EXPLORING MATCHA TEA AND MACA ROOT
Social media are abuzz with chatter about matcha tea and maca root. Since I’m not averse to expanding my dietary horizons, I was game to engage in a little exploration.
Unlike regular green tea made by extracting the components of tea leaves with hot water, “matcha” tea is prepared by stirring powdered green tea leaves into water, whisking with a brush to produce a foamy, grassy-tasting beverage. Not any old tea leaves, mind you, but ones that during the final stages of growth have been shaded from the sun with black netting before being stoneground into a powder. Lack of sun forces the leaves to produce more of the green pigment chlorophyll, as well as more caffeine, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and theanine, meaning that drinking a matcha concoction is sort of like drinking concentrated tea. The espresso of teas, as it were. Matcha has a long history of use by the Japanese, especially Zen monks, in traditional tea ceremonies, but recently it has become a hot item here, promoted as some sort of super healthy beverage.
EGCG is a member of the class of compounds known as polyphenols that have antioxidant properties. Although there is a theoretical basis for suggesting that antioxidant intake can mitigate disease and slow aging, there is no compelling clinical evidence. What is known, is that consuming plant-based products seems to confer benefit, perhaps due to polyphenols, but of course plants contain numerous other compounds that may play a role. Theanine is an amino acid that is said to have a stress-relieving or anti-anxiety effect, but proper studies are lacking.
Drinking matcha means that the whole leaf is consumed, so that more EGCG, theanine and caffeine are available than from a regular tea infusion. Some studies have suggested that EGCG may even have a role in weight control since it increases metabolism, meaning that more calories are “burned.” But there are no studies that link matcha with weight loss. Sometimes matcha powder is incorporated into pancakes, ice cream, lattes or cheese cake to take advantage of its “superfood” aura. This is just marketing gimmickry that ignores the large sugar content of these foods. Drinking unsweetened matcha, however, was a surprisingly pleasant experience.
Now on to maca. A good story can sell a product, especially when it comes to dietary supplements. Talk about some legendary use by Indigenous people, throw in terms like “increased stamina,” “improved mood,” “aphrodisiac” and “natural,” and you are off and running to the marketplace. Maca is grown mostly in Peru, and its root, with a composition much like wheat or rice, has a long history as a dietary staple. But it is stories about the enhanced virility of Inca warriors who supposedly downed maca root before going into battle that captured the imagination of supplement manufacturers.
Couple this with anecdotes of Peruvians eating maca root for energy and improved sexual function, and you have a basis for carrying out studies that may potentially lay the groundwork for sound science. After all, plants are fascinating chemical factories and it is conceivable that maca may have some biologically active compounds. None have been detected so far, but that is not surprising. It takes a monumental effort to isolate, separate and identify the hundreds of compounds found in plants, and that is only the beginning. Then comes the even greater challenge of testing candidate compounds for biological activity. That’s why when it comes to herbal products, the simplest process is to test crude mixtures.
In one small study, men taking 1,500 or 3,000 mg per day of powdered root claimed increased sexual desire compared with a placebo. There was no measurable change in sex hormones, and curiously the effect was not dose dependent. Another study in young men showed a slight but significant improvement in erectile dysfunction, and one in postmenopausal women resulted in decreased anxiety and depression with some improvement in sexual function compared with placebo. Again, there were no changes noted in any hormone levels.
As usual with such dietary supplements, the consumer is at the mercy of the manufacturer in terms of product quality. There is no systematic checking by regulators that the product actually contains what it is supposed to contain. However, given that maca is widely consumed as a food, it is unlikely that any of the root powders pose a significant health risk, although headaches, stomach problems, sweating and sleep disruption have been reported in rare cases. It seems that for people looking for a little boost in stamina and sexual function, a daily dose in the range of 1,500-3,000 mg of “Peruvian ginseng,” as maca is sometimes called, is an option. It may actually do something, especially if you think it will.
I’ve been told I should mix some maca into my matcha for a match made in heaven. Hmmmm ….