Maca is a plant grown in the Peruvian Andes over 4000m above sea level. Its root and hypocotyl – the bulbous stem below the leafy growth – have for centuries been part of the diet and culture of people in the region. Legend has it that Incan warriors consumed it prior to battle to increase their fighting spirit, and it has historically been used to enhance strength, stamina and libido. It presents a broad spectrum of nutrients, and is increasingly popular with athletes.

The core of Maca’s nutritional profile is carbohydrate, which is over half its volume. This is an energy source and vital to active people. The carbohydrate is balanced in Maca by a healthy dose of proteins. The Calcium offered by Maca is also a vital resource, and is backed by several other vital minerals. These include Iron and Magnesium.  Maca also contains Vitamin B1,Vitamin B2 and the antioxidant Vitamin C. A signature component of Maca is dietary fibre, an absolutely essential part of our intake and one which many modern foods lack in sufficiency.

There are several slightly-differing variants of Maca, which express themselves in the colour of the root and hypocotyl. Maca can be cream, yellow-gold, green, red, purple, grey or black. Fundamentally these have the same basic nutritional profile, but they exhibit small shifts in the proportions of secondary phytonutrients they present. Scientific study has begun to confirm the established dietary opinion that different colours of Maca have slightly different beneficial properties. Rainforest Foods Maca capsules contain a blend of 4 different phenotypes of Lepidium meyenii designed to provide optimal general nutrition.