Maca Dosage: The Studied Dose Is 4 Capsules a Day
Educational summary — not medical advice. See the full evidence review before deciding whether to try maca at all. This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
The honest answer
The studied dose for sexual desire is 1,500–3,000 mg of maca root a day, most often 3,000 mg. A 12-week trial improved self-reported sexual desire at both 1,500 and 3,000 mg/day, with the effect visible from week 8 (PMID 12472620). Here's the part most labels don't spell out: a typical capsule holds 750 mg, so 3,000 mg means four capsules a day, not one. See how prices compare per studied dose before you buy.
How much maca should you take per day?
The trials that reported an effect on sexual desire used 1,500 to 3,000 mg of maca root a day. The most-cited trial split men into two active arms, 1,500 mg and 3,000 mg, against placebo, for 12 weeks. Self-reported desire improved from week 8 in both active groups (PMID 12472620).
You will see a higher figure of 3,300 mg quoted for maca. It is real, but it is not a desire dose. It comes from a crossover trial in 29 postmenopausal women that measured hormones, blood pressure and depression scores (PMID 24931003). No desire outcome was recorded in that trial.
A separate pilot tested the two doses head to head for a narrower use: SSRI-related sexual dysfunction. On 3.0 g/day, sexual-function scores improved. On 1.5 g/day, they didn't (PMID 18801111). Only 10 of the 20 people enrolled completed that trial, so treat it as a signal, not a proof of a dose-response curve.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How much? | 1,500–3,000 mg/day for desire, most often 3,000 mg/day |
| How many capsules is that? | 4 capsules a day at a typical 750 mg capsule |
| Does more work better? | One 10-completer pilot found 3.0 g/day worked where 1.5 g/day didn't — not a firm dose-response curve |
| How long to see an effect? | Desire was already improved by week 8 in the 12-week anchor trial; earlier timing isn't described |
| Any long-term dosing data? | No — every published trial ran 6 to 12 weeks |
| Are products third-party tested? | 0 of 3 tracked products carry any certification |
The reveal: your capsule is probably 750 mg, and the dose is four of them
This is the part the label doesn't do the math on for you. Most maca capsules sold on Amazon are 750 mg of maca root per capsule. To reach the 3,000 mg studied dose, you need 4 of them a day. A single capsule gets you to roughly a quarter of the studied amount.
That changes what a bottle actually is. A container marketed as "180 servings" sounds like a six-month supply at one capsule a day. At the studied dose, it's a 45-day supply. Below is what that does to the real cost per day, computed from live prices, not sticker prices.
| Product | mg/capsule | Capsules/day at 3,000 mg | $/day at 3,000 mg | $/day at 1,500 mg | Bottle lasts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nutricost Maca Root 750 mg (180 Capsules, 180 Servings) | 750 mg | 4 | $0.35 | $0.18 | 45 days |
| NusaPure Maca Root Black, Red & Yellow 750 mg (180 Vcaps, 180 Servings) | 750 mg | 4 | $0.67 | $0.33 | 45 days |
| NusaPure Peruvian Black Maca Root 750 mg (200 Veg Capsules, 200 Servings) | 750 mg | 4 | $0.75 | $0.38 | 50 days |
Prices are live Amazon buy-box figures. Cost per day = price ÷ servings × capsules needed for that dose. Bottle life is measured at the 3,000 mg/day studied dose, not the labeled serving size. None of the 3 tracked products carry third-party certification.
The cheapest way to hit the studied dose
Now that you know the real math — four capsules, not one — here's what that costs. Full ranking and picks by goal are on best maca.
750 mg per capsule × 4 capsules/day = 3,000 mg, at $0.35/day. The 180-serving bottle lasts 45 days at that dose. No third-party certification claimed.
The most expensive tracked option, NusaPure Peruvian Black Maca Root 750 mg (200 Veg Capsules, 200 Servings), costs $0.75/day at the same 3,000 mg dose — more than double, for the same 750 mg capsule size.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Ranked by cost per studied dose, never by commission.
