Maca Root

Health,

The Maca plant or Lepidium meyenii, to give it its proper name, is a plant that is only grown in the high altitude and cold areas of Peru and Bolivia in the Andes, in soil that is quite barren and rugged. The key part of the maca plant that is sought after for its’ medicinal properties is the maca root. There are a number of different varieties of maca root which are differentiated by the color of the root – the most common colored maca root varieties are cream, black, red, purple, blue and green.

There are many reasons that people take maca root as a supplement today including: helping with fertility and libido, improving hair quality and increasing body curves.

For centuries the native Peruvians have used maca root as a medicinal plant in their traditional recipes and herbal concoctions. The properties of maca root are said to improve energy and to enhance strength and act as an aphrodisiac. This can be true for both men and women and today the maca plant is cultivated and produced in many forms for food supplementation. Maca root is also said to improve the quality of sperm and to enhance libido in men and women and this is where it has probably gained most popularity recently, especially as it is a completely natural product.

You can buy maca root supplements in different forms for example in the form of maca root powder or as gelatinized maca. As maca root is only harvested in the Andes, the supplement manufacturers have found ways of preserving the properties of maca root so that it is available all over the world in an ever increasing market.

Many couples take maca root for fertility issues – see below for further information.

There has been a limited amount of research carried out on maca, including one study on rats which showed in particular that it can help in FSH levels in women. FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) is a key factor in determining fertility, particularly in older women and the higher the level, the nearer menopause a woman is deemed to be. So the fact that the long term use of maca root can help this is great news. See the information at the bottom of the page for more details.

Believe it or not you can also buy chocolate bars containing maca, which could be a more tasty way of getting your daily dose of maca root. In addition to this you can get maca coffee and maca cream but by far the most popular way of getting your daily or occasional dose of maca root is by herbal supplements.

 

You can buy chocolate bars containing maca from Amazon in both the UK and the US:
UK US

What is Maca?

If you are wondering what is maca then you have obviously heard about it because of the benefits it can give to men and women who are seeking enhanced energy and strength . Maca is a plant whose roots are used as a vegetable and a medicinal herb. It resembles vegetables such as radishes and turnips where the main part of the plant is the enlarged root that is used as a vegetable.

Maca only thrives in certain environments and so you will really only see it grown in large quantities on the high Andes in South America, most notably in Peru. Although attempts have been made to grow it elsewhere, it has been found only to grown in harsh soils with cold climates and at high altitudes.

As maca only survives in these kinds of harsh climates, more often than not the maca that is harvested is organic as it does not need chemicals to repel the few pests that might have a chance to attack it. In fact it is naturally resistant to pests and is sometimes planted amongst other crops to protect them from pests.

Another answer to what is maca is that it is a supplement that is created from the maca root in a concentrated form and taken in either powder form or as pills to increase energy, libido, strength and endurance. Maca has really increased in popularity recently and many people are using it as it is a purely natural product. Native Peruvians have been using it for thousands of years and so they now grow it as a commercial crop to supply to the rest of the world.

Maca has also been used as a fertility aid not only to increase libido in men and women but also to increase the quality of sperm.

Maca Effects

Maca is an organic and natural product that has had great effects on people who take it for thousands of years. Some of the maca effects are as follows:

Increased energy – maca is taken by those who need to increase their energy levels and it has been shown to have a great effect in this area.

Increased strength – another maca effect is to increase strength. It is said that ancient warriors ate maca root before going into battle and they were often the strongest of all.

Increased libido – maca root can have an increase in libido for both men and women and this is one of the most desired maca effects.

Help Through the Menopause – because maca works with the hormones to create more balance within the body it has been known to help moderate the symptoms of the menopause for some women.

Helping with Fertility Issues – maca can help to improve the quality of sperm and also regulate women’s menstrual cycles as well as improve the quality of eggs so can help both men and women in fertility.

The reason that maca has such effects on the body are not completely clear but it is known that maca root has a large number of phytochemicals which are chemical compounds that occur naturally in plants and that may have some benefit to working with the endocrine system of the human body.

