Lepidium meyenii has been profusely studied by medical specialist, botanist and herbalist; also, the scientific establishment as classified this herb as it follows:

Botanical Classification: Formerly known as the Cruciferae, because it has four petals held open in the shape of a cross, this family includes many important vegetables and agricultural crops. There are over 3000 species throughout the world, but the largest numbers are from temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.

Brassicaceae plants share a suite of glycosinolate compounds knows as 'mustard oils' that produce the pungent odor that one associates with 'cole' crops, such as cabbage and broccoli, and this can be useful for family recognition.

The Lepidium Genus
The term “Lepidium” comes from the Greek “Lepidium”, which means little fish scale, referring to its flat-shaped fruit. The Lepidium genus includes about 175 species distributed over all the continents, saving Antarctica.

In fact, it’s one of the largest genuses in the Brassicaceae family. The species from North America and Europe has been extensively studied, but the ones on the Andean region are recently been studied profusely because of the great health benefits found on lepidium meyenii.

There are more than 300 species related with Lepidium meyenii because the Brassicaceae Family is spread all over the world. The most relevant plants related with Lepidium meyenii are rapeseed, mustard, turnip, black mustard, Cabbage, Garden Cress, Water cress.