Product description maca lepidium meyenii is a root vegetable that is grown at altitudes of over 10 000 feet above sea level in the harsh terrain of the peruvian andes at this altitude the temperature can oscillate between 20 and 25 degrees below zerothere is little oxygen and often intense sunlightbut the soil is extremely rich in minerals which accounts for the high levels of trace minerals in the root in traditional andean culture maca root is valued for its high nutritional content