Lepidium meyenii (Maca)

  • Maca (Lepidium meyenii, peruvianum, wortel) is een hoog in het Andesgebergte groeiend Peruviaans knolgewas dat behoort tot de knolgewassen van de familie Brassicaceae. Mede vanwege de uitwerking op energie, uithoudingsvermogen, libido en vitaliteit is maca ook bekend onder de naam ‘Peruviaanse ginseng’, of ‘ginseng van de Andes’. De maca is de enige eetbare plant die onder extreme weersomstandigheden en op een hoogte tussen de 3000 en 4000 meter kan overleven. De wortels van de plant zijn zeer voedzaam en worden al duizenden jaren door de plaatselijke bevolking bij bijna elke maaltijd gebruikt.
  • Macamides, macaenes en andere werkingsstoffen
  • Peri- en postmenopauzale klachten
  • Vanwege de invloed van maca op de geslachtshormoonstofwisseling is terughoudendheid op zijn plaats bij mannen met verhoogde PSA-waarden (prostaatspecifiek antigeen) en bij vrouwen met hormoongevoelige borstkanker. Er is weinig bekend over de veiligheid van het gebruik van maca tijdens zwangerschap en het geven van borstvoeding.
  • Van maca zijn geen noemenswaardige bijwerkingen bekend. In het Andesgebergte wordt ongeveer 50-100 gram macaknol per dag geconsumeerd zonder bijwerkingen. 
  • Zoals alle planten uit de familie Brassicaceae bevat maca relatief veel vitamine K. Om die reden dienen patiënten die bloedverdunners gebruiken (anticoagulantia, zoals warfarine) voorzichtig te zijn bij gebruik van maca, omdat een hoge inname van vitamine K de werking van bloedverdunners tegengaat.
  • De aanbevolen dosering bij gezonde volwassenen is 1500 tot 3000 mg gepulveriseerde macaknol per dag. Als extract kan met een (veel) lagere dosering (enkele honderden milligrammen) worden volstaan, afhankelijk van de mate van concentratie van het extract. Voor een stabiel therapeutisch effect is het raadzaam voor een gestandaardiseerd extract te kiezen, bij voorkeur gestandaardiseerd op bètasitosterol of andere sterolen.

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    54. (White Paper – Menopause and Maca-GO®)