Lepidium meyenii (Maca) : medicinal properties in alcoholic extraction

Lepidium meyenii (Maca) — family Brassicacées.

Scientific synonyms : Lepidium peruvianum-G. Chacon, L weddellii-OE Schütz.

This database documents alcoholic (ethanol) extractions of active substances. Our monograph currently lists 4 indications in alcoholic extraction for this species. The Lapo v2 catalogue records 168 scientific references for this species (full detail in the application).

Important — scientific references on this public page: only a short excerpt of each cited source is shown (selected abstract sentences), kept in the original language of the publication (most often English), without translation. These excerpts are not the full article text and are not a complete bibliography. The full reference records and complete monographic detail are available in the Lapo v2 application (free 30-day trial).

1. 1

   Cancer: adjuvant treatment for prostate cancer

   Plant part used: Hypocotyl.

   Scientific references (short excerpts)

   Short excerpts only (not the full article). Full reference records are in the Lapo v2 application.

   • According to Gonzales GF (2005)

     Excerpt Epidemiological studies have found that consumption of cruciferous vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer. Methods: Male rats treated with or without aqueous extracts of three ecotypes of Maca (Yellow, Black & Red) were analyzed to determine the effect on ventral prostate weight, epithelial height & duct luminal area.

   • According to GAWEL-BEBEN K (2024)

     Excerpt Selected phenotypes of dried maca (Lepidium peruvianum) hypocotyls & supercritical CO2extract (US Plus®) of saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) were used to determine their targeted, cytotoxic action in prostate cancer cells. The LNCaP androgen-dependent prostate cancer cell line was the most sensitive to the three-component mixture of black, red maca, & SR treatment.

   • According to Kasprzak, D (2024)

     Excerpt The presented study aims to prove its beneficial cosmetic & chemopreventive properties by testing the antiradical, whitening, cytotoxic, & anticancer properties of differently colored phenotypes that were extracted using three solvents: methanol, water, & chloroform, with the help of the chemometric approach to provide evidence on the impact of single glucosinolanes (seven identified compounds in the HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS analysis) on the biological activity of the total extracts. Lepidium peruvianum—an edible herbaceous biennial plant distributed in the Andes—has been used for centuries as food & as a natural medicine in treating hormonal disorders, as an antidepressant, & as an anti-osteoporotic agent.

   • According to Zhang M (n.d.)

     Excerpt In our previous study, three novel polysaccharides, named MC-1, MC-2, & MC-3, were separated from the roots of maca (Lepidium meyenii), which is a food source from the Andes region. These results indicate that MC-2 could potentially be used toward hypoimmunity & tumor therapies.

   • According to Yang Y (2021)

     Excerpt Here, we fabricated amphiphilic polysaccharide micelles for synergistic cancer immunotherapy targeting tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). Lepidium meyenii Walp.

2. 2

   Osteoporosis in postmenopausal women

   Plant part used: Hypocotyl.

   Scientific references (short excerpts)

   Short excerpts only (not the full article). Full reference records are in the Lapo v2 application.

   • According to Zhang Y (2006)

     Excerpt The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of ethanol extract of Maca on postmenopausal osteoporosis in ovariectomized rats. Maca (Lepidium meyenii Walp.) is a cruciferous plant from the Andes of Peru.

   • According to ZHANG Y (2014)

     Excerpt To evaluate the effect of long-term ethanol extract of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) on serum hormone levels in ovariectomized (OVX) rats & compare them with the effect of diethylstilbestrol. It is proposed that LM may become a potential choice for postmenopausal women.

   • According to Meissner H (2006)

     Excerpt In conclusion, Maca-GO applied to early-postmenopausal women (i) acted as a toner of hormonal processes along the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Ovarian axis, (ii) balanced hormone leveld (iii) relieved symptoms of menopausal discomfort, (hot flushes and night sweating in particular), thus, (iv) exhibited a distinctive function peculiar to adaptogens, providing an alternative non-hormonal plant option to reduce dependence on hormone therapy programs (HRT). This is the second, conclusive part of the clinical study on responses of early-postmenopausal women to standardized doses of pre-Gelatinized Organic Maca (Maca-GO).

   • According to Stojanovska L (2015)

     Excerpt Conclusions :MC did not exert hormonal or immune biological action in the small cohort of patients studied; however, it appeared to reduce symptoms of depression & improve diastolic blood pressure in Chinese postmenopausal women. Although results are comparable to previous similar published studies in postmenopausal women, there might be a cultural difference among the Chinese postmenopausal women in terms of symptom reporting.

   • According to Nicole A (2008)

     Excerpt Nicole A et al, Beneficial effects of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) on psychological symptoms & measures of sexual dysfunction in postmenopausal women are not related to estrogen or androgen content”.

3. 3

   Memory problems

   Plant part used: Root (tuber).

   Scientific references (short excerpts)

   Short excerpts only (not the full article). Full reference records are in the Lapo v2 application.

   • According to Rubio J (2007)

     Excerpt The present study aimed to test two different doses of aqueous (0.50 and 2.00 g/kg) and hydroalcoholic (0.25 & 1.00 g/kg) extracts of Black Maca administered for 35 days on memory impairment induced by scopolamine (1mg/kg body weight i.p.) in male mice. Both extracts of Black Maca significantly ameliorated the scopolamine-induced memory impairment as measured in both the water Morris maze & the step-down avoidance tests.

   • According to Chae J (2024)

     Excerpt Maca (Lepidium meyenii) is a plant that grows in the central Andes region of Peru, & it has been reported to have various bioactive functions, such as improving or preventing osteoporosis, sexual dysfunction, & memory impairment.

   • According to Melnikovova I (2021)

     Excerpt Several plants were used to treat fertility disorders & among them, Lepidium meyenii, a folk medicament of Andean regions, is still used to enhance vitality & treat sterility in humans & domestic animals. Fifty patients suffering from various reproductive-related problems were enrolled for 16 weeks to evaluate the effect of yellow maca on semen quality & serum hormone levels.

   • According to Tarabasz D (2022)

     Excerpt The aim of the study was to present the fingerprint of different Lepidium peruvianum tuber extracts showing glucosinolates-containing substances possibly playing an important role in preventinting dementia & other memory disorders. Based on the obtained results and described mechanism of action, it could be concluded that glucosinolates exhibit inhibitory properties against two cholinesterases present in the synaptic cleft, which indicates that selected phenotypes of LP tubers cultivated under well-defined environmental & ecological conditions may present a valuable plant material to be considered for the development of therapeutic products with memory-stimulating properties.

   • According to da Silva Leitão Peres N (2020)

     Excerpt Peruvian maca (Lepidium meyenii) is a root native to the Andean region, cultivated for at least 2000 years. This review documents the Peruvian LM composition & the recent findings regarding the medicinal effects of this root in sexual dysfunction regulation, neuroprotective effects, action in memory enhancement, antidepressant, antioxidant, anti-cancer, & anti-inflammatory activities, & skin protection.

Further indications (including other extraction modes where applicable), dosages, precautions for use, and the <strong>full scientific references</strong> (complete records, not only the short excerpts above) are available in the complete monographic record in the Lapo v2 application.