · Stack Substances