cause of the symptoms, not trying to treat the outward signs of disease, but enabling the body to rebalance and dissolve the patterns that are creating the disease. They are dealing with cause rather than effect. Once health challenges are dealt with in this way, they are much less likely to reoccur than when only the outward manifestations of bad health are addressed and the inner roots left untouched.
Nutritionally, maca is a brilliant source of the B vitamin group including the elusive B12. The B vitamins are depleted in the body by stress; taking a food high in B vitamins like maca, pollen or gojis helps the body recover more quickly from stress and keep moving forward. The twenty-first-century lifestyle is a very stressful one due to environmental pollution and the fast-paced lives we lead; these superfoods are so valuable in giving us that energy to keep on keeping on, meet the demands placed on us, and rise to the challenges life presents us with. Maca is a good source of bioavailable protein, containing 11% amino acids, and 18 out of the 22 amino acids needed to build protein in the body. It contains 31 different minerals and trace minerals, including significant amounts of calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper, zinc, iron, phosphorous, selenium and manganese, all of which are in a readily accessible form to the body. These minerals can help protect against osteoporosis, especially in menopausal women. The cruciferous family of vegetables is known for the glucosinates it contains, that have been demonstrated to have anti-cancer properties and inhibit tumor growth. The plant sterols in maca, like those in aloe vera, can be used as a natural and healthy alternative to steroid drugs, boosting performance for athletes, and helping the body fight challenges such as eczema. It helps with chronic fatigue not only because it provides healthy balanced energy levels, but also because it assists the adrenal glands and raises cortisol levels. Maca also provides many fatty acids, including lauric acid and linoleic acid (also known as omega-3, the EFA in which many of us are deficient).
As maca is a hormone balancer, it is beneficial for women at any time of their lives: if you have been on the pill, if you have irregular periods, if you suffer with premenstrual tension, if you have exceptionally light or heavy periods, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, if you are entering adolescence, if you are premenopausal, in the menopause or postmenopausal. There are very few women that don’t fit into one of those categories! Because it is rich in bioavailable calcium, it is particularly beneficial for breastfeeding mothers because it will balance your hormones, provide you with your extra calcium intake, and help you deal with all those sleepless nights. As a hormone balancer, it is also known as Nature’s Viagra. It improves libido in both men and women, and also improves fertility. Maca and cacao together are an indisputable aphrodisiac. Maca does not itself contain hormones, so there is no danger of overdoing it. Rather, it supports the body’s endocrine system which produces the hormones. The hypothalamus is the master gland that stimulates and balances the other glands in the body, and is also considered to be the brain’s sex center; the beneficial effects maca has on the hypothalamus gland are central to its adaptogenic properties and aphrodisiacal effects. Maca also contains alkaloids which have been shown to increase fertility in humans—in a study done in 2000, the sexual activity of rats fed maca increased by 400%!
Children love maca. It is not unpalatable, and easily mixes into their cereal, porridge, or yogurt. It boosts their protein and calcium levels, building strength in the bones and teeth. As a hormone regulator, it can help prevent toddler tantrums, which are often just a result of hormonal surges overwhelming little bodies. It makes them strong, sure and confident in their bodies. When my children first had maca, they literally started climbing the walls! Reuben discovered how to straddle the door frame and climb it to reach the ceiling, and would show off his newfound skills to any and all visitors to our house. I’m also finding it very useful as they enter their teenage years, as a powerful way to lift them up out some of that teenage angst and returning them to good spirits.
Maca is so much more than the sum of its nutritive value. It is the actual energy of the plant that we are ingesting that has such a powerful effect on us holistically. Sure, it is a great source of protein, minerals, and plant sterols. But it is that adaptogenic effect, that “survival against all odds” element that it contains in its cells, that is so beneficial to us in the West at this time in history, when we are battling against so much within our culture, and trying to adapt to the new millennium unfolding before us. That’s what makes maca magic!
“Bee pollen works, and it works perfectly. Pollen allows superstars to increase their strength and stamina up to 25%. This increase in strength and endurance may be the key to the secret regenerative power of bee pollen. The whole beauty of bee pollen is that it’s as natural as you can get.”
—ALEX WOODLEY, HEAD OF PHILADELPHIA PIONEER CLUB AND COACH TO MANY OLYMPIC GOLD-MEDAL SPRINTERS.
“If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would only have four years left to live.”
—ALBERT EINSTEIN
Like algae, bee pollen is a perfect food, in that it contains every single known nutrient that the body needs. Theoretically, if you were stranded on a desert island, you could live on bee pollen and water alone. Pollen is also like algae in that it is a primordial food, one of the oldest foods on this planet, and so it must be made of something pretty amazing to have made it this far. Probably more has been written about pollen than any other food in this book; its incredible healing and rejuve-native properties are well researched and documented. Like all the superfoods, it is the synergistic effect of so many important nutrients that makes pollen so powerful, but it also contains substances as yet unidentified by science that add to its unique magic. Bee pollen is actually a bit of a misnomer because pollen does not come from bees, it comes from flowers, and is collected by the bees and brought back to the hives. Strictly speaking, pollen is not a vegan food, but I personally feel it is unlikely that Mother Nature would have designed the perfect food for humans and not meant us to eat it.
Pollen is a great superfood because it tastes so nice, sweet and rich like honey. Children love it, it is a wonderful food to add to their diets and increase their nutritional intake. It is easy to sprinkle on cereal for breakfast or add to trail mixes and desserts. Pollen has a very “buzzy” energy; it is sometimes called natural speed. I remember the first time I took it; it was about 10 p.m. at night, I had just put two children to bed, I was home on my own, and didn’t know how I was going to face the rest of the evening’s chores, tidying the kitchen and sorting out the washing. I took two pollen tablets to get me through those last few hours, and ended up with enough energy afterwards to dance around the living room! Pollen is a great food if you are always on the go, flitting from one activity to the next like a bee flying from flower to flower. If you are eating a meal that is a quick stopgap, with no time to rest or think, then adding pollen to it gives you that boost to rush off, full of enthusiasm and energy, rather than dragging yourself on feeling tired and reluctant.
The quality of bee pollen can be quite variable, and depends a lot on where it is gathered. Ideally, the environment in which the flowers and bees are living should be as pristine as possible, which is why desert pollen is very good. At one of the world’s largest pollen producers, workers drive around the land in electric cars so as to minimize pollution. As a fresh food, pollen goes rancid easily. If it is kept in packaging that exposes it to light for long periods of time the quality can deteriorate. It also doesn’t like being exposed to heat so it is best kept refrigerated. You can tell if it is past its best by putting pollen granules in a glass of water—if it floats, it’s rancid. The majority of pollen that is sold in the West is dried—if you can find fresh pollen it’s really in a class of its own. Look out for the French Percie du Sert pollen that is sold frozen to preserve it. Pollen also goes off quickly when it is ground up, so if you are adding it to recipes, better to use it in its whole form, unless you are planning on eating it straightaway. Most commercially available pollen is polyfloral, i.e. it comes from more than one variety of flower. Monofloral pollen is made when the bees collect pollen from one type of flower only, linden or hawthorn for example. Monofloral pollens have quite