Black maca to boost energy and sexual desire

Carlos Sánchez 11 min. of reading Plants Leave a comment

Black maca is the one with the greatest benefits for libido. It boosts sexual power and testosterone. Plus, it supports muscle growth and reduces stress, for both men and women.

What are the properties of black maca?

It’s the rarest and most potent Andean variety from Peru. It only makes up about 10% of the annual harvest.
It naturally stimulates desire in both sexes, way more than any other strain. It’s especially effective for men, as it increases power and sperm quality, even under tough conditions.
Among the standout elements of black Andean maca is that it guarantees muscle growth and contributes to physical and mental endurance. According to recent research, black maca boosts testosterone levels thanks to its high content of macamides.
Of all the different strains, this one has the highest neuroprotective properties. It supports memory and learning and protects nerves.
Black maca also helps prevent osteoporosis by aiding calcium absorption in the body. Plus, it raises iron levels in the blood.
It’s available in product formats: raw, gelatinized, or as an extract.

Still don’t know the real perks of Andean maca? Check them out at the link below.

Black maca for muscle mass, libido, and sexual power

Black maca is the maca variety the Inca army used to boost energy and power during battles.

These products stimulate muscle growth, support vitality and mental clarity, and increase fertility and male potency.

Specifically, this type of Andean maca is mainly known for its positive effects on naturally increasing libido and sperm quality, so much so that black maca is popularly called the ‘Andean Viagra‘.

This makes it, along with red maca, one of the positive varieties for men's health.

Red maca helps reduce prostate enlargement, but doesn’t affect male fertility. Black maca is the go-to for boosting male potency. The specific type of yellow maca has less activity.

Black maca is also great for women. It increases bone density, protects against osteoporosis, helps health by reducing stress, and boosts sports performance.

Also, black maca lowers blood pressure and improves the body’s own protection against UV radiation.

It also increases appetite, in both men and women, much more than any other strain.

Estrogens as a cause of male infertility

One of the most common reasons for male infertility is poor sperm results. This happens because there are few sperm or the ones present have low motility.

It can be caused by an excess of estrogens due to environmental pollution, pesticides, or harmful residues in food, medicines, or tap water.

In the US, it’s been shown that over the last 25 years, men have experienced a 20% drop in testosterone levels.

This happens because testosterone circulating in the blood binds to steroid hormones globulin SHBG, and men stop functioning at a couple level, as if they had aged.

In other cases, the reason is that certain enzymes, like aromatase, break down into estrogens. Also, estrogens in food, pollution, and stress increase estrogen levels.

This, in turn, causes an increase in adipose tissue, which leads to more estrogen production in a vicious cycle. The result is decreased libido and lack of potency.

You can find a detailed description of possible causes of male infertility in this article: Maca for those wanting to have kids.

Black maca for improving sperm

Maca boosts sperm volume and quantity. In experiments with rats exposed to tough conditions, they were injected with toxic chemical cocktails of lead acetate and placed at high altitudes, which normally reduce fertility. Even then, black maca showed its beneficial effects by increasing sperm count and motility.

Libido boost and help overcoming erectile dysfunction

It acts as a natural aphrodisiac to stimulate libido and help overcome dysfunction.

Test results can sometimes be contradictory, but that’s due to the dose used in each case. Generally, dysfunction improves with a daily dose of 3g of black maca, while 1.5g shows no effect.

Maca for physical effort: muscle mass gain and endurance

Maca powder, especially the black variety, is a common ingredient in muscle-building supplements for strength athletes.

Clinical studies on mice in swimming endurance programs have shown it increases performance and speeds up recovery.

Some positive effects include:

Supports accelerated muscle growth.
Helps quick recovery after workouts.
Increases energy and physical endurance.
Stimulates body fat loss.

These results also happen in women. Maca is a plant used since Inca times for its energizing qualities. This is due to its hematopoietic properties, as iron deficiency is one of the most common causes of chronic fatigue.

Black maca is the variety with the highest content of iron.

A usage plan to increase physical endurance and all relevant studies can be found in the article: Black maca for muscle building and bodybuilding.

Does black maca affect testosterone levels?

Black Andean maca is known to increase testosterone levels. Although some clinical studies haven’t confirmed these benefits, critics argue that’s because small amounts were used, so high concentrations are needed to get the desired results.

In fact, the latest study in Japan with rats showed that a high concentration of hydroalcoholic extracts directly increases testosterone levels.

Also, maca naturally boosts male potency without the side effects caused by hormonal treatments.

