[msnewboobies]

I have taken maca before in capsule form and I DID feel balanced. Recently I decided to start it again and was confused because I have seen it called either Lepidium Meyenii or Lepidium Peruvianum.
Apparently they ARE different. Not sure what lepidium meyenii does but it seems to be the main one on the market and it is NOT the right one to be using -- according to these studies...

First read through this. It basically says that
meyenii does not provide the health, energy, and adaptogenic qualities but peruvianum does..
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4392557/

This one is a more extensive article and shows clinical studies done on MacaGO products which are some formulated combination of the peruvianum type and it actually shows that estrogen and progesterone rise with this type.
https://www.naturalhi.com/downloads/Whit...MacaGO.pdf
On other sites, most studies find that there are no statistically significant changes when taking maca in estrogen, testosterone, or progesterone as you can see on this site:
http://examine.com/supplements/Maca/
Maybe this is because the study used meyenii instead of peruvianum?

According to the article above with the MacaGO, this is the BEST Maca to buy and one that is clinically proven to affect hormone levels in a double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multi center study:
http://www.amazon.com/Femmenessence-Maca...B006ICPDHO


So why does everyone claim to achieve benefits from other maca?
I dont know.. maybe placebo effect..

Not sure what to make of this info yet. I literally just bought a bag of Navitas organic Lepidium MEYENII and I really don't want to have to return it

But would be interesting to see what others think and if you have actually tried the femmenessence let us know how it worked! Thinking about buying it.

[msnewboobies]

Beneficial effects of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) on psychological symptoms and measures of sexual dysfunction in postmenopausal women are not related to estrogen or androgen content.:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18784609

Conclusion of study:
Preliminary findings show that Lepidium meyenii (Maca) (3.5 g/d) reduces psychological symptoms, including anxiety and depression, and lowers measures of sexual dysfunction in postmenopausal women independent of estrogenic and androgenic activity.


*although this is for postmenopausal women-- I'll look for a study done on menstruating women

[msnewboobies]

After further research, I found out that the above study done on the MacaGO femmenessence product was conducted by the original doctor behind MacaGO -- in other words, their own company did the study (which I was thinking beforehand) which means the info should be taken with a grain of salt! But a BIG grain of salt I guess.

I found this research done specifically on the Lepidium Meyenii
Ethnobiology and Ethnopharmacology of Lepidium meyenii (Maca), a Plant from the Peruvian Highlands
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3184420/
It says:
"In 2005 appeared the first publication indicating that different maca color types have different properties [20]. More recently, it has been found that maca colors associate with variations in concentrations of distinct bioactive metabolites [19, 21]. These compounds individually or acting in synergy may be acting favoring the reported biological properties from maca."
So the femmenessence does seem to work BECAUSE it is a researched blend of different colors/types of maca.
That being said, if you want a proven and sure way to alter your hormones, I would go with the femmenessence. Otherwise, I THINK the other forms, as long as they are organically grown and properly grown, they should work but maybe not as well (?).
The article also states:
"The process of preparation of maca is important to obtain adequate biological effects."


Estrogen
The study does say:
"Serum estradiol levels were not affected in different studies which used mice [50], rats [16, 45], or humans [51]. Moreover, with an in vitro assay in our laboratory, we could not show that maca has a proliferative effect on MCF-7 cells [Vaisberg and Gonzales, unpublished observations]."

Memory and Learning
"In summary, different evidences suggest that maca, particularly black maca, improves learning and memory."

Sexual Function
"In summary, there is evidence that maca may improve sexual desire but is inconclusive an effect on erectile function."

Energizer
"In summary, scientific evidences suggest that maca may be an energizer."

TL;DR
So basically, it depends on your ultimate goals as for which maca you should take. I would definitely take the femmenessence if you are actively seeking to change your hormones and check out the study results above (I think it's the naturalhi link or something like that).
But I personally think maca works by supplementing loads of amino acids, fatty acids, and other nutrients to the body that help the adrenal axis and this is what makes the body balance hormones AND contributes to booby growth since amino acids are super important for HGH.

"Maca contains amino acids (mg/g protein) like leucine (91.0 mg), arginine (99.4 mg), phenylalanine (55.3 mg), lysine (54.3 mg), glycin (68.30 mg), alanine (63.1 mg), valine (79.3 mg), isoleucine (47.4 mg), glutamic acid (156.5 mg), serine (50.4 mg), and aspartic acid (91.7 mg). Other amino acids present but in less proportion are histidine (21.9 mg), threonine (33.1 mg), tyrosine (30.6 mg), methionine (28.0 mg), hydroxyproline (26 mg), proline (0.5 mg), and sarcosine (0.70 mg). Minerals reportedly found in maca were iron (16.6 mg/100 g dry matter), calcium (150 mg/100 g dry matter), copper (5.9 mg/100 g dry matter), zinc (3.8 mg/100 g dry matter), and potassium (2050 mg/100 g dry matter) among others (see [5])."
Bold items are especially important for HGH production and zinc and magnesium are important for hormone function!

Hope this info is helpful to someone!

[BillyBoy_Delano]

I have used Horny Goat Weed with Maca to help my male potency and volume of ejaculation. Yes I am growing breasts but I am a sissy with use of my male parts. I was able to get potency and my ejaculation was normal or greater on Maca.

[Candace]

Blood testing showed that the Navitas brand meyenii increased my DHEA.

[EllaC]

Mine just says it's organic Peruvian maca root! So who knows what mine is

[missboobshirt]

I mean, there are different types of maca-- colours and such and they each do something different.. also the quality of maca that you buy.

https://www.themacateam.com/peruvian-mac...inese-maca

but this is the first I am hearing about the two different names being two types of maca that do something different. All other articles I have came across call them synonyms of the same maca.

http://healingwithdrcraig.com/healing-me...rs-matter/

http://ncnm.edu/images/Advancement/NHI.pdf

interesting, i'll have to look into it when I get more time.

[hannah]

Oh great thats interesting indeed, i am scared of taking my Swansons maca now as it says its the wrong maca ''Lepidium Meyenii''..ill only be taking peruvian now on..

[EllaC]

Ok I've found some but am I correct the Lepidium peruvianum is RAW and you can't get gelatinised?

I read the research, very interesting. Am waiting to hear back which my brand is but its gelatinised so suspect it's the M kind

[EllaC]

Bugger it. I ordered some of the proper stuff $40 :s but be interesting to see how it makes me feel cause I alwAys felt REAL libido boost on raw maca but not from this gelatinised one I'm on now.... Maybe this is why....