Unfortunately there have not been extensive studies done to check what maca effects there are but there is a long line of anecdotal evidence to show that maca helps in many cases. Whether you take maca in the form of the maca powder that can be added to food or take maca capsules you should be able to feel the effects of the maca after taking a regular dose but it depends on your body as to how quickly the maca effects take place.

Maca for Women

There are a number of reasons why you might want to use maca for women. Depending on what time of your life you are going through you may want to consider maca for the following reasons:

Increased energy – This is an option for maca for women of all ages – take a dose of maca or else taking daily maca supplements can increase your energy levels.

Maca for fertility – Maca can help women who need to regularise their menstrual cycles and in addition to this, even though it does not contain hormones itself, it can help with the level of hormones in women, including increasing the luteinizing hormone which is the one that makes women ovulate.  It is also classed as an adaptogen which means that it works on the parts of the body that need work – so for example if there is a lack of progesterone it will work on that.

As maca has been shown to give an increase in libido for men and women and so this means that it may help in fertility issues. When trying to conceive it is important that you have intercourse at the most fertile times (just before and at ovulation) but to try and continue to cover all of your bases during this time to have intercourse every day for what could be up to a week if you are not sure of your ovulation date, could mean that you need that extra boost in your libido to get you through those fertile times.

Maca for the Menopause – as discussed above, maca can be useful to regulate hormones and help deal with changes in the menstrual cycle and for this reason it has been shown to help women who are going through the menopause. Once again maca does not contain hormones so this is a completely natural treatment for menopause symptoms.

So overall there are many benefits of maca for women of all ages and it has been used for many years to treat women naturally and organically.

You can buy maca tablets from Amazon in both the UK and the US:
UK US

Maca for Men

There are a number of reasons to take maca for men from just using maca to increase strength and energy – whether that be needed on a regular basis or perhaps as a one off event every now and again – to using maca on a regular basis to help improve the quality of sperm.

Maca has been used as a herbal medicine for thousands of years by the Peruvians and it is said that their warriors would eat maca root before a big battle to increase their chances of winning. Nowadays there are many ways in which you can take maca root from the powedered form to capsules and maca coffee.

Maca for men could be beneficial for any of the following reasons:

Increased strength and energy – perhaps you need a pick me up or a boost to your energy in which case maca can do this for you.

Increased libido – maca has been shown to increase libido in men and women and has sometimes been called nature’s version of the little blue pill. However, it is a completely natural herbal supplement and so has no chemicals and is farmed organically in the majority of cases.

Maca for Men – Better Sperm Quality – maca has been shown to increase the quality of sperm in men. So if you have been found to have a low or below average sperm count or mobility then it is possible that maca can help you. There are a number of vitamins that are recommened to help improve sperm quality and it has been shown that taking a combination of male fertility vitamins over a period of 3 months (as this is the length of time it takes for the body to produce sperm) can significantly improve sperm quality. Obviously if you have these kind of issues you will need to speak to your doctor in case there are any other underlying fertility problems.

So maca for men can be of great benefit and can be taken on an ad hoc basis or as a daily supplement.

The Price of Maca Root

Maca is not a very expensive herbal supplement to buy. The maca price depends upon what type of maca you are buying and obviously in what kind of quantities you buy the maca. Maca powder is a little bit more expensive than buying maca capsules mostly because it comes in larger quantities, but you can still get hold of a large bag of maca powder for around $20. For maca capsules, these come in various different sizes, usually in multiples of 250mg, up to 1000mg but with the most popular dose being 500mg. Prices vary but for a bottle of 100 capsules of 500mg each you can pay anywhere between $5 and $20, depending on the quality of the brand.

You can also buy maca extract in small bottles with a dropper to dispense a small amount at a time. As this is a more concentrated form the maca price on this type is higher and can cost around $50 for a 4oz bottle. Obviously though at high concentrate this maca extract is going to last much longer and is more powerful. Buying maca in this form can be useful if you need to get through something like a long drive or need to stay up to complete work or studies. Just add a few drops of maca extract to your drink.

You can get a good maca price on a selection of maca products that are sold on Amazon. If you are looking for best price rather than quality then you can get low priced maca capsules in both the US and UK. This may be a good idea if you are looking to try out maca although you do need to check that you are getting good quality organic maca.

