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BIBTEX RIS

Medicinal effects of Peruvian maca ( Lepidium meyenii ): a review

2020; Royal Society of Chemistry; Volume: 11; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1039/c9fo02732g

2042-650X

Natália da Silva Leitão Peres, Letícia Cabrera Parra Bortoluzzi, Leila Larisa Medeiros Marques, Maysa Formigoni, Renata Hernandez Barros Fuchs, Adriana Aparecida Droval, Flávia Aparecida Reitz Cardoso,

Ethnobotanical and Medicinal Plants Studies

Peruvian maca (Lepidium meyenii) is a root native to the Andean region, cultivated for at least 2000 years. Maca is rich in fiber, a large number of essential amino acids, fatty acids, and other nutrients, including vitamin C, copper, iron, and calcium. Besides these essential nutrients, this root contains bioactive compounds responsible for benefits to the human body, which has caused a considerable increase in its consumption in the last 20 years worldwide. This review documents the Peruvian maca composition and the recent findings regarding the medicinal effects of this root in sexual dysfunction regulation, neuroprotective effects, action in memory enhancement, antidepressant, antioxidant, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory activities, and skin protection.