Source: Root of lepidium meyenii appearance: powder blache or yellow detective method: HPLC effects: the Lepidium meyenii is not a medicine, but can be marketed as a dietary supplement. It is a food source of superior quality. The tuber is used for thousands of years by the local population. Now, Peruvians still use this plant as a food source. But also beyond the borders of the country, this plant is now known, both in South America and Northern Europe.
This plant can also combat male sterility by improving the quality of the sperm. It has no known side effects.
Its medicinal potentials are currently under study to identify active molecules in the traditional use. The three main ecotypes seem to have slightly different in men and women, but always beneficial effects for fertility.
As aphrodisiac food supplements market is very lucrative, this plant or rather the extracts of this plant were the subject of licensing in many countries. Peruvian farmers, supported by their Governments, have reacted to these attempts to ownership of their traditional medicinal plants.
