Peruvian Soul Food Is Made with Natural Viagra

In Peru, metres above sea level, across rolling plains hemmed in by the Andes, farmers are growing a crop called maca, and have been for centuries. Also known as Peruvian ginseng (and lepidium meyenii if we’re being technical), the radish-like root vegetable has joined the likes of cereal grains teff and freekeh in becoming a Western diet phenomenon.

“Maca is one of the world’s true natural superfoods,” says Martin Morales, chef and founder of Peruvian eateries Andina and Ceviche in east London, who is eager to impart to me his knowledge of which ancient superfoods pair well together.

“I’m currently in [the country] in the Amazon on an ingredients research trip,” he explains. “And I’m eating maca of course, in my quinoa and amaranth granola, alongside some yacon [syrup].”

In the harsh climates of the South American country, the root vegetable is usually ground into powder and used to bake dough or added to soup. Other times, it’s fermented into chicha, a local beverage. Peruvian regulations require all maca root to be processed by grinding mills before it can be exported.

In its raw form, the powder can be rather nasty on the bowels and cause indigestion and stomach cramps, but cooking or roasting it tends to neutralise these side effects. As a result, the majority of the powder you’ll find on shop shelves in the UK and US is gelatinised to make it more digestible.

“It’s high in nutrients and provides hormone balance,” explains Morales, steering away from the digestion issues. “It’s a booster for the immune system and can provide stamina, energy and even improve sexual function.”

If maca’s aphrodisiacal properties have piqued your interest, listen carefully. Morales doesn’t give away whether it has improved his libido, but research has found that its claim as a natural Viagra might stand up. Certain literature reviews conclude that regular use can increase sperm count in animals, although trials involving humans have had varying results. Studies, including one by academics at Pusan National University in South Korea, show that it increases sexual arousal in some subjects, while for others, the benefits are rather flaccid.

Maca’s claim as a natural Viagra might stand up. Certain literature reviews conclude that regular use can increase sperm count in animals, although trials involving humans have had varying results.

Online commenters seem to concur. One contributor to this Reddit thread said regular use made him feel “noticeably hornier” and led to “spontaneous erections.” Another poster said that it gave him “the best orgasms I’ve ever had.” (There was also a guy who noticed his mood became “really aggressive and even on the drive home I had no problem yelling out the window at people.”) Despite Reddit being a den of idiocy at times, all these supposed experiences do add some weight to the science-based evidence.

It’s also been reported that maca can improve athletic performance. According to members of 30 Bananas a Day, a forum promoting diets high in fruit, the powder is a “toxic stimulant” and we should get our nutritional goodness from—yup, you guessed it—bananas instead. Nevertheless, this isn’t stopping people dunking spoonfuls of maca into their almond milk and adding it to gluten free cookie dough.

“People at the gym I go to were recommending alternative energy supplements, and after that is when I first used it,” says Hayley Farrell, a fitness freak who likes to shovel various nutritional powders down her throat. “I’d add a teaspoon to blended banana and pineapple—I can’t imagine it going with too many fruits. It has a sort of malty taste with a hint of caramel.”

Farrell tells me that she didn’t consume maca religiously, and stopped after using it on and off for about two months, so didn’t really see any long-term effect on her body. She also adds that a few of her friends who tried cooking with it found it “overpowering and pungent, leaving a nasty after-taste lingering in the roof of their mouths for a few hours.”

For Morales, it’s not the flavour profile that is the main attraction of using maca. It’s important of course, but maca is also a key ingredient in Andean cooking (what he likes to call the “soul food” of Peru) and using it gives diners a proper Peruvian cuisine experience.

“The powder can be added in all kinds of drinks and dishes, savoury and sweet. We sell a quinoa and maca burger at Ceviche, and the customers love it because it’s a perfect ‘al desko’ snack. It gives you a healthy but powerful boost at midday,” he says. “And at Andina, many of our smoothies, granola, and porridge contain [it as well].”

If that has your mouth watering, you may need to stop salivating for a moment. News stories began surfacing at the end of last year about the maca industry being under threat. Demand for the powder as a supplement is so high that the price has rocketed—it reportedly went up tenfold in 2014. There are concerns that countries such as China are going to start producing their own. Peruvian farmers could be pushed out of the market, the food industry flooded with synthetic alternatives, and sex drive claims proven to be no more than damp squibs.

For now, though, it seems we’re free to enjoy this Peruvian-ginseng-turned-Western-superfood. Just watch out for indigestion.