 

You can buy maca powder from Amazon in both the UK and the US and this is great to use in smoothies or just added to meals:
UK US

Maca Research on Rats

There have been limited studies into the effects of Maca on humans although some studies have been carried out, including some on rats.

One particular study looked into a variety of the claims that Maca can help towards balancing hormones and this study came up with some interesting conclusions with their results on treating rats with Maca.

One particular paragraph of interest from the published study* (which is quite long and comprehensive) concluded the following:

“In previous papers from this series (11, 12, 20) on Gelatinized Organic Maca root preparation (Maca-GO), its positive physiological effect in both, post- (11) and perimenopausal (20) women was demonstrated, as well as results from short- and long-term bioassays on laboratory animals (sexually-active adult female and male rats) were presented (12). The observed effects on animals were gender and dose dependent, with different responses observed during a short- and a long-term Maca-GO administration (12). In addition to, appropriate to the gender, balancing effects of Maca-GO on hormones FSH, E2 and progesterone, positive results were also recorded in terms of tendency to restrict weight increase, lowering triglycerides in blood plasma and an increase in calcium and phosphorus deposition in bone and muscle tissues. The obtained results suggested that Maca-GO may be of value as a potential substitute to HRT in alleviating perimenopausal symptoms, or reducing dependence on HRT programs. Laboratory assays on male and female rats demonstrated also that Maca-GO may also be considered as a non-hormonal energizing supplement, assisting not only physically-active people and sportsmen, but in those women complaining on lack of energy and stamina, often experienced by women entering menopausal stage of life (12).”

As you can see they did get some positive results from these studies – it seems that the longer the maca was taken, the better the results were, not only in balancing hormones (including FSH which is a key factor in female fertility) but also in restricting weight increase – something that has not been touched on a great deal by many of those promoting maca.

Also, in terms of helping menopausal women, the study compares the use of maca to soy, which has a steroid acting structure, as opposed to maca which is non-steroid based.

There was also evidence that confirmed the use of Maca by the Peruvians for hundreds of years in terms of giving increased stamina and energy.

The results also comment on the fact that some original research revealed that;

“alkaloids in the Maca root, produced fertility effects on the ovaries and testes of rats. She has further deducted that the alkaloids were acting on the hypothalamus-pituitary axis, which may explain why the effects in humans are not limited to ovaries and testes, but also acts on the adrenals, giving a feeling of greater energy and vitality and on the pancreas and thyroid as well.”

So, there are many conclusions that have been drawn from this study which confirm that maca certainly has an effect on hormones and energy.

*Further notes from this study can be found here

Painting Furniture with Chalk Paint

Home & Garden, ,

There is a trend right now for painting old furniture to give a shabby chic effect. There are many people out there doing this professionally but if you want to you can also get similar results on your own old and worn furniture.

The way to paint old furniture is to use chalk paint. There are two main manufacturers of this kind of paint – Annie Sloan, which seems to be the most popular make at the moment, and Autentico which is slightly lagging behind. Both paints come in a range of colours so that you have a great choice of matching in your revamped furniture.

One thing you do need to look out for though is the possibility that you might need to put an undercoat on the furniture you are painting. One of the misconceptions of painting with chalk paint is that you can paint on anything. Well, some dark wood furniture in particular will bleed through if you just paint on top of it. Both manufacturers also have an undercoat/sealant that you can use but you can also try using something like PVA. A lot of painting furniture is to do with trial and error, so try and paint a hidden part of the furniture you have first to see if it needs sealing.

You should not need to sand the furniture beforehand as the whole point of the chalk paint is so that you can just paint it straight on. If you do sand down the furniture first then you could just use a standard primer and paint and that will save you a lot of money.

Once you have applied the chalk paint to the furniture you will also need to seal it with some wax and again the 2 manufacturers supply their own wax products. If you want an ‘aged’ look to your furniture then apply a dark wax over a light coloured paint.

Annie Sloan paints are generally only available from appointed suppliers, some of which sell it online but Autentico paint can be bought from Amazon:

 

Easy Vegetarian Lasagne – Pesto and Mushrooms

Food & Drink,

Easy Lasagne with Green Pesto

pesto-lasagneThe official name that I have given this dish is ‘Lasagne a la Portofino’ which is a small coastal town in Italy where I had this lasagne in a restaurant and I can honestly say it was the best lasagne that I had ever tasted! So the problem after that was trying to recreate something that I did not have the recipe for! The lasagne was totally melt in the mouth and was made up of fresh lasagne sheets with plenty of olive oil and green pesto. You can either make the recipe just like that or else add a few extras if you like.

