Maca (Lepidium meyenii), coming to a health food store near you!

In accordance with my ongoing efforts to keep my patients and readers on the cutting edge of health and medicine, let me present Maca (Lepidium meyenii ), a plant grown high in the Andes mountains for over 2000 years. I only recently heard of it, and believe there is enough preliminary information to add it to the "one to watch" category.

Of course, the Peruvians would say it's been used medicinally for at least hundreds of years, for conditions related to male fertility and female menstual irregularities. It's also been used in Peru as a "vitality boosting" medicine, in atheletes to boost performance, and in people with depression or fatigue. In the last 5-10 yrs there has been a growing global interest in the plant for its medicinal properties, so much so that now you can find it at Whole Foods and many other natural markets.

So far the scientific evidence has been limited, finding only small effects on male libido, as well as in sperm quality, without affecting testosterone levels.  Studies in humans have looked at doses of 1500 and 3000mg daily and found no significant adverse effects. As always, it's a good idea to discuss any new medicine, plant or not, with your physician. Patients at risk for bleeding, or with hormone-senstivie cancers should be cautious when considering its use.

So is this a "natural Viagra"? Should everyone be using Maca? To help guide patients interested in using it, I've looked to Dr. Oz, who recommends the supplement to boost energy. I've also read Dr. Weil's take, and he feels there is insufficient evidence to supoprt using Maca medicinally at this time.

What about Dr. Blackman, you ask? While I do think the evidence is still too scant to make strong conclusions, I have recommended this to a few patients looking to conceive, and with fatigue. As I told them, it should be taken with food because it can cause heartburn. It may also cause insomnia, so pay attention to your sleep quality and if affected, cut back or stop completely.

For more info, please review the Bottom Line Monograph from NaturalStandard.com.