Effect of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) on
sexual desire and its absent relationship with serum
testosterone levels in adult healthy men. Gonzales GF, Cordova
A, Vega K, Chung A, Villena A, Gonez C, Castillo S. Instituto
de Investigaciones de la Altura, and Department of Biological
and Physiological Sciences (Faculty of Sciences and
Philosophy), Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.
Andrologia 2002 Dec; 34(6): 367-72
This study was a 12-week double blind
placebo-controlled, randomized, parallel trial in which active
treatment with different doses of Gelatinized Maca was
compared with placebo. The study aimed to demonstrate if
effect of Maca on subjective report of sexual desire was
because of effect on mood or serum testosterone levels.
Men aged 21-56 years received Maca in one
of two doses: 1,500 mg or 3,000 mg or placebo. Self-perception
on sexual desire, score for Hamilton test for depression, and
Hamilton test for anxiety were measured at 4, 8 and 12 weeks
of treatment. An improvement in sexual desire was observed
with Maca since 8 weeks of treatment. Serum testosterone and
oestradiol levels were not different in men treated with Maca
and in those treated with placebo (P=NS).
Logistic regression analysis showed that
Maca has an independent effect on sexual desire at 8 and 12
weeks of treatment, and this effect is not because of changes
in either Hamilton scores for depression or anxiety or serum
testosterone and oestradiol levels. In conclusion, treatment
with Maca improved sexual desire.
Effect of a Lipidic Extract from Lepidium
meyenii on Sexual Behavior in Mice and Rats. Zheng BL, He K,
Hyungchan C, et al. Urology 2000; 55:598-602
This clinical study evaluates the effect
of a purified lipidic extract of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) in
the sexual behaviour of mice and rats. Oral administration of
Maca extract enhanced the sexual function of the mice and
rats, as evidenced by an increase in the number of complete
intromissions and the number of sperm-positive females in
normal mice, and a decrease in the LPE in male rats with
erectile dysfunction. The present study reveals for the first
time an aphrodisiac activity of L. meyenii, an Andean mountain
herb.
