for more than two millennia in the harsh high Andes at altitudes of more than 4,000 m, is the basis of a nutritional supplement often dubbed „Peruvian ginseng“ which, the study found, can also cut stress, boost energy and well-being and increase fertility.

Scientist Gustavo Gonzales of Peru‘s Cayetano Heredia University, who led what the scientists say is the world‘s first study into maca‘s effect on humans, told a news conference the three-month trial involving 12 volunteer men pointed to an 180-200 percent lift in libido and up to a doubling of sperm production. The study – funded by Peruvian pharmaceuticals company Hersil, using the high-tech maca pill it developed with La Molina National Agrarian University – also found maca reduced blood pressure and had no adverse effect on the heart. Reuters