Also commonly called "Peruvian Ginseng," Maca is a powerful adaptogen, which by definition is a substance (food or nutritive herb), which brings the body to a heightened state of resistance to disease through physiological and emotional health.
TABLE 1. Composition of Maca
| Components |
% |
| Water |
10.4 |
| Proteins |
10.2 |
| Lipids |
2.2 |
| Hydrolyzable carbohydrates |
59.0 |
| Whole fibre |
8.5 |
| Ash |
4.9 |
| Source:Table taken from: D. Deni, G. Migliuolo, L. Rastrelli, P. Saturnino, O. Schettino, “Chemical Composition of Lepidium meyenii”, in Food Chemistry 49, USA1994; and Garró, Virginia, Macro y micro elementos de la Maca, Mimeo, Lima, 1999. |
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TABLE 2. Vitamins
| Vitamins |
mg |
| B1 Thiamine |
0.20 |
| B2 Riboflavin |
0.35 |
| C |
10.00 |
| E |
87.00 |
| Source: B1 and B2 from Chacón, Gloria, La importancia de Lepidium Peruvianum (Maca) en la alimentación, y salud del ser humano, Lima, 1997; C and E from Garró Virginia, Op.Cit (1999). |
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TABLE 3. Amino Acids
| Amino acids |
mg concentration/g protein |
| Aspartic acid |
91.7 |
| Glutanic acid |
156. 5 |
| Serine |
50.4 |
| Histidine |
21.9 |
| Glycine |
68.3 |
| Threonine |
33.1 |
| Cystine |
n/d |
| Alanie |
63.1 |
| Arginine |
99.4 |
| Tyrosine |
30.6 |
| Phenylalanine |
55.3 |
| Valine |
79.3 |
| Methionine |
28.0 |
| Isoleucine |
47.4 |
| Leucine |
91.0 |
| Lysine |
54.3 |
| Tryptophan |
n/d |
| H.O. Proline |
26.0 |
| Proline |
0.5 |
| Sarcosine |
0.7 |
| Source: data taken from D. Din, O Migliolo, L. Ratrelli, P. Saturnino, O. Schettino, “Chemical Composition of Lepidium meyenii” in Food Chemistry, 49, USA (1994) |
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TABLE 4. Sterols Sterols (as steryl acetate derivatives)
| Sterol |
% of Sterol mixture |
time (min.) |
| Brassicasteryl acetate |
9.1 |
22.4 |
| Ergosteryl acetate |
13.6 |
23.8 |
| Campesteryl acetate |
27.3 |
25.0 |
| Ergostadientyl acetate |
4.5 |
27.5 |
| Sitosteryl acetate |
45.5 |
19.5 |
| Source: table taken from A. Dini, G. Migliuolo and others, Op. cit. (1994) |
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TABLE 5. Fatty Acids (as methyl ester derivatives)
| Fatty acids |
% of methyl ester mixture |
| Dodecanoic (lauric) |
0.8 |
| 7-tridecenoic |
0.3 |
| Tridecanoic |
0.1 |
| Tetradecanoic (myristic0 |
1.4 |
| 7-pentadecenoic |
0.5 |
| Pentadecanoic |
1.1 |
| 9-esadecenoic (palmitolete) |
2.7 |
| Esadecanoic (palmitic) |
23.8 |
| 9-heptadecenoic |
1.5 |
| Heptadecanoic |
1.8 |
| 9,12 octadecadienoic (linoliec) |
12.6 |
| 9-octadecenoic (oleic) |
11.1 |
| Octadecanoic (stearic) |
6.7 |
| 11- nonadecanoic |
1.3 |
| Nonadecanoic |
0.4 |
15-eicosenoic |
2.3 |
| Eicosanoic (archidie) |
1.6 |
| Docosanoic (behenic) |
2.0 |
| 15
tetracosenoic (nervonic) |
0.4 |
| Tetracosanic (lignoceric) |
0.4 |
| Fatty
acid saturated (%) |
40.1 |
| Unsaturated (%) |
52.7 |
| Saturated/unsaturated ratio |
0.76 |
| Source: data from A. Dini, G. Migliuolo, L. Rastrelli, other, Op. Cit, (1994) |
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TABLE 6. Minerals (mg/100g)
| Minerals |
mg/100g |
| Fe |
16.6 |
| Mn |
0.8 |
| Cu |
5.9 |
| Zn |
3.8 |
| Na |
18.7 |
| K |
2,050.0 |
| Ca |
150.0 |
| Source: data from A. Dini, G. Migliuolo and others Op. cit, (1994) |
