Maca: The Honest Evidence on Libido and Testosterone
Educational overview — not medical advice. Sexual, hormonal and menopausal symptoms need a clinician's evaluation — maca is not a treatment. This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Maca has one effect with repeat trial support: a modest rise in self-reported sexual desire at 1,500–3,000 mg/day, first detectable at week 8 in the anchor trial (Gonzales 2002). A systematic review found only 4 qualifying RCTs and called the evidence limited (Shin 2010). The desire effect happens without any measured change in testosterone or estradiol — the 2002 trial checked and found none. See the full cost-per-studied-dose ranking before you buy.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Ranked by cost per studied dose, never commissions — and "cheapest to verify" is not "proven effective." None of the 3 products we track carries any third-party certification.
Does maca work?
For self-reported sexual desire, the honest answer is "modestly, in small trials." Gonzales' 12-week placebo-controlled trial gave men 1,500 or 3,000 mg/day of gelatinized maca and found improved desire from week 8, independent of mood and of testosterone or estradiol levels (PMID 12472620). But a systematic review searching 17 databases found only four trials that met inclusion, and called the overall evidence base too limited for firm conclusions (PMID 20691074). That review is the honest ceiling on every libido claim you'll see about maca.
You will also see maca marketed as a "testosterone booster." That claim doesn't hold up. The 2002 trial measured testosterone and estradiol directly and found no difference from placebo. A 2024 systematic review of testosterone-boosting ingredients covered two maca studies and concluded most such ingredients, maca included, fail to raise total testosterone (PMID 37697053). Whatever maca does for desire, it does not do it by moving your testosterone.
The one-line takeaway If you try maca, expect a modest, self-reported effect on desire at best, not a testosterone spike. Read the full evidence page for the semen-quality and menopause findings, then check the dosage guide before you buy — the studied dose is four capsules a day, not one.
Start here
What maca is (and the dose that was actually studied)
Maca (Lepidium meyenii, also sold as Lepidium peruvianum) is a Peruvian root sold as a powder or capsule for libido, energy and menopausal symptoms. The trials behind its best-supported effect dosed 1,500 to 3,000 mg/day, most often 3,000 mg. Most capsules on the market hold 750 mg, so reaching that dose takes four capsules a day. A bottle marketed as "180 servings" is really a 45-day supply at the dose the trials used, not a six-month supply. That arithmetic, not the sticker price, is what should drive your buying decision — see the full breakdown on best maca by cost per studied dose.
Frequently asked questions
Does maca raise testosterone?
No. The 2002 randomized trial that anchors the desire finding (PMID 12472620) measured serum testosterone and estradiol specifically to check, and found no difference from placebo. A 2024 systematic review of ingredients sold as "testosterone boosters" covered two maca studies (PMID 37697053). It concluded that most such ingredients fail. The few it judged possibly effective were beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate, betaine, Eurycoma longifolia, Tesnor, PrimaVie shilajit and Withania somnifera. Maca is not on that list.
How much maca do you need for an effect?
The trial with the clearest dose-response used 3.0 g/day, not 1.5 g/day. In a 2008 pilot of 20 remitted depressed patients with SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction (PMID 18801111, only 10 completed), scores improved significantly on 3.0 g/day and did not improve on 1.5 g/day. That is a different outcome than the desire trial, but it is the best evidence we have that dose matters and that 3.0 g looks like the working amount.
Does the colour of maca (black, red, yellow) matter?
It can. The one trial that compared colours head-to-head (PMID 27548190, n=175, 3 g/day for 12 weeks) found red maca extract worked better for mood, energy and altitude-sickness score, while black maca reduced blood glucose. Most labels never say which colour is inside. See the full breakdown on our colour-varieties page.
Why does a "180 servings" maca bottle run out in 45 days?
Because the trials dosed 3,000 mg/day and most capsules hold 750 mg, so reaching that dose takes four capsules a day. A bottle labeled "180 servings" assumes one capsule a day and actually lasts 45 days at the studied dose. This changes the real cost per day, sometimes by more than double what the sticker price implies.
Related guides
- Does maca work? — the full evidence on desire, menopause, semen quality and the testosterone myth
- Maca dosage guide — the 1,500–3,000 mg/day range and the capsule-math checker
- Best maca by cost per studied dose — every tracked product ranked, none certified
- Black vs red vs yellow maca — what the colours mean and why most labels don't say
Sources
- Gonzales GF, et al. "Effect of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) on sexual desire and its absent relationship with serum testosterone levels in adult healthy men." Andrologia. 2002. PMID: 12472620.
- Shin BC, et al. "Maca (L. meyenii) for improving sexual function: a systematic review." BMC Complement Altern Med. 2010. PMID: 20691074 (4 RCTs, limited evidence).
- Dording CM, et al. "A double-blind, randomized, pilot dose-finding study of maca root (L. meyenii) for the management of SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction." CNS Neurosci Ther. 2008. PMID: 18801111 (3.0 g/day worked, 1.5 g/day did not, n=20).
- Systematic review of testosterone-boosting ingredients. Int J Impot Res. 2024. PMID: 37697053 (maca not among the exceptions that raise testosterone).
- Gonzales-Arimborgo C, et al. "Acceptability, Safety, and Efficacy of Oral Administration of Extracts of Black or Red Maca (Lepidium meyenii) in Adult Human Subjects: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study." Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2016. PMID: 27548190 (n=175, colour comparison).
- Full product dataset: /maca/cost-by-brand.json (CC BY 4.0).