The following Mark's Daily Apple article was written by Mark Sisson, and is narrated by Tina Lehman.

Adaptogens, Makarut, Seabuck, Thorn Oil, and Shazandra.

I've covered a number of adaptogens over the past few months, including American and Asian

ginseng, Ashwaganda, Astragalus, and Holy Basel, and for good reason.

They offer an effective means to combat stress as well as boost health and performance from a number

of angles. I've enjoyed experimenting with many of them and even use some on a regular basis.

I thought I'd continue with the look at three additional adaptogens, Maka, Seabuckthorn, and Chisandra.

See what you think. From Dirt to to dispensary, the life cycle of your

adaptogen. Maka root. Maka is a cruciferous biannial herb that hails from the high

Indian peaks of Peru. Grown primarily for its fleshy root, maca is similar in growing habitat in size to turnips and radishes.

Its green, fragrant tops grow above ground, but most of the action takes place below the surface,

with the root varying considerably in shape, size, and color depending on the subspecies.

Most maca cultivation happens at high

elevations. Think 14,000 feet in Peru, Bolivia, and some of the higher spots of Brazil.

Chances are, however, your supplement was grown in Peru.

Maka, sometimes called Peruvian ginseng, takes about seven months to produce small flowers and

go-to-seat. It's harvested at this point, washed, and left in covered tents to dry out.

Traditional Peruvian custom is to then put the plants in large sacks and give them a good

rustle up, with the seeds falling into tarps below and subsequently collected

for the next round of cultivation. The root itself is then either sold locally as a whole root,

they eat the stuff like potatoes in the Indian villages of Peru, ground to a powder for supplemental

purposes, or sent off for processing into beverages, wine, liquors, and even

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