The recommended powder dose ranges from 3-6 tablespoons, which equals about 3 to 6g. It’s best to start with a low dose and gradually increase.

The maximum daily dose of gelatinized maca extract is set at 10g, as it’s much more concentrated than maca powder.

Protects the nervous system and boosts cognitive ability

In mice with memory loss, black maca improved learning ability and memory. The reason for the performance boost is that black maca reduces stress factors in the brain, benefiting health.

This effect is called neuroprotective. The neuroprotective effect helps regenerate brain nervous system cells and protects them from premature death.

Black maca is the variety with the most neuroprotective effects for the nervous system.

Black maca to reduce osteoporosis in women

Both black and red maca have a positive effect on bone density in female mice.

Black and red maca contain certain proteins that travel through the blood and improve calcium absorption by the body, even calcium consumed from other foods. So, maca can help treat osteoporosis, although there are no specific studies on this yet.

Buy black maca

When buying black maca products, make sure it’s organic maca from the Junín-Pasco region. Always choose maca with protected geographical indication, containing the words ‘Maca Junín-Pasco’ or ‘Meseta del Bombón’ in the product info.

Depending on each person’s constitution, it’s recommended to take maca powder for normal digestion; gelatinized powder for sensitive digestion; or extract for people with digestion issues.

Raw powder	Gelatinized	Dry extract	Glycerol ext.	Alcohol ext.
glucosinolates	without mustard oil glycosides	<Mustard oil glycosides	glucosinolates	without mustard oil glycosides
normal digestion	sensitive	normal	normal	sensitive
1:1	1:1 or 4:1	up to 20:1	high doses	high doses
Powder, capsules	Powder, capsules	Capsules, tablets	Tincture	Tincture
Black Maca + Organic + Junín-Pasco + raw + varietal +> 4000m + lab tested	Black + Organic + Junín-Pasco + gelatinized + classified + 4000m + lab tested	Black + Organic + Junín-Pasco + Extract + varietal +> 4000m + lab tested	Black + Organic + Junín-Pasco + Glycerin + varietal +> 4000m + lab tested	Black + Organic + Junín-Pasco + Alcohol + varietal +> 4000m + lab tested

Black maca contraindications

Black maca, like any of its ‘sister’ strains, contains a high amount of potassium, so it should be avoided by people with kidney problems, just like other potassium-rich foods.

If there’s no adrenal fatigue, the high potassium content is beneficial, as it helps lower very high blood pressure.

It’s often not recommended during pregnancy for health and safety reasons, but there are no studies on this, nor any toxicological issues found. Also, pregnant women in Latin America take it without health problems. From HSN, we recommend avoiding intake in these situations.

Bibliographic Sources and Studies

France loses dramatically many sperm. Published on 06.12.2012.
Travison TG, Araujo AB, O’Donnell AB, et al. Population-level decline in serum testosterone levels in US men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007; 92: 196-202.
De Souza, GL and Hallak, J. (2011), Anabolic steroids and male infertility: a comprehensive review. BJU International, 108: 1860-1865. doi: 10.1111/j.1464-410X.2011.10131.
Bustos-Obregón E, Yucra S, Gonzales GF. Lepidium meyenii (Maca) reduces spermatogenic damage induced by a single dose of malathion in mice. Asian Journal of Andrology. 2005; 7 (1): 71-76.
Dording, CM, Fisher, L., Papakostas, G., Farabaugh, A., Sonawalla, S., Fava, M. and Mischoulon, D. (2008) Randomized, double-blind pilot study of maca root (L. Meyenii) for SSRI-induced dysfunction. CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics, 14: 182-191. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-5949.2008.00052.
Gonzales G, F, Gonzales C, Gonzales-Castañeda C, Lepidium meyenii (Maca): A plant from the Peruvian highlands, from tradition to science. Forsch Komplementmed 2009; 16: 373-380.
Melnikovova I, Fait T, Kolarova M, Fernández EC, Milella L. Effect of Lepidium meyenii on semen parameters and serum hormone levels in healthy adult men: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine: eCAM. 2015; 2015: 324369a doi: 10.1155/2015/324369.
Rubio J, Caldas M, Dávila S, Gasco M, Gonzales GF. Effect of three different cultivars of Lepidium meyenii (maca) on learning and depression in ovariectomized mice. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2006; 6: 23 doi: 10.1186/1472-6882-6-23. PMCID: PMC1534053.
Pino-Figueroa A, Nguyen D, Maher TJ. Neuroprotective effects of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 2010; 1199: 77-85. PMCID: PMC3184420.