I have made this recipe quite a few times and each time I vary it a bit just to see what it will turn out like but this is the staple that I start off with. If you have vegetarian guests then this is a great main meal or if you want to make the non-vegetarian alternative then you can add some chopped cooked chicken.

Vegetarian Lasagne Ingredients

The main ingredients are as follows – some are optional depending on your taste.

  1. Lasagne sheets (can be fresh or dried) – you will need around 4 to 8 sheets depending on the size and shape of your dish.
  2. Green pesto (homemade or from a jar) – one small jar will suffice
  3. Mushrooms (optional) – one standard pack of around 500g.
  4. Bechamel sauce – you can make this from a packet or else it is easy to make up a fresh jug of sauce yourself – see below. For this you will need, butter (around 2oz), flour (plain, 3 tablespoons) and around half a pint of milk – the measurements also depend on how much lasagne you want to make and how big your dish is but this should serve 4 people.
  5. Mozzarella cheese (or other cheese if you prefer) – one packet of shredded/grated cheese.
  6. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (if extra is required)

Quick Bechamel Sauce

For my simple bechamel sauce I find it easy to make it in the microwave and it does not come out lumpy.

Melt around an ounce of butter in the microwave. Stir in enough flour to soak up the butter. When this is mixed to a thick paste heat it in the microwave for about 20 seconds to slightly cook it. Then stir in around a half a pint of milk. Put the mixture back in the microwave for 30 seconds then take out and stir. Repeat this until the mixture thickens which should be after a minute (depending on how much milk you have added). As soon as it starts thickening stir it all together and you will have a nice bechamel sauce. Add some salt and pepper to this and a sprinkling of the grated mozzarella cheese. Don’t make the sauce too thick so that it spreads across the lasagne.

Lasagne Cooking Method

Layer up the lasagne
Layer up the lasagne

Cook the lasagne according to the instructions on the packet – some lasagne sheets need boiling first where others you can use straight from the packet. This works best if the lasagne is precooked.

Slice up the mushrooms and fry them for about 5 minutes in some butter with either half a chopped garlic clove (or more if you like your garlic!) or some garlic salt or powder and set aside.

Layer a dish with each item starting with the lasagne. Then add spoonfuls of pesto so that the lasagne is covered with a thin layer, adding extra olive oil if required, then a thin layer of the bechamel sauce and finally some mushrooms (see pic on right). Keep layering until the dish is full and finish with a layer of the bechamel sauce.

The finished lasagne
The finished lasagne

Sprinkle the grated mozzarella on top of the lasagne and then cook in a pre-heated oven for around 15-20 minutes (assuming the lasagne is pre-cooked, otherwise follow cooking instructions on the packet).

How to Freshen Up Feather Pillows

Home & Garden,

So I recently moved house and I had to store a load of stuff in my garage for a few months after moving, due to lots of renovation work being done in the house itself. A fair bit of this stuff I didn’t really want to keep in there due to the fact that it might get damp, but as the garage was watertight and it wasn’t going to be for too long I figured it might be OK.

Unfortunately when I brought the spare pillows back into the house they had a bit of a musty smell about them. As they were not that old I didn’t really want to throw them away so went hunting online for a solution to freshen them up. Most posts that I found (in fact pretty much all of them) said to put the pillows into the tumble dryer with a new tennis ball (sure of the significance of that!) but the problem was that I don’t actually have a tumble dryer!

Also I think that if the pillows had been filled with foam or other similar material I could have put them in the washing machine, but of course the ones I had were feather down.

I think most of the issue is that they just need airing. If it had been summer then I would have tried to hang them out on the washing line for a few days to see if that would do the trick. I might still do that again once summer is here. But in the end I just decided to lean them against a radiator. I kept turning them round so that both sides would get an airing and after a few days I did find that the pillows had lost that musty smell. I might also try spraying some fabric freshener on them but at the moment the radiator seems to be doing the trick.