Maca is an adaptogen and adaptogens get a little bit of a weird reputation because people
don't think there's a lot of validity to them.
But when you look at the research, adaptogens are pretty interesting compounds.
The whole world of adaptogens is a pretty wild bucket of research.
You see, our bodies have the ability to react to a given stressor, develop a little bit
of resiliency to that stressor, and establish a new baseline.
It's just like training, right?
You work out, you get a little bit stronger, then you work out again you get stronger,
but always comes with a little bit of stress and resistance, right?
Well, that's happening inside our body with different stressors and our mood and all kinds
of things.
So maca is in that category of what is called an adaptogen.
Now it's a root vegetable that's typically grown in like the higher altitude regions
of Peru.
Now specifically maca is known as an adaptogen for the mood.
Okay.
And the reason is, is because it contains something that are called macamides.
Now these are specific fatty acids that work upon what's called the endocannabinoid system,
which might sound familiar too.
So in other words, what they do is they increase these things called anandamides within the
body.
Anandamides are normally broken down.
But what macamides do is they block the enzyme that would break down anandamide, and I'm
getting somewhere with this.
Okay?
So when you block the breakdown of anandamides, you end up with a higher level of anandamide
because it's not breaking down.
Well, anandamide binds to a CB1 receptor and actually can give you a potential sense of
wellbeing.
So that's what a lot of the subjective data shows.
That people just generally feel a little bit happier.
They feel better sense of wellbeing because you're acting upon that.
So in the regions in which maca is grown, they see a lot of this.
They really use it for mood, right?
But in the United States and in other areas, we've started to recognize maca for adaptogenic
properties when it comes to sexual function.
So there was a study that was published in the Journal Andrologia.
It was a 12-week double-blind study.
So a very legit study.
Took a look at men that range from the ages of 21 to 56 years old.
And what they did is they gave them either 1500 milligrams of maca, 3,000 milligrams
of maca or a placebo and they measured them at four, eight, and 12 weeks.
Okay.
Now they gave them a questionnaire.
Now that can be subjective, but it was a subjective questionnaire on their sexual desire.
How they felt in terms of libido, things like that.
Interestingly enough, at four weeks the placebo group actually noticed an improvement in sexual
desire.
So it just goes to show how much sexual desire can be influenced by our mood, right?
But that's not the point.
The maca group had a 24% increase in sexual desire as far as the subjective rating goes
at four weeks.
But then at eight weeks, it was 40% and at 12 weeks it was 42%.
So there seems to be a cumulative effect here.
What's wild is there's no real evidence that shows that maca is doing something directly
with reproductive systems.
Like what is going on?
Well, the hypothesis is that there's something called kaempferol.
And kaempferol can have a powerful effect on what it's called monoamine oxidase.
Now, Monoamine oxidase is something that can build up and can actually make us not feel
too good mood wise.
Okay.
So if we can inhibit Monoamine oxidase, we could potentially have an elevated mood.
Now what's funny is if you think about this, if you go on vacation and you're relaxed,
you're probably going to note that maybe your libido is a little bit better, right?
You're not wrapped up in your day.
You're not stressed out.
That plays a big role.
Okay.
It's very simple.
Our brain communicates with our reproductive system and if we're in a time of stress, it's
not exactly when we want to just be going to town.
So that is where things come to play.
So when you look at the whole adaptogenic system and how this works, yeah, it makes
a lot of sense that we're restoring mood a little bit, which is intern having an effect
on the reproductive system.
Now, the cool thing about this maca from Antler Farms is they harvest this maca in the high
altitude regions of the Andes.
It's they really put a lot of work into this.
So you're getting natural sunlight, you're getting real fresh water, and you're getting
it harvested at the peak time.
Okay.
So that way you're not dealing with a bunch of pesticides.
You're not dealing with a bunch of air pollution because when you look at the Andes, you're
looking at some of these potential blue zones.
The air quality is amazing.
That's really what we want when you're looking at a good quality root vegetable.
So there's a lot of knockoff maca brands that are still using legitimate maca, but they're
not exactly putting their best foot forward when it comes down to how it's harvested.
So I would highly recommend that you do check out Antler Farms maca, but do your research
on maca.
It might be something that works for you given your specific needs, right?
And you can cycle on and off of it.
You don't have to take it forever.
You can take it for four, six, eight weeks then come off of it for 10 weeks or so.
In fact, some studies have demonstrated that people actually do better when they actually
surge it and dose it and back off.
So anyway do your research, make sure you check out Antler Farms maca, and I'll see
you soon.