What Is Maca—And Can It Really Boost Your Sex Drive?

Move over, matcha, there’s a new superfood in town: maca.

No, not matcha. Maca. (Confusing, right?)

The root, also known as Peruvian ginseng, recently made waves in the health and wellness community for its long list of supposed benefits. Just look up “maca powder” on Instagram and you’ll see people putting maca into their coffee and shakes or even sprinkling it into their baked goods.

nothing better than a bowl of crunchy overnight oats loaded with all the dayum toppings? crunchy maca overnight oats: a packet of @rightfoods chia crunch organic superfood hot cereal (oats, quinoa, buckwheat, chia seeds), 1/2 tsp maca, 1 tbsp coconut yogurt, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 scoop of vanilla protein of your choice, and 1/2 c almond milk. mix it all up and leave in the fridge overnight. topped with 1/2 banana, frozen raspberries, hemp seeds, creamy peanut butter and a dollop of coconut yogurt.? happy friyay friends!❤️ #healthymoodsf #rightfoods #overnightoats

A post shared by L y a n a (@healthymoodsf) on Jan 12, 2018 at 9:02am PST

☕️✨ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Some mornings, my stomach just can’t handle the acidity of coffee but this has been a great alternative (does not have the same caffeine effects though).⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ H o w t o : 4 oz. unsweetened almond milk 4 oz. hot water 1 tsp. maca powder 1 tsp. cacao + mushroom blend 1 tsp. ashwagandha powder 1 tsp. honey ? 1/3 tsp. cinnamon A pinch of cardamom A pinch of nutmeg ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Recipe adapted from @chelseacaravella ??✨ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #adaptogens #macapowder #ashwagandha #cacao #mushrooms #betterhealth #warming #eatfuelnourish

A post shared by Haley Fembleaux (@eatfuelnourish) on Feb 27, 2018 at 1:16pm PST

So what do all of those maca (not matcha!) lattes in your Instagram feed actually do for you? Time to sift through the hype around maca root benefits:

What Is Maca?

It is a cruciferous veggie like kale, cauliflower, or radishes. It’s been grown in the Andes mountains of Peru for the last 3,000 years, according to the National Institutes of Health. There, it’s a traditional medicine that’s also a key ingredient in a fermented drink called maca chicha.

Most people consume maca root powder. And nutrition-wise, maca powder benefits are pretty impressive. One-half teaspoon (2.5 grams) of maca powder has around 10 percent of your daily iron needs, 10 percent of your recommended vitamin C, and about 15 percent of your copper needs—all for just 10 calories. Not a bad deal!

This article originally appeared on Women’s Health US.

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