Calculator: how many capsules do you actually need?
Enter the mg per capsule from your own label and how many capsules are in the container. We'll show how many you need for the 3,000 mg and 1,500 mg studied doses, and how long the container really lasts.
How to take it, if you try it
- Target 3,000 mg/day if you want to match the trial that showed a desire effect — that's 4 capsules at a typical 750 mg size (PMID 12472620).
- Don't assume one capsule is a dose. One 750 mg capsule is roughly a quarter of the studied amount.
- Budget for a shorter bottle life than advertised. A "180 servings" bottle is a 45-day supply at the studied dose, not six months.
- Check what maca is even shown to do first. Read the honest evidence review before spending on a higher dose — testosterone and fertility claims are not supported.
- There's no long-term dosing data. Every published trial ran 6 to 12 weeks; talk to a clinician before using it longer than that, or if you're pregnant, breastfeeding, or on medication.
What we don't know about dosing
No trial has tested maca past 12 weeks, so there's no long-term dosing evidence at any amount. The dose-response data we have is a single small pilot comparing two doses head to head, with only 10 completers (PMID 18801111). We can't tell you what 4,500 mg or 6,000 mg would do, because no published trial has tested more than 3,300 mg a day.
Frequently asked questions
How much maca should I take per day?
The trials that found an effect on sexual desire dosed 1,500 to 3,000 mg of maca root a day, most often 3,000 mg. The anchor trial used 1,500 mg and 3,000 mg for 12 weeks and saw self-reported desire improve from week 8 (PMID 12472620). You'll sometimes see 3,300 mg quoted for maca. That dose comes from a postmenopausal trial that measured hormones, blood pressure and mood — not desire (PMID 24931003).
How many capsules is 3,000 mg of maca?
Most maca capsules on the market are 750 mg. At that size, 3,000 mg/day works out to 4 capsules a day, not one. A lot of people take a single capsule and assume they're at the studied dose. One 750 mg capsule is about a quarter of it.
Does 3,000 mg work better than 1,500 mg?
In one small pilot, yes, but read the fine print. Twenty people with SSRI-related sexual dysfunction were randomized to 1.5 g or 3.0 g of maca a day; only 10 completed the trial. On 3.0 g/day both sexual-function scores improved. On 1.5 g/day, neither did (PMID 18801111). That's a 10-completer pilot, not a firm dose-response curve.
How long before maca works, if it does?
In the 12-week anchor trial, desire was already improved by week 8 (PMID 12472620). The trial doesn't describe what happened between the start and week 8, and no published trial has run past 12 weeks. There is no long-term dosing evidence for maca at any amount.
How long does a maca bottle actually last?
Shorter than the label implies. Nutricost Maca Root 750 mg (180 Capsules, 180 Servings) is sold as 180 servings, but at the studied 3,000 mg/day that bottle lasts 45 days, not 180. A "6-month supply" claim assumes one capsule a day, a quarter of the studied dose.
Are any maca supplements third-party tested?
Not among the products we track. 0 of 3 tracked maca products carry any third-party certification (USP, NSF, or Informed Sport). That's a real gap in this category, not a reason to pick one brand over another on purity grounds.
Related
- Does maca work? — the honest evidence, outcome by outcome
- Best maca — every tracked product ranked by cost per studied dose
- Maca colour varieties — black, red and yellow, and why most labels don't say which
Sources
- Gonzales GF, et al. Andrologia. 2002. PMID: 12472620 (1,500 and 3,000 mg/day, 12-week RCT; desire improved from week 8; testosterone and estradiol unchanged).
- Dording CM, et al. CNS Neurosci Ther. 2008. PMID: 18801111 (n=20 enrolled, 10 completers; dose-finding pilot; 3.0 g/day improved sexual-function scores, 1.5 g/day did not).
- Full product dataset: /maca/cost-by-brand.json (CC BY 4.0).