Maca is a plant native to the high Andes of Bolivia and Peru. It is used as a root vegetable and medicinal herb and it resembles the radish and turnip, to which it is related. The plant varies greatly in the size, shape and colour of its roots. They can be gold/cream, red, purple, black and green and they have both nutritional and therapeutic properties.

Maca is traditionally grown at elevations of 4,100–4,500 metres (13,000–15,000 ft). It grows well only in cold climates with relatively poor agricultural soil, places where few other crops can grow. Nearly all maca cultivation in Peru is carried out organically, as there are few pests that occur naturally at such high altitudes.

For approximately 2,000 years, Maca has been an important traditional food and medicinal plant where it is grown. It is regarded as a highly nutritious, energy-giving food, and as a medicine that enhances strength, endurance and it is also considered to be an aphrodisiac. 

The nutritional value of dried maca root is high, similar to cereal grains such as rice and wheat. It contains 60% carbohydrates, 10% protein, 8.5% dietary fiber, and 2.2%, fats. Maca is rich in essential minerals, especially selenium, calcium, magnesium and iron, and includes fatty acids and amino acids. Its reported beneficial effects for sexual function could be due to its high concentration of proteins and vital nutrients. Maca also contains a chemical which reputedly has aphrodisiac properties.

Maca has been harvested and used by humans in the Andean region for centuries and it is often cited that it was eaten by Inca warriors before going to battle. In Peru, maca is prepared and consumed in several ways, although traditionally it is always cooked.

Small-scale clinical trials performed in men have shown that maca extracts can heighten libido and improve semen quality, though no studies have been performed on men having sexaul dysfunction or infertility. Maca does not affect sex hormone levels in humans, and has not been shown to act on hormones directly. It has been presumed that maca's hormone-normalizing effects may be due to the root's unique nutritional properties, which provide optimum levels of nutrients utilized by the body's endocrine system.

Having written about Maca, how and where it grows and its properties, I think it is also fitting that I mention how I first heard about that word! I was on the shores of the Pack lake, in the Steiermark, Austria, with some friends and they had a beach towel with the Brazilian flag on it. There were some people near us and a guy immediately asked my friends whether they came from Brazil and both answered affirmatively, Patricia came from Florianopolis, while Marcos was from Fortaleza. Noticing that I also had an accent, the man then asked me where I came from, so I answered Peru.  He was surprised to hear that and then told us he was going to Peru soon to start marketing Maca and whether I had ever heard about it before, so I answered no. The man could not believe his ears, that a Peruvian had never heard of that famous product before! I was very intrigued and curious by then, so as soon as I got home I went into the Internet and discovered that indeed, because of its so-called libido properties, Maca is being called not only the Peruvian Viagra, but the Peruvian Ginseng as well!