Rainforest Foods Organic Maca Root is a plant grown in the Peruvian Andes over 4000m above sea level. Its root and hypocotyl - the bulbous stem below the leafy growth - have for centuries been part of the diet and culture of people in the region. Legend has it that Incan warriors consumed it prior to battle to increase their fighting spirit, and it has historically been used to enhance strength, stamina and libido. It presents a broad spectrum of nutrients, and is increasingly popular with athletes. The core of Macas nutritional profile is carbohydrate, which is over half its volume. This is an energy source and vital to active people. The carbohydrate is balanced in Maca by a healthy dose of proteins. The Calcium offered by Maca is also a vital resource, and is backed by several other vital minerals. These include Iron and Magnesium. Maca also contains Vitamin B1,Vitamin B2 and the antioxidant Vitamin C. A signature component of Maca is dietary fibre, an absolutely essential part of our intake and one which many modern foods lack in sufficiency. Production Rainforest Foods Maca is cultivated in Peru, at high altitude (over 4000m). The growing season is eight months long, which gives time for the nutritional profile to develop fully. A further three months is given to a natural, open-air drying process. The dried roots are cleaned and broken into small pieces. These are then processed to reduce the starch content to make the nutrients more easily absorbed by the human body and more concentrated. This finished maca powder contains the full array of nutrients that maca offers with just the levels of starch being reduced. It takes over 5kg of Maca root to make 1kg of our maca root 5:1 powder. Organic Certification Certified by the Soil Association, one of a handful of organic certification bodies in the UK. These are regulated in their turn by DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). The role of the Soil Association is to ensure that all foods sold as organic are definably so. It does this by auditing every stage of the supply chain, through growth, export and processing. Soil Association certification - indicated by the Soil Association logo and the EU organic leaf symbol on our packaging - is a guarantee that our customers are purchasing an organic product. All organically-certified products must also carry a certification code on their packaging. For UK companies such as Rainforest Foods this has the format GB-ORG-XX, XX indicating the certifying body. If this is not present, a product is not organic. The Soil Association code on our products is GB-ORG-05. About Rainforest Foods Rainforest Foods purpose is to help people combine good nutrition with modern living. They source a range of whole foods with exceptional nutritional richness. Rainforest Foods believe that man and nature are forever bound together in a symbiotic relationship, and that we all share a responsibility to protect the earth and to improve the lives of those who need a helping hand. Most of their farmers live in the developing world. By sourcing organically grown superfoods from them, Rainforest Foods helps sustain their livelihoods and allows them to continue farming in an environmentally sustainable manner. All Rainforest Foods products are certified organic by the Soil Association and registered with the Vegan Society. Rainforest Foods Organic Maca contains Vitamin B1, B2 and C. It has historically been used to enhance strength, stamina and libido. It presents a broad spectrum of nutrients, and is increasingly popular with athletes.