Rainforest Foods Organic Maca Root 5:1 500mg 120 Capsules

Grown high in the Peruvian Andes, Maca is a plant held in high regard by people living in its native territory. It is garnering a worldwide reputation thanks to the huge array of nutrients it provides. Rainforest Foods Maca powder is popular with customers of all ages, including athletes in training. Maca, or Lepidium meyenii, originates from a plant found in high-altitude areas of the Peruvian Andes. For 2000 years it has been an important element of the local diet in Peru and Bolivia. In Peru, Maca is cooked and used in food preparation. Almost every part of the plant is utilised. The roots of Maca are boiled into a sweet liquid or porridge, they are fermented into a beer, and the leaves are often eaten raw. During the Spanish colonisation period, Maca was so prized that it was used as a form of currency. Legend also reports it being used by the Incas to increase their strength prior to battle. Rainforest Foods Maca has been grown organically in Peru at an altitude of over 4000m. Maca has a high nutritional content. It typically contains 10% protein, 60% carbohydrates, and 9% dietary fibre. It also has a high concentration of vital minerals, including Selenium, Calcium, Magnesium and Iron. The young root of the maca plant contains a large number of naturally-occurring phytochemicals. Maca also contains the Omega-6 and Omega-9 fatty acids, Linolenic and Oleic acid, and its protein is composed of 19 amino acids. These include 7 of the 8 essential amino acids – those we require in our diets yet cannot make for ourself and have to acquire from our food. Rainforest Foods Maca was the Platinum Award winner for Best organic superfood powder, in the Janey Loves 2011 awards, part of Imperfectly Natural. "Our tester has been taking this superfood as a yummy drink. It is certified organic by the Soil Association," it said. "Maca helps strength, stamina and libido". - See more at: http://www.rainforestfoods.co.uk/maca/#sthash.BIEHzgCr.dpuf

​This bottle contains 120 capsules. Each capsule contains 500mg of 5:1 organic gelatinised Maca powder (Lepidium peruvianum Chacon) which is the equivalent of 2500mg of Maca root. This product is Vegan Society certified, Soil Association Organic Certified and for every pack sold Rainforest Foods will donate funds to Rainforest Concern to purchase one square meter of cloud forest to expand the Neblina Reserve in Ecuador. 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 says that Incan warriors consumed it prior to battle to increase their fighting spirit. It includes a broad spectrum of nutrients, and is increasingly popular with athletes. There are several slightly-differing varieties of Maca root, all with different colours. Maca can be cream, yellow-gold, green, red, purple, grey or black. These have the same basic nutritional profile, but they show small differences in the proportions of secondary phytonutrients they contain. 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 peruvianum Chacon - a specific type of maca - designed to provide optimal general nutrition. These are red, yellow, purple and black. Rainforest Foods Maca is cultivated in Peru, at high altitude (over 4000m). The growing season is eight months long, which gives time for the nutrients to develop fully. A further three months is given to a natural, open-air drying process. The dried roots are cleaned and broken into small pieces. These are then processed (gelatinised) to reduce the starch content, making the nutrients more easily absorbed by the human body and more concentrated. This finished Maca powder contains the full array of nutrients Maca offers, but with reduced starch. It takes over 5kg of Maca root to make 1kg of our Maca root 5:1 powder. Each 500mg capsule contains the equivalent of 2500mg of maca root. The powder is encapsulated in the UK by a leading GMP (Good Marketing Practice)-registered pharmaceutical manufacturer. Rainforest Foods capsule shells are made from HPMC, a plant-based cellulose material approved for vegetarian and vegan use by the Vegetarian Society, and Halal and Kosher-certified. The capsules are 100% pure, using no fillers, binders or bulking agents. Each capsule contains just 500mg of powder. About Rainforest Foods: Since it began, Rainforest Foods' purpose has been to help people combine good nutrition with modern living. Realising that a return to time-rich living close to the land is just not possible, we have sourced a range of wholefoods whose exceptional nutritional richness can support modern lifestyles rather than forcing them to change. We look all around the world for these foods, and have them processed in a way that keeps as much nutrition as possible while making them convenient for you to use.