It looks like a tiny brown turnip, has a strong smell and what some consider a disgusting taste, but Peru's ''miracle'' maca can boost your sex drive by up to 200 percent, according to a study presented on Wednesday.

The powerful plant, cultivated for more than two millennia in the harsh high Andes at altitudes of more than 13,200 feet, is the basis of a nutritional supplement often dubbed Peruvian ginseng which, the study found, can also cut stress, boost energy and well-being and increase fertility.

The study -- using the high-tech maca pill developed by La Molina National Agrarian University -- also found maca reduced blood pressure and had no adverse effect on the heart.

''It's a miracle (product),'' said Fernando Cabieses, a professor and authority on maca, a plant he said was a nutritional gem for people of all ages.

The studies marked the completion of Phase I trials and results have been subjected to independent review and confirmation, factors which may influence the degree to which the research is accepted by other scientists. Experts said the data so far was promising.

''According to reports from the international medical community, the plant definitely has energy-giving properties, boosts physical and sexual performance ... Preliminary reports are promising,'' Julio Castro, dean of Peru's College of Doctors told, Reuters. He said, however, fuller studies were necessary.